A Platform for the Creative: Meet Rob Kleiman
In a city where the entrepreneurial spirit is still alive and well, and the font of creative talent is overflowing, promoting yourself professionally is a huge hurdle. The job market can be daunting, and when your passion is your craft, the last thing you want to be doing is spending countless hours staring at a computer screen trying to figure out how to convince cyberspace of your real life talent. Cue Creators’ Clubhouse. Like your childhood tree fort, Creators’ Clubhouse is a place of imagination and unfettered dreaming; except here, the aim is to make the visions become a reality. Founded in 2014 by Charleston native Rob Kleiman, Creators’ Clubhouse’s mission is to create a bridge to opportunity. Kleiman works toward advancing Charleston’s creative economy and further the success of local artists by providing them with employment information, job placement, career resources, education, and networking opportunities. This platform, in turn, strengthens local business by streamlining the local talent search process onto one user-friendly platform.
Creators’ Clubhouse strives to build this community on three main pillars: 1. Networking Events 2. The Cork Board (Curated Job Board / Upcoming Freelance Marketplace) 3. Recruitment and Specialized Talent Search in Creative Industries. In short, Creators’ Clubhouse is all about providing the best service and value to you. Kleiman saw the need for efficiently facilitating the placement of local talent, and , as with his business model, his drive is customer development. As he has seen his site grow, he has been able to meet face to face with local businesses and creatives alike, speaking to them about their needs and business goals.
At his core, Kleiman is passionate about discovery. An eight-generation Charleston native with a New Yorker father, Rob is a unique blend of good old lowcountry roots and city-slicker savvy. His goal is to promote local artistic talent while preserving the face behind the work. “Honestly, it’s the little things; it’s the small wins that I am passionate about right now.” And he applies that all all aspects of his life. He is a novice green thumb herb gardener; he is honing in on a screenplay set in Charleston; he makes a point to cook new, diverse dishes every week. “It’s cliche, but I’ve been on a kale kick recently. Everyone is ‘kale krazy’, but the other day, I cooked kale the same way Southerners cook collards, and I just about jumped for joy.” It is this mixture of progressive spirit and local appreciation that makes Kleiman so powerfully potent.
Kleiman has been able to use Local Lowcountry First as a launching pad for this unique creative platform. Kleiman himself sums it up perfectly: “The work climate and connections that come with being a Lowcountry Local First member and a co-worker at Local Works leave me feeling empowered. Without this workspace, I wouldn’t have somewhere to come to work every morning. Yet everyday I come to Local Works, I get to follow my dream of building something useful for the creative industries here. Each person working at Local Works is dedicated to its mission and are incredibly passionate about supporting the local flavors here. What more could a young business owner ask for? I am so thankful for the space operated here and the good vibes y’all produce.” What more can we say?
By Guest Author Olivia Hipp
