Meet the Team Behind Click Studios

Introducing the team behind Click Studios, a creative tech coworking space.

We recently had the pleasure of getting to know the team behind Click Studios.

With two studio locations in Mount Albert and Avondale, Click Studios is home to creative tech entrepreneurs, creatives, artists, game developers, programmers, filmmakers and more. 

We chat with the studios' Community Coordinator, Bridie Thomson about the inspiration behind the studios, what makes it special and the type of businesses that operate in the space. 

Get to know Bridie and founders Aliesha Staples and Rohan Adarkar below!

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The team from Click Studios

What inspired you to set up your tech coworking space?

Our founders Aliesha Staples (StaplesVR) and Rohan Adarkar (Totally Different) had a vision to create a community and physical space for the creative tech sector that was accessible and affordable. Click Studios was created to allow companies to freely create and focus on rapid growth without excessive overheads. Additionally, Click is a space where young people in West Auckland can go to experience emerging technologies that they would otherwise not have access to. Education and upskilling are at the core of Click. The Click Foundation was also established to bring education in creative tech to the forefront in Auckland. Aliesha and Rohan both own their own successful businesses they focus on full time. Infact, StaplesVR are based in our Click 2 building. Bridie is a key part of the team who puts her passion for their vision into the daily production and community of Click Studios.

What is your favourite part of the space and why?

My favourite part of the space is the people. Sounds cheesy but I love being around people and experiencing creativity from every perspective. The breaks in my day are never dull and whenever I turn a corner I am greeted by a smiling face that is always up for a chat. We have two spaces currently that we have appropriately named Click 1 and Click 2. If we're talking about the physical space, I absolutely adore our Click 1 building as it's a very old villa and has so many nooks and crannies and the most gorgeous stained glass window upstairs. It's a real treat visually and so is our view at our Click 2 location - the entire office is lined with huge windows that look out over the southern motorway with views of the estuary spanning out to the sky tower. 

Why do you think working from a coworking space helps people thrive?

I think there's great motivation in seeing others working on their passions. Feeling that focus around you can be enough to keep you on the task at hand but also remind you to take a break when you need it. There is also accountability among groups and individuals who help keep people on track with their timelines, and a vast sharing of knowledge across domains. Just magic!

We’ve seen you offer a lot more than just desk space - can you tell us about your unique facilities?

We have an edit suite, audio booth and studio space with green screen capabilities all available for our members to book at the click of a button. Members also have access to a range of meeting rooms and event spaces ranging from 10 seats to 50 seats. We love having events and workshops in our spaces and no idea is too small or too big in our community. We pride ourselves on adapting the space to what our members need so if that's a solo desk in an open area or a lockable office for a whole team we consider all options possible.

Can you describe the community and types of businesses within your space? 

We welcome all creatives that need some form of tech to work, whatever that work may be. We have digital solutions teams, fully tech-based game developers to arts trusts, screen guilds and film production crews that need their computers to connect them to their own communities. We even have a traditional Bollywood dance school who have desks for admin and an event space for classes. Currently, as we move back from working at home and into our office spaces I have begun activating Clicks own social club which allows everyone to let loose for a bit after work each month, join in on some cool activities or just get to know their fellow Click family. Our members are all part of a bigger family so we want to make sure that next to their 9-5 work space we allow for some play too.

If you could pick any three people in the world to work in your space, who would it be and why?

This is a super difficult question because I'm inspired by so many people from all creative sectors so I will pick my favourite trio - Aunty Donna. Aunty Donna are an Australian based sketch comedy group that got their start on Youtube. They are 3 guys, Zach, Broden and Mark with an absurdist approach to comedy, so they're not always for the faint of heart but if you love complete chaos and a bit of general silliness then I would highly recommend checking them out (you can find their debut television series "Aunty Donnas Big House of Fun on Netflix). Their determination to create the job of their dreams and achieving it through the internet is the most common story for entertainers nowadays and I absolutely tip my hat to that hustle. I can already see it - they can edit in our editing suit, shoot their podcast in our studio and have rehearsals in our event spaces. Putting them in the open desk spaces could be risky though as I imagine they're quite the distraction from productivity.

Are you working on any other ventures?

Click Foundation is a charitable trust founded in 2020 by a group of Creative Technology entrepreneurs who throughout their careers in the film, games and tech industries noticed an inequality to accessing the industry as a viable career option. They set up the foundation to fund educational courses for New Zealanders and Refugees to New Zealand who had a lack of access through locational, physical and/or financial limitations. The foundation provides access to Film, Game and Technology courses through educational scholarships and is designed to enable a more diverse creative technology workforce.

What are your must-have snacks in the office?

We always have Coke and L&P stocked in the fridges to accompany a big bowl of Coco Pops that we always have on hand for those hasty breakfast breaks. Snacks are just too dangerous for us in the office but we have been known to indulge in a bag of mini oreos or 5 at Click 2.