Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Hunter.
Christopher, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’ve always had a passion for writing. When I was in elementary school, I use to write poetry and short stories. I have awards in poetry and creative writing. As a kid it was just something I did. Throughout my teen years I didn’t really focus on writing as much as I did when I was a kid. The love for it came back when I attended college. I took a Basic Writing course at WCC (Westchester Community College) and my professor made me realize how powerful my writing was based on all of the writing assignments she would give us. She would always tell me that she hopes I continue to use my words in a creative way going forward. This is actually the first time I’ve told this story lol. From WCC I ended up attending FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) in 2014. I did a lot of self-help reading at the time. What I would do is read these books I had, write summaries of what I read and post it on social media. A college friend of mine by the name of Blair caught wind of it and asked me if I would be interested in writing for her online publication at the time. She had a site called The Blair List where she would write news articles about new music, fashion, entertainment, etc. That was my introduction to what I currently do.
Has it been a smooth road?
It’s been a smooth road thus far. It wasn’t always a smooth road though. My freelance days really tested me. Working in that industry and dealing with a lot of the politics was a headache. I remember in 2016 I got an opportunity to write for XXL Magazine. At the time I was going to school full-time and finishing my last semester before graduation, I was working part-time at a physical therapy center in Connecticut and I was interning. XXL presented me with an opportunity but in order for me to take it I had to quit my part-time job in Connecticut. The job wasn’t glamorous but it was stable. Obviously, I wanted to chase my journalism dream so I quit and went to XXL. Two months later XXL went through budget cuts and laid off all the freelancers. That was tough because although I had a lot on my plate prior to XXL, I was able to still make some money. In the blink of an eye I was an unemployed college student without a stable job to look forward to after graduation. Point that I’m trying to make is journalism is a difficult field no matter how you slice it. Over the years it has become overly saturated and even more difficult to land a freelance role because of how saturated it is. Granted, when you’re in it you know who the good writers and storytellers are. But that’s exactly why I decided to start my own business. I’m my own boss and do things on my own terms.
Please tell us about the business.
I run a business called The Lifestyle NYC. What we do is shine a light on thriving entrepreneurs and give them a trustworthy platform to tell their story from top to bottom. What we’ve noticed in the journalism space is that there isn’t a lot of platforms that are doing interviews with creatives to the capacity that we are. We’re not just music and entertainment. We’re a lifestyle and a lifestyle include many different things. TLNYC has been consistent with storytelling for two years. We’ve given a lot of rising creatives their first shot at telling their story and we’ve made others feel so comfortable with our brand and approach that they were willing to let us get a better peek behind their confidential curtain. We differentiate ourselves by the way we tell the stories of our guests.
I’m most proud of the fact that we are looked at as one of the premier up and coming sites based in NYC. A huge thanks goes to my team (DeAnn, Eve, and Armon) and to our guests. Without them coming to our platform to give the readers an insight into their life this site would be nothing.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love NYC because of the culture here. I know that seems cliché to say but NYC is just a huge melting pot. There’s also an unlimited amount of resources here. When I say resources, I mean six degrees of separation. The creative circle is small so one of the advantages of that is you can pretty much get to anyone by going through your social media followers/following and shooting a quick DM. Somebody you know knows someone that knows the person you may be trying to connect with.
What I dislike about NYC is the small creative circle. It has its pros and cons. Being that it is so small it’s almost like the opportunities out there are given to the same people. It bothered me in the beginning. Even though I did write for Hot 97, XXL Magazine, and REVOLT simultaneously, it humbled me that I was never really given any major opportunities to do anything else. But that doesn’t bother me now because I’ve grown to realize that sometimes you have to go out there and create your own opportunities. I’m going to build my own table and that’s just that. But when I see other great creatives getting passed on for someone who isn’t as talented but they have the connections and 20K followers it does make me upset. This is partially why The Lifestyle NYC was created.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thelifestylenyc.com/
- Email: thelifestylenyc1@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelifestylenyc/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/thelifestylenyc
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