Chiang Mai is a great destination to find co-work spaces and cafes to work outside of home, but is Chiang Mai ready for a recording Studio Creator Space? Certain categories of digital nomads have most of their needs met by these spaces. These nomads are usually the web developers, copy writers, drop shippers, or Seo ninja’s. However there are other breeds of Digital nomads that I call the creators. Creators produce video and audio content and may Youtube, Vlog, Teach online, or podcast. There is also a need for skype call’s, group conferences, and webinars that require some sound proofed room with Internet. There is also the occasional need for professional photos for cover art for podcasts, course covers, and profile photos.
A photo posted by Greg Hung (@greghungshowdotcom) on Sep 3, 2016 at 3:42am PDT
The recording room at Vancouver Public library
The actual recording of video and audio have specific requirements that are not 100% met by today’s spaces in Chiang Mai. Spaces I’ve seen so far have been designed for co-working 1.0. Meeting rooms are often scarce, small and expensive resources. In 2016 digital nomads either record from meetings rooms or get creative with the spaces in their apartments. This isn’t ideal but you can get the job done. To play at the highest level creators need sound proofed rooms and an ideal environment to product the highest quality videos. A creator space could also become a meeting space for like-minded creator Digital nomads.
The door is shut and sound proofed inside
Access to the gear
The space is only part of the problem. The next issue is access to the gear, the third is the expertise to operate the gear, and the last issue is editing the content. Most digital nomads travel light and do no have space for studio lighting, sound gear, tripods, an camera’s. However one they have settled in Chiang Mai for a month or longer they may require these resources to create. It does not make sense financially to make these expensive purchases that do not lend themselves to the nomadic lifestyle. I think the solution are shared resources. I already own gear, but for some nomads the barrier to create is access to the gear.
Expertise to use the gear
Resourceful nomads or videographers may try to take everything on themselves and attempt to learn to use the gear themselves. It takes time and the right information to learn how to operate the combination of camera, lighting, and sound. If you are one person you still have to know what you are taking about and deliver it on camera.
Editing the footage
Resourceful nomads or videographers may try to take everything on themselves and attempt to edit the footage. Some would most likely outsource this task to someone on Upwork to do it for them.
In the interest of making a small victory I think it’s important to focus on the space first. These are problems that will remain for some, but I don’t have the answers.
a sound proofed booth is a great setup for podcasts, webinars, and skype calls. It get’s a bit hot though
Here is a list of needs I would envision for the ideal Creator Studio Space
– Spacious room with adjustable colour solid backgrounds – High speed wifi (Upload speeds are especially important 30 mb/s and above) – Studio quality multi-lighting with permanent setup – Sound proofed room – Power outlets – Windows with good natural lighting and adjustable shared – Separate workspace space for editing and storage transfer – Quality Camera on tripod permanently setup – Quality microphone permanently setup
In January 2016 my digital nomad friend Nigel told me the Vancouver Central Library had built a gigantic new facility called the Inspiration labs. They offered free sound and recording studios with fast wifi for free. They also offer free use of a black magic camera and professional condensed microphones! I took advantage of this resource by recording a lot of content for my website, on-line courses, and podcasts on a weekly basis.
Based on a recent Facebook post by James Ferrer there was a high level of interest in such a space in Chiang Mai Thailand. James had built his own video and separate sound proofed studio and was asking 13000 baht per month which is the price for a mid range apartment. The only issue was that it had no sound proofing and the price is quite high for the average digital nomad to take for 1 person. The problem is there isn’t any space I know that in Nimman so his offer is unique.The most efficient way to make this resource available would be to share the cost The question is Chiang Mai the right location to set up this up and what would it take to make this happen?
Pros
– Chiang Mai has a demand for this – The low cost and ease of renting spaces make this a reality – The infrastructure can support such a space
Cons
-The transient nature of Nomads are counter to setting up something permanent and would likely make forming a long term arrangement challenging – To have this be a permanent transparent fixture I think it would require partnering with a local Thai partner
In Vancouver it would require a lot of capital to make something like this happen, but perhaps Chiang Mai Thailand or elsewhere this space could become a reality. With all the entrepreneurs around in Chiang Mai I think collectively we could make this happen. If you’re interested in helping place contact me on my facebook @nomadsasia
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