Junto Studio: Embracing and Celebrating the LGBTQ Community

Junto Studio: Embracing and Celebrating the LGBTQ Community

In an engaging interview, Theresa and Rana, the power-duo behind Junto Studio, enlightened us on their journey as LGBTQ entrepreneurs. They highlighted how their brand stands as a vibrant testament to the LGBTQ community in their industry, continually embracing and celebrating diversity. Their inspiration to establish Junto Studio stemmed from a desire for better representation and inclusivity. Navigating unique challenges and opportunities, they stayed true to their mission and values, weaving their experiences into the fabric of their entrepreneurial journey. The duo revealed exciting future initiatives aimed at bolstering LGBTQ representation and impact, underscoring their brand’s ongoing commitment to inclusivity. Wrapping up, Theresa and Rana offered insightful advice for potential entrepreneurs wishing to amplify LGBTQ inclusivity in their businesses, emphasizing authenticity, resilience, and dedication to one’s vision.

Theresa and Rana are the owners of Junto Studio. Junto Studio is a creative rental studio in Toronto for weddings, events, photoshoots and so much more. They put thir hearts and souls into creating a special space for people to connect & create. As queer POC women, they understand the importance of having a safe space so they want everyone to know that they are welcomed at their studio. 


Pride Month is a time to celebrate diversity and inclusivity. How does your brand embrace and celebrate the LGBTQ community within your brand and the industry it operates in?

The LGBTQ+ community is still missing a lot of representation, so we wanted to create a space that would resonate with the community and anyone looking for something a little different.

A lot of what we do is unconventional, but being queer has taught us the strength and beauty of being different. Our decor is funky, bold, and fun, and the atmosphere is always warm and welcoming – we want people to feel the love when they walk through the door. We let people know we’re a queer couple, and we have people on our team who are also queer and non-binary. We want people to know that Junto Studio is a safe space and that everyone is welcome here without
judgment.

For example, weddings can often feel very heteronormative, so we aim to make it as comfortable as possible by using inclusive language, letting clients lead their vision and never assuming anything. We want people to have fun in our space and do things their way.


Can you tell us more about your journey? What inspired you to create your business?

We actually had a wedding and event planning company first. As we grew, we wanted to branch out and thought an event space and photography studio would be a perfect way to complement our other business.

Being in the wedding industry, we noticed there weren’t many options for those who prefer to do things in a non-traditional way. We wanted to fill that gap and create a space with funky, unique, bold colours and decor that you usually don’t see at other studios or venues. This is how we came up with the idea of creating a space that represented people like us, looking for something less conventional.


As an LGBTQ entrepreneur, have you faced any unique challenges or opportunities in the business industry? How do you navigate those experiences while staying true to your mission and values?

There were and still are many challenges that made us question our decisions about how we present ourselves and our company to the world. There’s already a lot of pressure when starting a business, and we felt we needed to please everyone…or offend no one. Finding a balance between expressing ourselves and making a space that everyone would like was tricky. We’ve realized over time that there will always be people who don’t approve or like what we do, but there will also be many more who love it! TikTok also helped us understand it – the platform has been one of the means through which the LGBTQ+ community and people in general have shown us their love and support. We have had the opportunity to connect and meet many lovely people who inspire us to continue being us.

TikTok also has been a great tool to show people that we exist, that society is changing and that we can all continue to grow together by creating and promoting safe spaces for the community.


Looking ahead, what are your future goals and aspirations for your brand? Are there any new initiatives or developments that you are particularly excited about, especially regarding LGBTQ representation and impact?

We’re definitely looking to expand our reach in new ways. We’ve already hosted many queer events and weddings in our studio, but we hope to do more. We want to work on partnering with other LGBTQ+ creatives and initiatives to turn the studio into more of a community space in the future.


Can you share any insights or advice for individuals who may be interested in starting their own business, particularly those who want to highlight LGBTQ representation and inclusivity?

There’s a lot of pressure when starting a business, so it’s only natural to be nervous or scared of judgment. Honestly, there will always be haters, especially if you’re vocal about certain issues. Still, you realize over time that for every negative encounter, a million others will support you. You’ll always attract the right people when you’re true to yourself and put out good energy.

It’s such a beautiful feeling when queer people come into the space, and they get so excited knowing there’s a place for them to feel seen and welcomed with no judgments. It feels really special to be able to create that for the community, and we need more people doing that. We’ve seen the importance of representation and the need for more safe queer spaces in the city, so we want to encourage people to go for it.

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