Creative Hubs have been around for much of the last century. Within the last ten years they have become a fast-growing ecosystem across the globe—whether they’re makerspaces, art galleries or multi-disciplinary performance spaces. Meanwhile, many cities are recognizing how creative hubs are important to the sustainability and growth of the creative economy, and the creative city.
The cultural and creative industries are crucial in driving economic and social development: knowledge-intensive and based on individual creativity and talent, they strengthen social cohesion and shape a state or country’s identity, culture and values. Now, the primary shift in the meetings and events industry revolves around delivering business events that engage attendees in more multidisciplinary ways.
775 Washington Street building constructed
Originally built as a car garage in 1924, 775 Washington street was spotted as an ideal photographic and event space. The original structure allowed for expansive column-free spaces and its unique walkable ramp provided easy accessibility.
Fabrizio Ferri founds Industria Superstudio in Milan
The brainchild of photographer Fabrizio Ferri, the original Industria Superstudio was founded in Milan in 1983. His vision was to create an innovative studio complex that would attract top international photographers at the nexus of Italian fashion. Industria quickly became a recognized brand and a popular hub for Milan’s teeming creative world.
Industria opens in the West Village
After the success of the Milan space, Ferri brought his groundbreaking concept across the Atlantic. As with its Milan counterpart, Industria’s stateside location was the first full-service photographic studio complex of its kind in the country.
Ferri established Industria in a former 1910s auto shop in the West Village, then a gritty neighborhood, which has now become one of the most coveted zip codes in the city. After opening its doors, Industria quickly became the ‘it’ place to be for the top creative talent in Manhattan. The industrial, minimalist facility served as a blank canvas that artists could transform to fit their needs, while its full-service studio offerings allowed photographers the convenience of having everything they needed under one roof.
Supporting creative excellence for over two decades
Over the years, clients like Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani, Prada, and Valentino have shot their campaigns at Industria, while top photographers such as Patrick Demarchelier, Craig McDean, Annie Leibovitz, Peter Lindberg, Mario Testino, Inez and Vinoodh and Paolo Roversi have all shot at the studios.
In addition to attracting fashion’s top talent, Industria Superstudio has partnered with industry leaders in the automobile, beauty, hospitality, sport, and tech worlds such as eBay, Jo Malone, Maserati, the NBA, and Sony to host an abundance of memorable events including intimate dinners, high-profile launch parties, seminars and concerts.
Industria today
IN PHOTO: Studio 1 Manhattan (Ground level studio with green room) and Studio 2 Manhattan (Large ground level studio with street access) combined.
Industria revolutionized the photo and event industry as the first multi-studio complex of its kind in the city. Today, Industria is expanding to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, with two locations located near the Williamsburg Bridge and only a subway-stop from Manhattan.
IN PHOTO: Studio 3 Manhattan (Large studio with skylight) and Studio 4 (Daylight studio with windows and skylight) combined.
Accompanying the expansion into Williamsburg, Industria’s iconic West Village site unveiled an upgraded, state of the art interior in September 2016. Offering an exceptional and versatile location in Manhattan, 775 Washington Street and 356 West 12th street have been designed to host exhibitions, conferences, fashion presentations, trade shows and a variety of exceptional events. Industria’s West Village sites are located steps from the new Whitney Museum, Hudson River Park and the High Line. An iconic staple for over 25 years, Industria continues to be a top destination for industry innovators.
Industria as an event space
On May 7th 2018, The One Club for Creativity’s ADC 97th Annual Awards took place at 775 Washington Street, Manhattan, showcasing Industria’s stunning two-floor event space. The event focused on the near century long commitment towards craftsmanship, design and innovation comes to a head at this sumptuous gala, where the very best in Design, Illustration, Photography, Motion, Digital, Advertising, and more are awarded the coveted ADC Cube.
Aside from the ADC 97th Annual Awards, the Young Ones Education Festival concluded on May 7th – 8th was held in this creative hub. The Young Ones Education Festival includes the Young Ones Student Awards, portfolio reviews, client pitch competition, and other events. The festival has served as a launching pad for many students’ careers as well as a great opportunity to mingle with fellow students and professionals from all over the world.
Whether implicitly or explicitly, hubs subscribe to a theory of innovation that prioritizes creative clashes between people from different networks and domains. Examples include advertisers, designers, marketers, and students—groups that embody diverse perspectives and complementary knowledge sets. Such heterogeneous cognitive resources are thought to make the emergence of novel combinations of ideas and practices more likely, resulting in unique and viable innovations and Industria is making sure to promote this progress.
