Global Arts Disruptors, Raw Artists, Open Their Proprietary Technology To The Creative Community

On RAW Artists’ 11th birthday (March 12, 2020) their planned company celebrations were exchanged for an office closure, approximately 24 postponed event dates, and numerous furlough notices. At that time, RAW had 55 employees and a bustling office in downtown Los Angeles with departments of millennials and Gen Z’ers planning, promoting, and producing crowdfunded showcase arts events around the globe.

Over the course of 12 years, RAW showcased over a hundred thousand independent artists, in 70 cities around the globe, and have welcomed over 1 million art supporters to their showcase events, with the mission to provide tools, resources, exposure, and education for independent artists and creative entrepreneurs everywhere. RAW Artists were invited to participate by crowd-funding their booth or stage slot to showcase their artwork, music, fashion, film, performance, or handmade wares.

“The global pandemic provided us with an opportunity to reflect and take stock of everything we’ve learned, and innovate for the renaissance that we knew would come. In doing so, we found ourselves reshaping RAW with a desire to pass the torch to the creative community-at-large” – Heidi Luerra, Founder & CEO of RAW Artists Inc.

RAW Artists was started by Heidi Luerra in downtown Los Angeles in 2009. Originally from a small town in Northern California, Luerra moved to Los Angeles after high school and started a clothing line shortly after. Finding it nearly impossible to showcase her collection at any approachable entity, and hearing the echoes of woes from creative friends, she took matters into her own hands and hosted her own fashion, music, and art showcase. Collecting a bit of money from each participating artist, she crowdfunded a successful launch (before crowdfunding was even a buzzword). Four years later, RAW was born.

Fast forward to 2019 and RAW was a profitable, multi-million dollar, Inc 5000 Fastest-Growing company with a very altruistic mission. Creating a commerce-driven platform for independent artists often meant bucking traditional arts showcase practices, and though at times the crowdfunding model was scrutinized, it has and does work and has been satisfactory for over one hundred thousand artists to date.

The pandemic dealt a devastating blow to the events industry. During the 18-month lull that followed, their skeleton crew now comprised of four employees worked tirelessly on their next innovation, PLATFORM by RAW Artists™.

For the first time ever, RAW is inviting creative entrepreneurs across the US to use the tools and technology they’ve built and bootstrapped over the past decade so that local pioneers can host their own successful and beneficial showcases for independent artists in every creative genre.

“Our sophisticated event production software streamlines the showcase planning process, to help you manage your time, bookings, budget and communications. Not to mention, our secret sauce is baked into the technology with time-released educational programs that provide prompts and suggestions to ensure a profitable and rewarding experience for you and your creative talent” – Courtney Austin, License Program Director

PLATFORM by RAW Artists™ licensees will have full access to RAW’s full-wrap of proprietary planning, promotion, and production software, educational timeline, knowledge base, tools, templates as well as a full-stack ticketing system consisting of a mobile app check-in and budgeting tools. Licenses are issued for four years and are exclusive to each location. Licensees may optionally use the RAW Artists trademark, however, they have the creative control to name their series of creative arts showcases as they see fit.

“I’m certainly biased because I invented this business opportunity myself, but, owning and operating a RAW showcase is fun, rewarding, lucrative, and important for the revival of the grassroots arts community everywhere. I cannot wait to see what people do with PLATFORM by RAW Artists™” – Heidi Luerra, Founder & CEO of RAW Artists Inc.

In an effort to relaunch in an affordable and approachable fashion, Licenses start at $2,500 a year + a royalty fee per ticket sold on the PLATFORM by RAW Artists™ software. This is the perfect opportunity for creative entrepreneurs with experience in events, coordination, a passion for the arts, an eye and ear for great talent, and a desire to help launch creative careers as well as contribute to the revitalization of the creative industry.

If you’re interested in learning more, visit www.RAWartists.com/platform for more details and to apply for a license to operate in your area!