How CLLCTVE Founder + LinkedIn Creator Kelsey Davis Is Connecting Gen Z Creators To Opportunities

The idea for the startup stemmed from her time in high school. Davis had the unique experience of contracting freelance work as a videographer through local customers such as Coco-Cola and Sky Zone.

While attending Syracuse University, where she was studying television, radio, and film, Davis was no longer able to monetize her content using the school’s equipment. A stumbling block for Davis, she decided it was time to scale her experience as a freelancer into a startup to support creative ventures for herself and more to follow. In order to do so, she reflected on difficulties and lessons she acquired in the freelance sector to structure resources for her startup.

“By my sophomore year, I was traveling the world and producing content for really cool brands and artists and I started seeing a lot of issues in the creator space when it came to how creators and brands connect,” Davis told AfroTech. “It was hard for brands to source talent within the creator economy and it was hard to even when they found those leads, streamlined all those conversations, reviewed people’s resumes and portfolios. There were always these bottlenecks when it would come time for freelancers and brands to work together, even when they did want to work together. That was really where I honed down on understanding the market landscape when it came to the future of work.”

Now, freelancers and brands do not have to look any further as CLLCTVE is now a home to open windows of opportunity.

Unlike traditional platforms, CLLCTVE transforms how job prospects can showcase their talents. Users can create a portfolio reflecting a rich media interpretation — showcasing more about themselves and what they have to offer. Creating a portfolio is quick and streamlined, which means creators can house their content in one place.

For brands searching for likely additions to their teams, the portfolio helps to access the user’s accomplishments coupled with real-time insights on current or former projects created. Although CLLCTVE is free for users, brands will have to pay a subscription fee to connect and secure matches with creators. The startup has connected top brands with photographers, videographers, rap designers, animators, copywriters, and more.

“Essentially we empower brands to connect with the creator economy and empower creators to create the life they want. That’s truly what the CLLCTVE is building. There are brands all across the world looking for talent and we want to be the bridge facilitating these relationships,” Davis said.

Davis hopes the platform’s tools, resources, and networking capabilities will shift the workforce for Generation Z, recognizing the demographic values freedom most.

“I am particularly interested in the future of how people will be working. What I have realized is most people want autonomy, they want to make decisions that are best for them, and fluidly just make decisions regularly about how they wanna license their talent. We just need models, platforms, and technology so that we can create with more freedom and connect to opportunities while getting paid,” Davis said.