Anyone who’s tried to do anything artistic in New York City knows that one of the toughest things to do is find a space to make the things they want to make or do the things they want to do.
(Hello 2001-era-would-be-found-sculptor-me).
Well, a new service called Scout It Out has launched in the city that never sleeps to provide would-be artists, directors, actors, interpretive dancers and anybody else with spaces they can use to fulfill their procreant urges.
It’s a hard business to crack. Several companies have launched to try to find creative ways to connect unused real estate with potential short-term renters, but so far the businesses haven’t stuck.
Scout It Out has the benefit of being founded by three women with deep experience in technology and the singular joy of grappling with the New York arts scene.
Kendra Curtis, a 15-year veteran of Google Inc. and an aspiring actor who got bit by the showbiz bug when she moved to New York in 2008 is the chief executive officer of the young company, whose founding team also includes Noël Neeb, chief operating officer, and a Morgan Stanley control analyst of 15 years who’s also a director and producer, and finally Rachel McKinney, the company’s chief design officer, a New York-based actress.
Spaces range from a 72-square-foot space in the Bloomingdale School of Music to 5,400 square feet in the event space The Muse.
The business, which co-founder Neeb says provides an opportunity for arts spaces to make additional money when they’re unused and a way to give more creative professionals a chance to have the space they need to make the art they love, intends to make money by taking a percentage of every transaction.