Meet Garrett Cadwallader, Tamara Cadwallader Clarke, Stephen Baker | Co Founders // Make Life Studio

We had the good fortune of connecting with Garrett Cadwallader, Tamara Cadwallader Clarke, Stephen Baker and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Garrett Cadwallader, Tamara Cadwallader Clarke, Stephen Baker, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Make Life Studio is an artist owned and operated recording studio and creative production suite located in Brooklyn, NY. The three of us play in a band together called Lets Tokyo and we were looking for a new space to work from back in the winter of 2019. At first all the rehearsal spaces and small studio options available were so disheartening. Everything felt dingy and unloved and we just couldn’t envision ourselves thriving in that environment. For the three of us, feeling inspired in your space is a key element for being a creative conduit. Then one day we took a chance on a Craigslist posting for a brand new small studio unit by the Brooklyn Navy Yard. We fell in love with the space immediately. It was just an empty shell then, but the potential was huge. The asking price was a little out of our price range (spoiler – commercial property leases are not cheap in NYC) so we thought maybe we could find some other musicians to split it.

No one was interested.

It was difficult getting people excited about an empty space and it became clear that the vision the three of us shared was special, so we decided to take a chance together and lease it ourselves. We knew we could only ever be there so many hours a week, so in order to make it work we decided to design it as a studio that other creatives could come in and use when we weren’t there. The three of us spent the next 12 months building out the entire space. We hand fabricated all the acoustic panels and custom birch plywood furnishings, we treasure hunted in shops for crystals and tropical plant decor, we painted, scraped, sanded, sawed, drilled, cleaned and considered every square inch in order to fully maximize our tiny footprint. No detail was overlooked, right down to the screws. It was also important to us that the studio would operate as autonomously as possible. We took advantage of a lot of smart technology that would help make our operations as well as the experience for guests as simple and easy as possible. Renters would be sent duration PIN codes before their sessions and check themselves in and out remotely like an Airbnb. All the power and lights were automated so the entire space turns off at night and back on the following day like clockwork. London based software company, Combine.ai, even developed a new “buffer time” calendar tool based on our studio’s specific need for auto generating 1 hour blocks before and after ever booking to ensure we always had time to properly reset and sanitize between every client.

Finally in late winter of 2020, we were all set to open our doors to the public when COVID hit NYC. Like everyone else, we had no idea what lay ahead for us, so we indefinitely pushed our open date back until further notice. It wasn’t until June of that year that we felt comfortable slowly opening up the space for guests to use. Having the remote access capability already in place made it easier for us to transition into operating during COVID and we took every measure possible to ensure the safety of our guests and ourselves. Even today the entire studio still gets fully cleaned and sanitized after every session to help minimize exposure and provide a clean and comfortable experience for everyone.

Since opening, we’ve hosted more than 700 unique sessions with over 3,000 guests having used the space including companies like: Red Bull Media House, MTV, Sony Music, Logitech and Parade. Our team has also expanded and this year we were able to bring on a full time studio manager to handle day to day operations as well as four engineers that guests can book sessions with if they need recording assistance. Today, the space is used daily by musicians, producers, photographers, podcasters, influencers, voice over actors and film/tv production companies who are seeking exactly what we needed from the beginning: a clean, imaginative space that inspires them to make something special. The cherry on top? Our band, Lets Tokyo, still enjoys the studio whenever creative inspiration strikes.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Besides being 100% artist owned and completely self-funded, we consider two of the biggest differences between Make Life Studio and other recording/production facilities to be its accessibility and aesthetic. Guests book sessions directly through a scheduler on our website and we put a lot of effort into ensuring that that process is as simple and user friendly as possible. That kind of ease in the booking process is a big draw for people today where everything is available directly though your phone. Many of the scheduling, booking and self check in mechanics of our business were designed to be automated, which has helped keep our operating costs down and allows us to set a price point that is extremely competitive for our market. Because of this, we are able to reach clients who maybe are just starting out or don’t yet have large budgets behind their careers and provide them with a service and setting that is to the standard of some of the most respected companies in music and other creative fields. The design and vibe of space itself has always been at the core of what we imagined and that is perhaps the single largest draw for our guests. We aren’t trying to compete with studios that have millions to invest in large facilities and boutique vintage gear, but rather fill a deeply missing void that caters to the modern creative. More and more their world revolves around Tik-Tok or Instagram, and those users need a space that not only sounds great and has all the technical necessities, but is also easy to use and matches their brand identity.

Nothing about what we have done was easy, except for the fact that we are all extremely passionate about curating an experience for our guests and so the whole process of putting the studio together was such a joy to experience. Everything during the build out took longer than anticipated and each little project, no matter how small, seemed to present us with new challenges and surprises that kept us working sometimes 18 hours a day. This kind of test of endurance and faith that it would all work out is a lesson that we try to carry with us in all aspects of our life. When we’re able to surrender to the natural flow of things and just be present in the moment, that’s when we’re able to truly enjoy the process. We’re grateful for each day that we’re still here making it work with our amazing team and especially grateful for all the guests that have come in to use the space. There’s still nothing more rewarding than seeing someone’s face light up the first time they enter the studio. That alone is worth all the effort that went into creating it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We really love our neighborhood – Clinton Hill/Fort Greene/Brooklyn Navy Yard – so we would take them to our favorite local spots: a picnic in Fort Greene Park, coffee at Brooklyn Roastery & BitterSweet, dinner at Miss Ada, Evelina, & La Rina, cocktails at Dick & Jane’s or King’s County Distillery, and definitely sunset with a Manhattan view from the rooftop of the studio building. If we wanted to be a bit more adventurous, we’d take them on a bike ride to Brooklyn Bridge Park in DUMBO and for the best people-watching in Williamsburg, maybe stopping for a pint at female-owned brewery, Talea. On a hot beautiful day, we would take a drive to Rockaway Beach and spend the afternoon at Jacob Riis Park, followed by tacos at Rockaway Beach Surf Club. And of course, being musicians, we would go see a live show or DJ set at Public Records in Gowanus or Elsewhere in Bushwick.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Make Life Studio’s success in part would not have been possible without the immense support and dedication from our studio manager and lead engineer, Ethan Porter. Ethan has been with us since the spring of 2021 and has proven himself to be an invaluable addition to our team. Not only is he endlessly talented (go check him out on Spotify), but he is one of the most kind, gentle spirits we’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. Our guests love him and Make Life Studio would absolutely not be the same without his energy, passion and dedication to the space and vision.

Website: www.makelifestudio.com

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/makelifestudio

Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VT-WEj3OXQ

Image Credits
Make Life Studio