A Community of Collaboration: These Local Artists Are Using Creativity to Fuel Their Passions and Careers

In the 11 months since REC Philly opened its new space in Philadelphia’s Fashion District, much has changed for its members in the arts community.

While the COVID-19 pandemic forced REC to close its physical doors for the spring and summer months of 2020, the strong ties of the close-knit community kept REC’s staff and its members busy, with online collaborations, educational resources and more giving artists an outlet to continue refining their craft and learning how to turn their talents into a business.

Established to provide resources and workspace for creative artists in and around Philadelphia, REC is part creative incubator and part creative agency. REC Philly is a physical space, digital application, and creator community designed and dedicated to providing its members with the resources, education and opportunities to build sustainable and scalable businesses around their talent.

As a proud sponsor of REC Philly and supporter of the arts community, WSFS Bank works closely with REC to provide memberships for REC artists, or Creators, throughout the year.

“Our goal is to give artists a place where they have access to each other’s talents and skills, and tools, to grow their careers,” said Dave Silver, REC Philly Co-Founder and CEO. “Our partnership with WSFS helps provide valuable resources to REC members, as well as annual memberships for select artists who otherwise might not have access to all that REC has to offer.”

All REC members also have access to the WSFS Collab Room, a WSFS-branded conference space within REC designed to promote collaboration and ideation, and financial workshops hosted by WSFS Associates to help members grow their personal and professional financial confidence.

“REC Philly brings a unique value to artists, providing a collaborative environment with the resources they need to succeed,” said Justin Dunn, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at WSFS Bank. “We’re excited to support REC’s mission and their continued impact on the region’s art community.”

From musicians and singer/songwriters to photographers and videographers – and much more – REC Philly members are talented entrepreneurs who are making their mark on the region not only as artists, but as emerging businesspeople as well.

Click the links for each artist below to check out their video profiles and learn more about these amazing contributors to Philadelphia’s arts community.

Big Dan – Creative Entrepreneur and Real Estate Investor
Big Dan brings a unique skillset to the Philadelphia arts scene, combining his love of music and burgeoning real estate interests to help artists cut records, learn about real estate or even move! “I’m a first-generation entrepreneur, bootstrapping it and collaborating with artists as they look to record, learn about real estate or move into a new home.”

Gabrielle Chapman – Musician and Abstract Artist
Whether in a recording studio or painting her next piece, Gabrielle brings her vision to life by tapping into REC Creators’ vast array of talents. “Community is everything…you could be walking down the street or in a venue with somebody and they could be your next project, your next door in.”

Josh Mitchell – Singer/Songwriter
A Creator of music for the soul, Josh is a storyteller whose music transcends genres to convey the emotions and experiences humans share. “I didn’t find music, music found me. It’s really an outlet for me to express my emotions, my experiences.”

Lucy Sanchez – Multimedia Artist
As a multimedia artist using video to tell stories, Lucy has a passion for taking people on a journey through cinematography. “With video, you can make somebody feel something so many times in a couple of seconds.”

Talia Genevieve – Professional Voice Over Artist
Talia specializes in commercial voice overs and is the creator of Aunt Terri, a frosted lipstick wearing, fun loving, Philly/Delco lady devoted to her community and the Philadelphia Eagles. Aunt Terri was voted the #1 Eagles Fan by Philadelphia Magazine, after all.

Max Swan – Saxophonist & Composer
Max’s talents as a “saxophonist, vocalist, composer, arranger, beat maker, producer-type” are applied to his own music and fellow artists’ efforts. For Max, “community has become everything, it goes through all my music now. I’m always sending stuff out to my friends…it just helps to create something that is all around powerful when you put it out there.”

Cianni Abri – Singer
A vocalist who mixes R&B, jazz and hip-hop in her music, Cianni writes about “anything from love to giving advice on things she’s learned in life so far. It’s feel good music.” Hailing from New Jersey, she prides herself on being a part of a community of like-minded artists leaning on each other to further their careers.

Khalil Phillips – DJ & Producer
After meeting Philadelphia’s own DJ Diamond Kuts and being taken under her wing, Khalil knew deejaying was the career for him after he started seeing the results of his hard work. “This is definitely a nice way to live, deejaying for people, playing music for people to have fun.”

Jasmine Tot – Photographer & Painter
While Jas Tot primarily focuses on abstract painting, her talents for capturing real life also show through her work as a photographer and even crocheting, which she picked up during quarantine. “Some of the things that really inspire my work are life in general…I like real things that are happening, I want people to look how they really look in real life.”

Yiovanny Pagan – Photographer
Whether it’s photography, fashion or cars, Yiovanny looks at everything as art and dives in with a creator’s vision, not just a photographer’s. “Without community, there’s no art at all because if you’re just creating something for the sake of yourself, then what is it?”

Interested in turning your creativity into a business? Read these tips for establishing a solid financial footing and visit REC Philly to learn more about joining their Creator community.