Welcoming Our New Community Coordinator, Carlito

Back in June, we hired Carlito to take on the role of the Community Coordinator. He will be taking on our Marketing efforts to grow our presence in Detroit. Be sure to say hi and welcome him to the space if you haven’t already!

To get familiar with him, we’ve gone ahead and asked him a few questions about himself as he is settling into the position:

Where did you grow up? 

I grew up on the Eastside, where I still currently live with my family.

What did you do before you came to Hunt Street? 

I was working as a Marketing Designed for a fintech startup called Autobooks. I also make music under the name of Lito.

Why were you interested in becoming part of the Hunt Street family? 

Here in Detroit, we have a very deep and sometimes volatile history. It can feel as if there are two Detroit’s at times, new and old. I grew up serving communities all around here and as I got older and entered the work force, I noticed this rift in the city. Hunt Street Station would fall on the side of New Detroit. The contribution that they have made towards the future of the city is undeniable. I want to be able to bridge the gap between the growth we are seeing in Detroit and the foundation that has been here all along and being a part of the Hunt Street family allows me to take some steps towards doing so.

Do you like to get involved in the local community? 

Absolutely, it’s what I grew up doing. As a kid I would wake up at 5:30 in the morning to go serve food at a soup kitchen before school and it’s gone as far as organizing street festivals for my neighborhood. I stay involved in the local community because it is my community.

I’m from here, my parents are from here, my grandparents are from here, and my great grandparents are from here. Detroit is in my blood. Not loving my community would be no different than not loving myself.

How were your first few weeks at Hunt Street? 

Pretty good, I love meeting new people and there’s always an opportunity for that here. Also getting to see some of the different types of business we have blooming here is always really interesting to see, and what better place to do that than Detroit’s most historic co-working space.

What does your day-to-day look like as a Community Manager? 

I’ve been here for less than a month so I’m still figuring it out, but the gist of it is making sure things are good on our end here so that our members can work to the best of their abilities. I do a lot of social media-based work like creating content from events we host and giving out updates to our Hunt Street community.

What do you like to do outside of work? 

I spend the majority of my time as an artist. I make music and just released my 5th EP Wise Gang of Fools in March. I also do graphic design work mostly focusing on media creation for artists like myself. I offer services for cover art, logos, and other branding materials that may be needed. And lastly, I do a bit of real estate work, I just finished a course for my appraisal license so that’s allowed me to get involved in my community in ways I’ve only dreamed of before.

What are you most looking forward to at Hunt Street?

Relationships and work. Here I’m confident I’m contributing to making my city a better place, and that’s important for me when it comes to work.

We’re happy to have you Carlito!!