Risky Studios
Joshua Southern
Elevate is a comprehensive 6-month accelerator program that empowers, refines, enhances, and scales Black businesses. It offers individualized business assessments, customized workplan development, and one-on-one technical assistance.
About Joshua
Joshua Southern and Alicia Southern are business owners of Risky Studios, a creative co-working multimedia production studio located in East Lansing, MI. Joshua is an ex-pro basketball player turned Music Producer with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Boston College, while Alicia has a BA in Psychology from Pine Manor College and is interested in photography. Risky Studios offers space and equipment for business owners, content creators, and artists to create podcasts, take photos, film videos, record and produce music, and other audio projects. They also provide digital signage promotion and on-site production for their clients.
What inspired you to start a business?
My passion for music, technology, and people inspired me to start my own business. As music has always been a significant part of my life, I began with Risky Music Group, my record label, in a room of my house in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. From there, Risky Studios emerged, and our passions transformed into a thriving business.
What is your vision for the future of your business?
My business vision is to establish a versatile company with the ability to succeed in various industries, built on a foundation of longevity and integrity. I aim to expand my company to the point where we become a paramount production studio in Lansing, and have branches across the nation. My ultimate goal is for my studio to be the go-to destination for anyone visiting Michigan. Although ambitious, I believe this vision is both feasible and achievable with hard work and dedication.
What goals do you hope the Elevate program will help you achieve?
I hope LEAP’s Elevate program will enable us to reach our goals of longevity and profitability by identifying our blind spots, connecting us with the right people and resources in the community, and maximizing our potential while perfecting our strengths. The program promises to challenge us greatly.