When it comes to writing anything substantial, they say that starting is the hardest part. Now that I’ve got that out of the way, let me introduce myself (shhhh, this is my process).
My name is Hans Steele, but most people around these parts call me ‘H’. Ive been asked to write a little about myself, which is a surprisingly hard thing to do. When I want to learn about someone whom I’ve never met before, my instinct these days is to glance over their various social media profiles and make some assumptions (and I like to think I’m not the only one that does this). While this isn’t always the case, it’s a tactic that people in our culture often resort to. So let me save you the trouble. My LinkedIn labels me as a “Strategic Creative”, Twitter describes me as “fierce and beautiful (and bears)”, my Facebook is filled with occasionally-relevant links and images, and all three of those platforms might lead you to the realization that I just started working for a company called Anti Laboratories.
My deep interest in the Downtown area began just over a year ago when some classmates and I began a remodel project on an old home in the area. After learning a lot about construction, networking with some great people, and ultimately completing the project, I wasn’t sure what the next step was. I dabbled in some more construction related projects through the summer heat, but as an impatient youngster I wanted a bigger hand in making a difference downtown.
While working part time for a contractor in the Fall, I had some classes at Fresno City and spent free time looking to get involved downtown. After a couple months of failed attempts in finding a position downtown, I finally got connected with a downtown nonprofit called Creative Fresno and simultaneously found an apartment in the area. CF offered me a volunteer position doing some legwork on this new project called “CartHop”, which was supposed to keep me busy a few hours a week. Soon after, through my desire to see the project expand and grow, a few hours a week turned into 25 hours a week and I found myself with a real job. All of the sudden, I was living, working, and playing in downtown Fresno, and I loved it.
H STEELE, PROJECT MANAGER
So where does AntiLabs fit in? Well, quite perfectly. I met Floyd through Creative Fresno, and learned about his branding and design company through his work for CF and the CartHop project. Right away I noticed his unique focus on improving the downtown area through the creative outlets of his business. Like me, Floyd lives and works here, but he’s been doing it for years. My coordination work for CartHop caught his eye, and his passion for downtown caught mine, so he approached me with the opportunity to obtain and manage projects for his company (in a nutshell, I’ll be communicating with small business, nonprofits, and independent artists to ensure that they can get the most out of their image).
Of course, I jumped at the chance to be involved with AntiLabs, especially since it would allow for me to maintain my work at CartHop. I've admired frequent AntiLab collaborators Punit Dhesi and Conlan Spangler for some time, and working with them was an exciting opportunity. The work coming out of this studio is striking, fresh, vocal, and ultimately screams innovation (it’s called Anti Laboratories, after all). Recent revitalization efforts have championed these very attributes, and I knew that it’s prudent for a small business like Floyd’s to be connected with the movement. Downtown has had a valuable asset not at its doorstep, but sitting right there in its living room, tweeting from the couch (but getting a lot of quality work done too).
Anti Laboratories is a company downtown needs. I met with a business owner just last week who asked me why AntiLabs doesn’t move up north where the money is. Our answer is simple: Its always tempting to take the easy way out and head to greener pastures, but that approach never brings change. Progress doesn’t happen on its own, committed people need to be involved. We want to make a difference. We want to breath life into a city-center. We innovate, we do, and at the end of the day we remember that downtown Fresno needs a little Anti in its quest for a new life. It needs to do things differently, and we’re the perfect guys for the job.
