Natalie Alcala, former senior editor of Vox Media’s now-shuttered Racked L.A., has a new entrepreneurial project.
After feeling a need for community during the pandemic, she launched the Creative Career Club, a digital clubhouse for artists, designers, DJs, stylists and other creatives to network, mentor, swap resources and chat.
Alcala already had experience building a community after founding the members-only Fashion Mamas in 2014. She grew that group to 600-plus mothers globally, including designer Anine Bing, influencer Chriselle Lim and beauty founder Susie Yoon Ra, launching several city chapters, hosting events, conferences and brand collaborations.
From that forum she noticed increasing interest among members looking to explore their creative sides during quarantine, and the idea for a second community was born. But Alcala wanted this one to be different.
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“I was seeing an oversaturation in women’s focused groups.…I wanted to see if we could have women, men, nonbinary and trans share creative ideas and resources, brainstorm and flesh out ideas and create together,” she said of launching a more inclusive club.
The idea is to offer actionable career advice and resources for all.
“When creatives speak at big conferences and high-production events, it’s a lot of, ‘I worked hard and believed in myself.’ That’s the answer. But what were the roadblocks and challenges, what was the first idea, what about LLC and trademarks? Those are the things we are creating a dialogue about on the platform,” she said.
Annual dues are $150, and qualifications are that a person works in their chosen creative field already. Members create online profiles, and are spotlighted on the site in features written by Alcala. They can network on message boards and the Creative Career Club Facebook group, access features such as “Lightbulb Moment,” about first steps, and “Lemonade,” about pandemic pivots, and attend digital events such as a recent talk with LPA designer Pia Baroncini.
When COVID-19 is the rear-view mirror, Alcala plans to open up a Creative Career Club physical space in Silver Lake and host live events and speakers. “I love writing about the trans designer making things for all, I miss that terribly,” the fashion editor said. “Now, I’m writing those stories again, and helping people take their businesses to the next level.”
