Scott Fetters, the CEO of incubator and media/tech makerspace 2112, talks about the thrill of uniting a wide swath of Chicago’s creative minds and startup stars under one roof--and how COVID helped them find new possibilities and partners.
Chicago’s strengths are often overlooked. It’s home to ad agencies, top-tier universities, a long history of manufacturing, and film and media production, along with some of the best music, dance, and fashion. What started as a rehearsal space has turned into a media and culture production powerhouse, uniting fragmented industries, serving small businesses, and growing the region’s creative sector. It launched a standalone educational initiative, the Center for Creative Entrepreneurship. It’s created a workforce development arm. It’s played a role in nurturing music and entertainment tech startups like Reverb, MDIIO, and Cameo. Attracting and cross-pollinating talent, ideas, and resources, 2112 hopes its model can serve other cities and regions around the world.
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The Music Tectonics podcast goes beneath the surface of the music industry to explore how technology is changing the way business gets done. Weekly episodes include interviews with music tech movers & shakers, deep dives into seismic shifts, and more.