They're all really good ideas man. I'm split between the first two. The BTS angle for the first one is massively appealing to me (also because I believe creativity is severely underrated in the marketing space & more peeps building communities, audiences, etc should REALLY do all they can to double down on that aspect of what they're doing -- especially in the age of AI where most of the "left brain" type stuff can be outsourced to tools.. it's really gonna be the creative/art and completely human sides of what we do that set you, your brand, community, etc apart). The only thing is idk if you can get screwed legally if you lean "too" much into the Star Wars theme lol (if they even care to pursue you on it, but I heard Disney are dicks when it comes to that.. although a little group on Skool might pass completely under the radar). The storytelling + craft one is also hugely appealing.. but I also can see that being a "part" covered within the broader scheme of the first idea -- which can go into much more beyond that on everything around creativity, storytelling, etc. With all that said -- I think the massive appeal I feel towards the first idea is just cuz of what I'm into personally, my beliefs around this stuff, and if I saw a group like that it'd be a cool AF. But idk if my take reflects the majority of folks. The second one might appeal more broadly and directly to most ppl. Either can make a badass community IMO. The third one too, but that'll only appeal strictly to people who already view themselves as "creatives" within those spheres/industries most likely (i.e., filmmakers, artists, designers, etc looking to hang out with their peers). So I wouldn't have joined. Which is why I'm not weighing in on that one.

@Joss Monzoni One philosophy I approach everything I do with my own community & biz (which I think is a good rule of thumb personally) -- is while I keep my pulse on the market, feedback, etc I get, I also prioritize doing shit I personally think is cool. 'Cuz naturally the community is made up of ppl who were drawn to the way I do things... So as long as I think what I'm doing is cool, then chances are they will to. One of the plus sides of building a community --- allows you to build your business and everything how ever you want based on what you're into. People who don't like it won't come on board, people who do will be drawn to it. And the market doesn't always know what it wants until it actually sees it. Like Henry Ford said - "If I asked people what they wanted, they'd never say a car. They'd ask for a faster horse." Of course u can't take that to the extreme if u wanna build a biz around it --- you need to be solving a legit pain point / desire the market has. Otherwise it doesn't matter how much you like it. But as long as you're doing that (which all of your ideas here do) then you can totally lead the market w/ how you do it. I think simply focusing on doing shit YOU think is cool, while of course serving your market (so balancing the two), goes a long way VS. letting the market/audience completely lead and tell you where you should go.

@Jen Ritchie That link Jen shared is the go-to place. That's how I found out about Toronto.

@Annie Bauer 💯

@Rositsa Aleksandrova Depends on your community & what you wanna optimize for (neither approach is wrong IMO). I make peeps in my group go through an "Initiation" mini-course if they wanna stay inside. It's 2.5hrs which sounds crazy to most people probably, but ppl in my community love it (the ones who do it at least). But that also means I kick out 3 out of every 4 peeps who come in. On the flip side, those who stick thru are way more bought into the community, our approach to things, etc immediately from Day 1 - and that's how I like it personally (not tryna build a huge community but instead an extremely deeply bought-in one), so works real well for that. The exclusivity of it also works perfect for my brand/theme (which is a "cult" / secret society) and the kinda vibe I'm building in there. But it's always best to tailor things to what you like, think is fun/cool, & the community u wanna build.. since if it ain't something you genuinely enjoy yourself, neither will your community.

I kinda wanna commission somebody to make us one custom. Been had that at the back of my mind hahah.