The Story Behind H2M2NYC

It was 2023, and I was moving to New York. I'd probably spent all of a couple days in New York City prior, and only an afternoon in Brooklyn. I was living in Boston -- how much different could it be?

By that point, I had lived in six states and six countries, so being in a new place was something I was used to. The packing and moving. The apartment search. The process of reaching out to friends new and old and finding what sticks. Getting in the know. I have moved so much that it almost feels like my routine.

New York City is unlike anywhere I've lived. Everything is to the max: the population density... the urban density... the cultural density. The noise. The grime. Everything is turned up to 100. And in all of that abundance, it's so easy to feel lost.

As soon as we started to unpack I felt unsure. First, half our furniture would need to be sold because it was piled on top of more furniture and could not be spread out - we lost 300 square feet of apartment space, and didn't consider this. I could hear neighbors clearly if they left their windows even just cracked. On the street I felt constantly in someone's way. I took the subway the wrong way more times that I remember. I wandered, wondering where I fit in this big ecosystem.

I needed help.

Without thinking, I opened my podcast app, and searched "How to move to New York City," expecting a wise New Yorker to explain to me how to make this process easier through a series of quippy episodes. The act of finding an apartment was already like a melodrama full of actors and suspense. I needed someone to tell me how to get around, how to make friends, and how to make this feel like I fit.

Long story short, I couldn't find the instruction manual I needed. I was a little overwhelmed by the city (to say the least) and decided that one way for me to tackle this problem would be to make what I wish I had. After a couple months I learned that BRIC Arts Media was three stops on the 2/3 line away from my apartment. I could walk if I felt so inclined. That place opened up a world of possibility for what I could do. I could take production courses for little to no money on nights and weekends, and borrow professional equipment for free.

I am a financial and operational manager by day. I spend my days analyzing numbers and asking the hard questions. I look at contracts and purchase orders. I did not go to art school.

What more do you need than a lot of free time, a local media center, and some crazy ideas, right?