"I can make a lot of money"— Shark Tank's Barbara Corcoran shares plan to turn Creator Camp into a franchise

The latest season of Shark Tank premiered on October 18, 2024, with the fifth episode airing on ABC on November 15, 2024. Shark Tank is a platform that brings together investors, referred to as "sharks," who provide financial support to entrepreneurs at various stages of their business development, enabling them to advance their ventures to the next level.

Shark Tank currently features Kevin O'Leary, Rashaun Williams, Lori Greiner, and Mark Cuban as some of the sharks. Cuban confirmed his departure following the conclusion of season 16.

The latest episode of Shark Tank featured Creator Camp as owners Christopher Cazden Morrison, Kai Forman, and Jacky Chao pitched in front of the sharks. Creator Camp is an innovative summer program for children aged 6-13, focusing on digital content creation skills. The founders sought a $350,000 investment in exchange for 5% equity.

Mark, Lori, Kevin, and guest shark Rashaun declined to invest, citing concerns about the business's scalability. However, Barbara Corcoran was impressed and made an offer. Initially, she proposed a 25% stake for $350,000, later revising it to 20% and then 19% before settling on 18% after negotiations.

Creator Camp's co-founder, Christopher Cazden Morrison, outlined the company's future objectives, aiming to expand to 250 locations by 2030 and generate $25 million in revenue. Barbara Corcoran saw significant potential, envisioning a franchise model to increase profitability. She believed the business could be highly successful as a franchise, praising the concept and the name.

"I think I can make a lot of money. You can make a lot of money if I turn it into a franchise. I love your name, Creator Camp. I think you can turn it into a franchise. Loving the concept about the whole camp. Great idea," stated Barbara.

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Shark Tank's Creator Camp owner hopes to find future award winners

Creator Camp, a Houston-based edutech company, offers summer camps that teach children various creative skills, such as filmmaking, animation, and coding. Founded in 2021 by five high school friends, including Cazden Morrison, the company aims to shift kids' relationships with technology from consumption to creation through media arts education.

The company has experienced exponential growth since its inception, expanding from Houston to cities across Texas, including Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio, as well as Salt Lake City and Denver. In a November 14 interview with the Houston Chronicle, Cazden expressed his hopes to leverage the Shark Tank platform to take Creator Camp national.

“Our big kind of vision that we always talk about is one day, maybe 30 or 40 years down the line, there's someone who just won best picture at the Oscars, and they go on stage and they're like this all started at Creator Camp,” said Cazden.

Creator Camp's curriculum focuses on teaching children the creative potential of digital media, with courses in music production, video game development, and more. The program empowers students to design, produce, and publish their work.

Morrison, a University of Texas at Austin graduate in radio, television, and film, co-founded the company with friends from Seven Lakes High School, where they started a film club. The founders bring diverse creative skills but have faced challenges in managing the business side, particularly with a staff of over 100.

“The biggest learning curve has definitely just been managing our team of over 100 staff members. We're all coming from artistic backgrounds, so keeping daily activities and hiring moving smoothly has been a huge challenge,” stated Cazden.

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To address this, Creator Camp plans to introduce entrepreneurship courses in the 2025 season. Cazden seeks guidance from the sharks to develop and implement this business-focused curriculum, making their Shark Tank appearance timely. The company's long-term vision is to inspire future generations of creatives, potentially even Academy Award winners.