Neat-o.
Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Flash video.
Photos by Meghan de St. Aubin / Staff
By Meghan de St. Aubin / Assistant Managing Editor
If you type the word “Nee-Toh” into Google, you will end up with a bunch of links leading to one man and one man only. He has an account on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and, most importantly, BlogSpot. If you haven’t heard of him, chances are one of your friends has. His name is Irving Hillman and you are his inspiration.
“I was known for being the black kid that skates and wore skinny jeans,” Irving Hillman says. At first glance, one might wonder how someone could mistake this guy for nothing but an indie hipster. As soon as he opens his mouth, you come to realize that this soon-to-be graduate is not only your new best friend, but also one of the most inventive people you have ever had the pleasure of meeting.
Irving notices the small things in life and appreciates details of the world that an average passerby might overlook. As an aspiring writer, cinematographer and photographer, he gets his inspiration from people around him. He notices talents in people and acknowledges what they are passionate about with only the upmost respect and interest.
“I’m starting to realize that I meet interesting people everyday and they are all searching for a way to express themselves through their work,” Irving says, explaining that this predicament is what led him to the idea for Nee-Toh.
Nee-Toh is still in its humbling beginnings stationed on blogspot.com. The basis of the company is to sponsor and expose artists to the world. Nee-Toh is a venue where creative beings are supported so they are able to network their art, music, photography or whatever else they do.
“I met a guy the other day that wants to be a news anchor, but the jobs he is going for are not calling him back. I met another girl who wanted to write for a magazine,” Irving explains.
After talking to these people, Irving mentioned Nee-Toh. Irving told the two people that once he gets Nee-Toh officially up and running he would give the guy his own news section in Nee-Toh. The same went for the girl; he told her he would help her start up her own magazine with Nee-Toh, allowing her to come up with the name and whatever else she had in mind.
The fact that people did not care about money and they just wanted to show their talents pleasantly surprised him. He was bowled over by the eager response he received from people who simply wanted to show their talents pleasantly surprised him. He was bowled over by the eager response he received from people who simply wanted to be involved in something that would allow them to demonstrate their craft.
Nee-Toh’s logo is a bunny designed by Irving himself. It is bright blue and magenta with a little white mixed in. He explains that, when he hears a good idea, “the bunny ears go up.”
While social networking sites may seem overused and over stimulating by some, Facebook, MySpace,Twitter and blogs is how Irving spreads the word about Nee-Toh. He plans to launch an offical website in the spring, but until then he uses BlogSpot to reveal other people’s work as well as his own. He uses Twitter and Facebook to provide updates of the new articles on the blog and he also finds his models this way.
Beginning Nee-Toh is not something Irving takes lightly. He explains that this process is slow, tedious and there is a lot of research and making new friends in the current stage. Nee-Toh is all about keeping the creative flame going so it won’t burn out while you have to take on a desk job answering phones.
After receiving his degree in Communications with a concentration in Media Studies, graduate school is next for Irving where he will master his own craft at either NYC,USC, or UCLA. Career wise, Nee-Toh will always be a focus for him.
“If someone asks me what inspires me I always say ‘you do!’ and then they say ‘me?’” Irving’s inspiration comes from a simple smile or a tree in his front yard that is reaching for the sky. Irving intends to keep building his crew for a company that he believes that will without a doubt take the world by storm.
You can heck out Nee-Toh at http://nee-toh.blogspot.com
