Today we’d like to introduce you to Hector Garcia.
Hector, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Art and Design has always been a part of my life, as far back as I can remember, but it was the mid to late 90s that I can say was the beginning of where I’m at today. Around 1995, I was handed a copy of a design program called Freehand4 and I was blown away by what that one program was capable of. Soon to follow were programs such as Corel Draw and Photoshop and I dove in head first to learn everything I could. Learning these programs coincided with learning html and some of the early web development language and programs and as I began to master these programs and many others, I slowly started taking on small projects and this eventually turned into a full time business.
20+ years later I’m truly doing what I love through my agency Neue Creative and we’re not only providing branding and digital design to clients all over the city and beyond, but we’re also doing our best to make social and community impact through a variety of yearly events that we have created. I’ve been able to take my love and passion for design, people, and animals and make a living at it every single day. And I have to mention my partner Steve Martinez and nephew Joel Salazar, who are key players in Neue’s success and are just as passionate about everything we do.
I didn’t realize this till later in life but I was most likely born with the entrepreneurial spirit that drives me and wakes me up every morning. From putting our lawn mower to work at an early age and cutting yards, to delivering a sick friend’s school work to his house every day for a few dollars, to selling calculators, binders, pens and other school supplies to students in the 7th grade, I knew how to hustle and my mom never really had to worry about giving me lunch money or even buying me school necessities. No one had to tell me or show me how to do this, it was just ingrained in me and it came natural.
My dad died of cancer when I was 10 years old and this probably had something to do with me feeling like I needed to pick up some slack for my mom, but I believe that even if he was still around I’d still be the way I am now. We weren’t poor, but with my dad being gone, my mom had to work hard to provide for me and my three brothers and I’m sure I inherited her strong work ethic as well. I also had to grow up through a lot of adversity, surrounded by drug and alcohol addiction in the family, I was determined to not fall. I’ve stayed as focused as much as possible and I’ve embraced that hard work ethic that comes from my mom and dad and here I am.
That work ethic and the desire to always create can be seen through Neue Creative, which would be considered the parent company to a few other brands that we have created over the years. Through Neue we provide brand development, print and web design, UI and app design, we help create strategies for small and large businesses that are designed to enhance their brand and increase customers, and we create experiences in the form of events and festivals that allow us to give small businesses and other entrepreneurs a platform and also provides a way for us to give back to the community. What does this mean in Basic English? Well it means the following:
1. Neue Creative is the agency that allows us to provide branding and design services to the city and beyond. We work with a variety of companies such as home builders, real estate brokers, churches, dog rescues, energy drinks, salons and barbershops, and even work regularly with the Downtown District. We had the pleasure of partnering with the Downtown District to create branding for several store fronts to promote the Super Bowl last year as well as the Final Four when we hosted that even in the city.
2. Two other brands that we have created and are currently developing are Modular Dog, which builds custom original dog bed and house designs and The Byke Shop, which will be a new boutique bike shop located in Summer Street Studios. The websites for each is ModularDog.com and TheBykeShop.com.
3. We passionately love Dogs and we’ve turned this into one of the largest and most successful Dog Festivals in the city called Puppies for Breakfast. Yes, the name sounds crazy and it ALWAYS confuses people, but no, we don’t eat puppies at these events. As the name suggests, we have “dogs over for breakfast” through a morning dog festival that takes place at Market Square Park each spring. Each event boasts over 50 vendors and dog rescues, several food trucks, music from local DJs, a 2500 sq. /ft. dog play area, the largest dog piñata you’ve ever seen, beer and mimosas, and is basically the biggest dog centric party you’ll ever attend. This year’s event takes place April 21st from 10 – 3pm and will be our 7th annual event. We thank the Downtown District and Market Square Park for always hosting us and being the best partners.
Because no one could wait an entire year for the next Puppies for Breakfast, we created a sister event called DogPop and through this brand we host 2 – 3 smaller dog festivals that have the same vibe as PFB and we use the same formula to throw huge dog parties. We don’t have all of the 2018 dates yet, but we do know that Steel City Pops and Birds Barbershop are down to host our November event again. More info will soon be available at PuppiesforBreakfast.com and HoustonDogPop.com.
