Since its launch in January of last year, Creatives 230, an interdisciplinary studio that connects creatives with business professionals in the Rowan community, has been recognized as one of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) Innovations That Inspire for 2024, one of 26 schools from across the world that received this honor.

Located in Room 230 of the Business Hall, Creatives 230 is staffed completely by creative major students and works to provide other students with brand and portfolio consulting, insight from speakers and workshops, and a dedicated student art space.

The studio was formed out of a collaboration between Assistant Professor in the College of Communication & Creative Arts (CCCA), Jennifer Drumgoole, and Assistant Director for the Rowan Center of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (RCIE), Jessica Vattima. Creatives 230 works to bridge a gap between creativity and business, allowing students to feel comfortable in the reality of the professional space.

“It’s [Creatives 230] the link between what you’re doing in school and the real world that you’re able to learn while you’re still in school rather than trying to figure it out on your own,” said Drumgoole. “When you’re out in the real world and then you’ve got the pressures of having to have a job, having to pay your student loans back, having to pay your rent, this is an opportunity for students to get a leg up on that, and hopefully, sort of get that get that job before they’re just out in the world.”

Creatives 230 also works to help students understand that while they may not realize it, creative students do need to understand how to operate in a business environment, something people in those majors rarely learn, things Dumgoole says the experimental studio helps to remedy.

“In the real world, you’re working with all different kinds of disciplines and all different kinds of people. So this [Creatives 230] is a really fantastic, kind of like, bursting of those disciplinary bubbles,” said Drumgoole.

The studio also collaborates with both student and graduate entrepreneurs including Siena Rampulla and her college safety app PULLATracker as well as the healthy beverage company HALFDAY Tonics and superfood granola bar Bobica Bars, both of which were founded by Rowan students and alumni. They also have done some external collaborations, including one with Philadelphia native and TikTok star Tanara Malloy.

For senior English and education major Isabella Shainline, her job entails event planning for the studio, amongst other things. During her time there, Creatives 230 has allowed her to gain experience that she otherwise wouldn’t have gotten.

“I feel like I’m getting real-world experience that I wouldn’t have otherwise so it’s just a really great community and I feel like I’m making so many connections through being in the business school and meeting other business students and also other artists at the same time. So yeah, it’s important and special work to me,” said Shainline.

Working has also made her more confident in herself, fostering an eagerness that drives her to follow a path that may appear for her down the road.

“It taught me to not just make all my opportunities, but to take them all,” said Shainline.

For senior advertising major Ben Kahn, who does research, strategy, and project management, Creatives 230 prepares him for his future career post-graduation.

“Being here [Creatives 230] gets me some experience for what I’ll actually be doing because I’m an advertising major and working with clients which is good,” said Kahn.

Looking at the future of the studio, Drumgoole and the staff will continue to help students on their entrepreneurial journeys, offering their services to help their ideas thrive, a belief that their “Innovations That Inspire Award” will continue to represent.

“Creatives 230 is a testament to the power of blending creativity with entrepreneurship – and what’s possible if we give students the opportunity to do so,” said Vattima. “It’s not just about breaking barriers; it’s about equipping Rowan students with real-world skills and a platform that opens up new ways for collaboration and innovation.” 

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