Downtown Arlington Creator Club supports local entrepreneurs, artists, marketers, and creative content makers

Today, Downtown Arlington formally launched the Downtown Arlington Creator Club, a comprehensive program that puts professional video and audio equipment in the hands of entrepreneurs, artists, and creative content makers. It also gives artists a direct way to get involved in the Arlington Cultural District, a designation given to Downtown Arlington by the Texas Commission on the Arts.

For a one-time membership fee of $25, Downtown Arlington Creator Club members get lifetime access to six different Creator Kits. In addition, Creator Club members receive benefits including invitations to regular Arlington Cultural District meetups and educational workshops. Members also get visibility through several digital platforms, including their own listing on the Downtown Arlington website and social media coverage.

"I'm excited to see how the Downtown Arlington Creator Club helps build our creative community,” said Garret Martin, Community Development Manager for Downtown Arlington. “Not only do these kits provide an avenue for producing quality content and compelling storytelling, but the Club gives members a space to connect the dots throughout the Arlington Cultural District in ways that can spark new projects."

Creator Kits give Downtown Arlington Creator Club members all the equipment they need to produce films, podcasts, photography, music, social media content, and live streaming. Members can rent Creator Kits for three days. Rental fees are very reasonable--between $10-$75 depending on the kit—making these tools accessible for new and experienced creators.

Empowering creators, building community

With the launch of the Creator Club, Downtown Arlington assumes a leadership role in strengthening the abilities of aspiring content creators and marketing professionals, many of whom are drawn to Downtown because of its proximity to the University of Texas at Arlington and its designation as an official State of Texas Cultural District.

Thanks in part to a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts, Downtown Arlington launched an earlier version of the Creator Kits program during the thick of the pandemic. In its original form, a road streaming kit was made available to Downtown Arlington cultural partners as a way to mitigate the devastating economic impact of social distancing. The concept for the streaming kit, which was buoyed by the 2021 Downtown Arlington Arts Economic Impact Study, came directly from stakeholder feedback collected during Downtown’s comprehensive Shared Arts Feasibility Study in 2020. These road streaming kits were used by nearly a dozen venues to reach an audience of over 100,000.

“During the peak months of the pandemic, we learned a lot about the value of and technical requirements for producing good streaming content,” said Maggie Campbell, President and CEO of Downtown Arlington. “The Live at the Levitt series in particular showed us that the shelf life of quality content is measured in months and years, not minutes and hours. Great video also allows artists and arts organizations to reach beyond geographic boundaries to new patrons and fans.”

Join the Club

For more information about the Creator Club and Creator Kits, visit downtownarlington.org/do-business/the-creator-club.

About Downtown Arlington

Designated by the State of Texas as the Arlington Cultural District, Downtown Arlington is where creativity, authenticity, and hometown pride thrive and drive what's next. Within its less than a two-mile radius, Downtown is home to the University of Texas at Arlington, a top-tier public research university, as well as prolific visual and performing artists and arts institutions, live entertainment, exciting NCAA and professional athletics, one-of-a-kind dining and retail, and a supportive business climate. downtownarlington.org