Revolver Creative
“To create does not necessarily mean to draw, or doodle. Nor photograph or poeticise. To you, creativity may involve numbers, or products. Data, words or logistics. To us, it’s whole brain thinking. Right-brain imagination, supported by left-brain logic. To us, creativity is intelligence having fun. To you, it may be something else entirely. This is Melbourne’s newest innovative business and entrepreneurial hub, where creativity can mean whatever you want it to mean.”
A short walk down from the CareerLounge and Comet office, Revolver Creative is situated between Greville and High Street, Prahran, tucked in directly below the infamous Revolver Nightclub. What used to be a drum shop, has now become one of the prime collaborative work areas in Melbourne. Marketing/Drumming legend Will ‘Booze’ Batrouney had kindly set up the tour and interview through his drumming connections, and it’s fair to say he was a little bit excited to re-visit the scene of where his career as a drummer for The Pretty Littles started.
Walking through the door, it was nice to see a barista manned coffee machine offering coffees to anyone in need. It made perfect sense to have a direct line to a solid caffeine supply literally at the doorstep, as no doubt many of the innovative superstars within Revolver Creative spend their nights up late working on their next big ‘thing’. We continued down the narrow hallway, past the three working booths (occupied by some very helpful ladies) and towards the front desk where we were told Conrad (general manager) would be waiting. Sure enough he appeared and we were off on our tour of Revolver Creative.
As we walked the hallways, it was hard to see how this space could hold more than five people at a time. This thought soon vanished as the space opened up into the most epic work area I’ve ever seen. There was crazy artwork on the walls, a pinball machine, drop in desks, private offices, stairs leading up to breakout areas, a pool table, kitchen, private computer area that can accessed by anyone in need of some quiet time, couches, and more private offices. It was awesome. What’s interesting to note, is that, although this is only the second collaborative workspace Booze and I have visited, it’s become clear that each has their own flavour, their own culture, their own vibe, their own mojo, and their own purpose. No two spaces are the same. Revolver Creative has nailed this, and one of the permanent residents, Michael, sat down with Booze and I to tell us more about what Revolver Creative was all about.
One of the first tenants ever, Michael runs three businesses out of Revolver Creative. After having offices in Richmond and Collingwood, he and his business partner decided that they wanted mix things up and move to be south of the river. Not wanting to seclude himself from the collaborative opportunities that these types of co-working spaces offer, he told us it was a no brainer to secure office space within Revolver Creative. Michael believed that there was just too much opportunity to grow. A thought that would prove to be absolutely spot on.
Informing us that he had made a lot of money within the walls of this particular creative space came as no surprise to Booze and I. However, what was surprising, was that the money didn’t necessarily come from within his own businesses, but others working within Revolver Creative. In Michael’s experience the Revolver Creative space has been extremely collaborative. If a fellow resident presents with an idea but just needs a little bit of a push, more often then not there is someone willing to provide that support. If there were legal issues that need to be dealt with, there is usually a lawyer lurking around who’s willing to draw up some papers. Everything, according to Michael, seemed to be perfectly accessible.
“It’s cool because the place is bigger than the business.”
Michael was a man who was very down to earth. He appreciated the fact that the office space in which he worked was much much bigger than the businesses that were situated inside. There is a no-competition-policy at Revolver Creative which creates a culture that is fresh, innovative, calm and tranquil. The term entrepreneur is thrown around a lot when it comes to people who are involved in startups, but Michael doesn’t like it. He believes in building a product that he would want to see built. Essentially Michael is his own customer at first. “I grow businesses at the back of a need.” From this he is able to develop ‘it’ into a fully functioning resource for people to use.
Michael’s background isn’t what you’d image either. While Michael now works within the technology space, he began with a Bachelor of Dramatic Art (Theatre Production). From the world of drama, came the people who pushed him in to doing what he’s most passionate about. When I asked him if he did a short course on Information Systems or Information Technology he simply replied “a lot of learning can be a lot of bullshit. Google is my best friend. I like to delve into something head on. Over think something and you end up scaring yourself out of it. It’s best to just get in there and give it a crack. That’s the best form of innovation.”
“The really important thing about university is that you’re going to learn some things but you’re not going to learn the practical applications until you’re finished. That’s the truth. But the most important thing that I got out of university was the people I met during the time I was there. I would not be doing what I’m doing today if I didn’t meet the people at university that I’ve ended up doing business with.
Life progresses, and everything is a sliding door moment. There’s no question I would not be in the entrepreneurial field, had I not been at university. If I’d gone from school straight into work, I’d be working a normal 9–5 job — no questions asked.”
What I loved most about talking to Michael, was that although he is undoubtedly successful, his passion radiates from Revolver Creative. He just loved the landscape it provided to build an idea and collaborate with other people who were willing to do the same.
Again, Booze and I left wondering why all offices in Melbourne aren’t becoming shared spaces where it’s very possible that a conversation over a game of pool could be the spark that potentially ignites the next Facebook.
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