On March 20, the RYSE Creative Village (RCV) invited former Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed to participate in a fireside chat at the UTA Artist Space as part of its “Journey to RYSE” event, according to a press release shared with BLACK ENTERPRISE.
The event covered the city’s entertainment sphere and RYSE’s ongoing project centered on combining affordable housing and micro homes.
RCV is a tech-enabled content production studio and development incubator specifically designed for creatives in Georgia’s film, entertainment, gaming, and digital media industries.
Several community figures and companies were in attendance, including Rico Brooks, CEO of Adella Thomas Management, and Vice President and COO of Carver Bank Kenneth Rance, whose company is currently funding the development of the project.
The multimillion-dollar Black-owned production studio has plans to become a talent incubator for the underserved in southwest Atlanta. It will include a virtual studio, a gaming center, podcasting rooms, a recording booth, a screening theater and other resources.
The first phase of construction for the project began in January of this year and is being financed by Carver Bank, one of the most notable Black-led banks in the United States.
Since its inception, RCV has hosted more than 400 productions and aims to equip emerging and established creatives with technological tools to advance their craft.
It was once the home of Preston Arkwright Elementary; the site remained empty for two decades after the public school’s closure in 2004.
Now, founder Jay Jackson has transformed the vacant lot into RCV, an innovative 31,000-square-foot mixed-use facility which has been utilized by some of the entertainment industry’s most prominent names, including Lil Durk, Gucci Mane, and Jeezy.
The production space will continue to expand its role in the community by incorporating a housing component with hopes of developing micro homes during its second phase, which will be headed by real estate developer Booker T. Washington. If successful, this would produce the first affordable housing project of its kind in Atlanta.
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