“We got to the point where Josh was doing more collaboration,” Alicia Southern said. “All we knew was it was time to get out of the house.”

The couple found a space available at 301 Mac Ave., Suite 106 in East Lansing. They moved the recording studio into the back room of the suite, but realized that their new space held even more opportunity.

From there, Risky Studios was born. 

“We wanted to create a space for content creators to create,” Alicia Southern said. “People that have podcasts, people that do photography, things like that … to have a space to do that. We have a space here able to be filmed, for if you have a kind of laid back type of Youtube channel.”  

People can rent out time slots to use the studio’s various amenities: couches for casual video shooting, interchangeable photo backdrops, studio lighting and a podcast set up complete with microphones and recording equipment. 

“There's a lot of creative people out there that just need to have a chance, you know, need to have the opportunity to create,” Joshua Southern said. “Just change the world a little bit.”

The black and gold interior design is also a tribute to the couple’s roots -- it’s the same as the school colors of Saginaw High School, where they first met. Though the couple is not originally from East Lansing, Joshua Southern said it’s the perfect community to grow their business in and be a part of.

“East Lansing is very supportive of their businesses,” Alicia Southern said. “We wanted it to be accessible so we can kind of bridge the gap between the college community and the rest of East Lansing.”

Overall, the couple wants their new space to be a place for others’ creative endeavors to come to life. 

“We want to see other people's passions come alive,” Alicia Southern said. “And just contribute to the art community, East Lansing and the surrounding areas, And however far it’ll take us.”

Risky Studios is open to the public and their services and bookings are viewable on their website. The grand opening will be held on Feb. 26.