For the past two decades, we've been creating artistic experiments in culture. Now, we are looking to the future.
Our mission is to connect interesting people who do incredible things, and we've been working on ways to achieve this both online and off.
As we enter a new paradigm, one of the most important questions to consider is: “How will we connect in this new era?”
To explore what might be possible, we launched a pilot membership program for a series of events focused on deeply connecting our community. Our next step is launching our private social app that will enable real-time connections for our people and beyond.
As we work to build something that can truly sustain and grow, we are seeking guidance and feedback from those who have experience building companies, driving culture, and fostering sustainable communities.
If this is you or someone you know, please get in touch. Below you will find a brief history of all that we’ve accomplished through now.
We'd love to show you what we have planned for the future and hear any feedback you are willing to share.
sincerely,
Our mission is to connect interesting people who do incredible things…
…and bring them together within beautiful locations, in the real world and in our app.
Our vision is a private social network that exists as much in the real world as it does online.
where we are at
700
paying members for the pilot season
3,000
beta testers on the MVP build of the app
70,000
active on our email list
where we are going
winter
we launch the public version of our app
spring
we launch our home location in Manhattan
fall
we start to scale, mixing the online and offline
To know where we are going, it's helpful to remember where we've been. Below is a snapshot of our previous projects. For this next era, we hope to combine elements of our earlier work into something that can truly sustain.
From the streets and warehouses of Brooklyn...
All of this started as an ongoing art project, an immersive world called "The Danger" that spanned the streets, warehouses, and forgotten corners of Brooklyn. What was intended to be a months-long experiment in experiential storytelling ended up lasting a decade.
100,000+
Guests in Attendance
DOZENS
of Events
(over 10 years)$1mm+
in Revenue Paid to Performers
This was an art project, not a business. The vast majority of revenue from ticket sales went to the artists involved.revenue
expenses
The above percentages represent the average revenue/expense mix for most of the events in this series....to a gilded age mansion...
From 2015 to 2019, our events landed in a once abandoned, 72-room mansion. Within this gothic ruin, we explored the creative potential of immersive storytelling at night.
Vogue named this project “New York’s Most Epic Mini-Festival.”
revenue
expenses
30,000+
Guests in Attendance
(over 3 years)7
Events
$1.5mm
in Revenue Paid to Performers & Artists
The above percentages represent the average revenue/expense mix for most of the events in this series....to our final event of that era.
Over the course of the pandemic, my team and I found ourselves searching for a deeper level of connection. We knew it would take some time to build, so we decided to host one last party, a closing to our years-long exploration of nightlife-as-art.
“I have a secret to share with you” was an exploration of our hidden selves, hosted on October 29th, 30th, and 31st of 2021. For this weekend-long event, we converted the historic Angel Orensanz into a garden of darkness and light.
revenue
expenses
2,500
Guests in Attendance
(3 nights)1
Event
(3 nights)$120k
In Revenue Paid to Performers & Scenic Artists
All of the above continued as we quietly explored other ways to combine art, community, and technology.
During this time, my team and I also launched and scaled an artist social network. This project most closely resembles what we hope to build with Collective.
The venture-backed project grew to one million members, combining over-the-top real-world exhibitions and a digital network connecting a global community.
As featured in:
