BILLINGS — Two new creative spaces have opened in downtown Billings, offering locals a place to make something of their own, whether that means recording a podcast, shooting a commercial, or putting pen to paper.
Learn more about these creative spaces here:
Billings Launchpad, located at 14 S. 27th St., opened last month as a rentable creative studio for photography, video production, and podcasting. The space was founded by digital marketer Philip Agyeman-Budu and photographer and videographer John Biddle.
Agyeman-Budu has worked in digital marketing for over 20 years. Along the way, he noticed a recurring problem. He said businesses understood they needed an online presence, but many struggled to create the videos, photos and content needed to capture attention.
“The cost to do business just to gain attention, a lot of businesses don't really have any idea," Agyeman-Budu said.
That challenge led him to partner with Biddle to create Billings Launchpad.
The space includes a photography studio, podcast rooms, and production equipment. The owners are also planning to add an infinity wall, also known as a cyclorama wall, which creates a seamless background often used in commercial photography and video production.
Clients can rent the studio and produce content themselves or work directly with Biddle and Agyeman-Budu for creative direction, production, and marketing support.
The idea emerged after the pair spent more than a year collaborating professionally. Biddle had clients who needed more strategic marketing help behind their content, while Agyeman-Budu wanted a stronger creative component for his agency services.
"We decided to join forces and come up with a creative studio with the whole intent that we can really help a lot of Billings businesses," Agyeman-Budu said.
Before opening, the partners surveyed local business owners to gauge interest. The response convinced them the city was ready for a dedicated content creation space.
The timing aligns with broader shifts in marketing. According to HubSpot's 2026 State of Marketing report, short-form video remains the most widely used media format among marketers, with 91% of businesses using video as a marketing tool. Podcasting also continues to grow, with millions of Americans regularly consuming audio content.
"It's changed a lot," Biddle said. "You could run an ad on the radio, and people would hear it, and people would show up at your business, and now all the attention is on your phones.”
For the founders, Billings Launchpad is about helping local businesses adapt to that reality.
“We know that there's not a space like this in Billings yet, and so we're kind of like, 'Who else is going to make it happen?'" said Biddle. "It's not just ours. It's something the community can use.”
Not too far away, another creative vision is taking shape.
Quill House of Ink, located inside Thirsty Street Brewing Co. at at 2123 First Ave. N., is a membership-based creators lounge designed for writers, artists, readers, and anyone seeking a place to focus.
It's an idea came together quickly for co-founders Danielle Dahl and Heather Estus.
The two met through local writing groups and shared a passion for storytelling. Dahl is the founder of Resilient Stories, a platform focused on healing and human connection through storytelling. Estus founded Worthy Ranch, a nonprofit serving survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking.
Both women were juggling demanding careers while trying to make time for their own creative work. Then, Estus came across a video of a writers studio that had recently opened in Bozeman, called Pulp Head. That's where the idea for Quill House of Ink was born.
"She's like, 'We should have one of these in Billings.' And I was like, 'Yeah, someone should do that.' Because we're both very busy," recalled Dahl. "Within three weeks, we had a space, and it was painted, and we were talking about when we were opening."
After securing the space, Estus resigned from her position at St. John's to focus on the venture full time.
"Alchemist says, when you create something, all the universe will conspire to make it happen, and that literally is probably the founding theme of Quill," Estus said. "We do believe that creators will save the world, and so we want this to be a place that can help do that.”
The space offers memberships and punch cards that provide access to the space throughout the week. Members can write, read, sketch, or work on other quiet creative pursuits. The lounge also hosts workshops, themed dinners, movie nights, and writing events.
The founders intentionally designed the space to be different from both a coffee shop and a library.
"We say it's not as quiet as a library, but it's quieter than a coffee shop," Estus said. "I think people crave that."
The lounge features several tools, including an AI assistant named Ziggy that can help generate writing prompts, along with the energy of other creators working nearby.
For Dahl, the space fills a need many creatives experience.
"It's very hard to create at home," she said. "It's easier to have a space to come to."
The founders say one of the most rewarding parts of opening Quill has been watching people reconnect with creative pursuits they may have abandoned years ago.
"I think my favorite part of the whole process so far has just been getting to see other people embrace their creativity again,” said Dahl. “It's already made such a difference, I feel like, in both the writing I do personally and connecting with other people who want a space to create."
"Seeing just what people are working on is very inspiring and it inspires us to be creative, too," added Estus. “We want to keep the power of the pen alive and actually putting pen to paper."
While Billings Launchpad focuses on modern media and Quill House of Ink emphasizes traditional forms of expression, both businesses were built around the same idea that people still need places to create.
That belief feels especially relevant as artificial intelligence becomes more common in creative industries. All four founders say they use AI as a tool, but none view it as a replacement for human imagination.
"It's one of the most human things we can do," Biddle said of creativity. "I think AI is a great tool. We use it for some aspects of our business, but it will never replace human creativity because it's only based off of what humans have done in the past.”
Agyeman-Budu believes authentic work will become even more valuable as AI-generated content becomes more widespread.
"Authentic original stuff is going to be more sought after than synthetic," he said. "Some people even feel insulted when you try to create content using AI in a way that is very obvious, and it feels like you're insulting their intelligence."
Dahl agrees.
"It's a great tool, but what it can't do is come up with an idea on its own. It can't create something from nothing, and humans can," she said. "When you can do that and embrace the very human act of creating, I think it can change the way you see everything in your life.”
Whether it's recording a podcast, filming a commercial, writing a novel or simply finding a quiet place to think, the founders of both businesses hope their new spaces help Billings residents do exactly that. In an era built around consuming content, they are betting there is still strong demand for creating it.
For more information on upcoming events at Quill House of Ink, click here.