4. One of our other passions is bicycles and over the years we have created a number of events that give back to the cycling and BMX community. One of our more successful events has been the HTX Bike Fest which ran consecutively from 2012 – 2015 and was also hosted at Market Square Park. In partnership with Cisco Campos with Black Gold Cycling, we were able to create another first for Houston and this event was designed to be a festival that would celebrate “all things bike” and it did just that. We used the same formula that we do for our dog festivals and these events also included a full BMX park in one of the streets, along with live music, 10+ DJs throughout the day, RedBull, and so many other elements. Thanks to Karbach Brewery, the Bike Fest was able to be what it was and we hope to bring this back to Houston next year or sooner with the help of any interested title sponsors. HTXBikeFest.com.
5. We’ve added a new event to our list for 2018 called The Buffalo Market and it takes place April 7th from 5 – 9pm at the ARKA Art Gallery in the Art District. This will be a carefully curated event / market that will showcase some of Houston’s top artisans and businesses that include but not limited to barbershops, custom men’s suits and accessories, apparel, leather & wood artisans, motorcycle brands, shoe & sneaker brands, bicycle brands, and many other hand made goods. One of the new brands coming to Houston this spring is Sorek Barbershop and Men’s Wear which will be opening the doors of its brick and mortar shop in Eado. They will be at Buffalo Market with a full barber setup, providing trims, beard trims, and full cuts. We’re accepting vendor applications at the following: http://neuecreative.com/buffalo-market/
You can follow us on Instagram and Facebook: @buffalo market.
I know that this is a lot of information and I’m sure I’m forgetting to include more info, but after reviewing everything I hope that you can see that Neue Creative is more than just a branding and design agency. We love design but we love people, dogs, and bikes even more and we are constantly looking for ways to make a living and give back to our city by doing what we love. We love Houston and the people that we are able to work with and we’re proud to call Houston home.
Has it been a smooth road?
Two of the biggest challenges to any business in my opinion will always be finances and personal life. Some of my biggest challenges over the years can be attributed to sometimes not having enough capital to grow or expand but it always ends up working out. I remember back in 2006/2007, having to take a client to court when they refused to pay for services and I have to say, those 2+ years sucked. We ended up winning a settlement but it wasn’t worth the time and hassles.
Personal life however can really kick your ass even more and get in the way and for me it was a divorce several years ago and some personal stuff after that through me off balance for a while. I’m good now, stronger, wiser, and more focused than ever.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Neue Creative – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I included most of this info in the first long section of this interview, but to recap, Neue Creative is a branding and design agency that creates and develops brands for new or existing companies and with that comes just about any related branding and design service that you can think of, i.e. graphic design, web design and development, UI & app design, even creation, social media marketing, environmental design, and more.
What sets us apart from other agencies in the city is that we are constantly giving back to our communities and to the city. We do this through local dog rescue, dog festivals & events, bicycle centric events and festivals, and we have developed relationships and partner with so many other agencies, companies, non-profits and brands that are doing the same.
This is the stuff that we are most proud of. We don’t have a wall full of Addy awards or any other accolades, because we don’t need that “stuff” or waste our time trying to acquire them. We put our heart into every project, large or small, and we do our best to give each client 100%. Our work and how we give back speaks for itself.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Two words come to mind in response to this questions: “Hurricane Harvey”. This event allowed Houston to show its true colors and show its best side. How this city responded to that event is what I love most about it. I love how we all came together and took care of our brothers and sisters and did whatever we could to get through that rough time. In my circle alone I was able to see close friends get dirty and spend countless days serving and helping however they could.
As for what I like least about this city? Hmmmm. The only thing that comes to mind is how disappointed it can be that NOT EVERY bar or restaurant with an outdoor patio is dog friendly. *insert smiley face here. Lol.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2500 Summer Street, #3118
Houston, TX 77008 - Website: www.neuecreative.com
- Phone: 8328686636
- Email: hectorg@neuecreative.com
- Instagram: hectorgarciahtx, neuecreative, dogpophtx, thebykeshop, buffalomarket
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neuecreative/
- Twitter: hectorgarcia
Image Credit:
Koed Phorography, BMXSO, Rekord Houston, Steve Martinez, Hector Garcia
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