Ryan Fitzgibbon is the founder and publisher of Hello Mr. He began his career as a communication designer at IDEO in San Francisco. After three years capturing insights for various design challenges around the globe, he moved to Australia to pursue his own venture in storytelling, ultimately launching the first issue of Hello Mr. In 2014, he moved to Brooklyn to continue independently publishing the biannual magazine, highlighted by New York magazine as part of “the new generation of indie magazines.”
He has served as Co-Chair of Communications for the San Francisco chapter of AIGA, and was invited to a trial residency at Benetton’s prestigious communications research centre, studio and school, Fabrica in Treviso, Italy. In 2015, Ryan was named one of PRINT magazine’s New Visual Artists under 30.
At the start of 2020, he relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma where he has been developing new projects and strengthening his voice as an activist for change.
Projects
- Hello Mr. Issue 3We know someone is inauthentic when they appear too rehearsed. That’s why our best advice to a friend anxious about an interview or a first date is always, “just be yourself.” But in the end, all we want to know is that the way we carry ourselves means something to another. If we’re lucky, we can even influence someone else while seeing a piece of ourselves reflected back. Take American soccer player Robbie Rogers. When he became the first professional athlete in the US, his identity suddenly me
- Hello Mr Issue 5We all have this tendency to over-analyze things. Getting over the these internal debates comes down to disregarding your doubts and accepting things as they are. Our fifth cover mister, Mike Hadreas, better known as Perfume Genius, sings ballads about learning to be okay. He tells us mental rest is a slow unraveling – one that takes time and is never perfect. Daniel Franzese, also in this issue, is a poster boy for self-acceptance. He went from closeted, self-conscious adolescent to undaunted, out-and-proud activist. Sex, the ultimate comfort barometer, takes center stage in a number of stories this issue, addressing the ways we seek sanctuary in others and exploring the difficulties of opening up to someone when you’re busy fighting the noise in your own head. We can try to quiet that inner-dialogue and learn to live with it, or we can turn it into something constructive – a photo, a story, a song, or a magazine – that champions the struggle we all share, coming into our own.
- Hello Mr. Issue 6We experiment to push the boundaries of what we believe is possible. At a young age, perhaps we create this challenge to better understand the world. As adults, to better understand ourselves. And as we expand those boundaries, the risks increase along with it. Our sixth cover, shot by filmmaker and photographer Matt Lambert, represents that personal expedition. The intimate photo series serves as a periscope into Berlin’s club culture, documenting the innate desire to experiment, to chase curiosity, to be dangerous. Pursing the unexplored was a particularly prominent theme in this issue. A Midwest school teacher hires an escort. A man leaves the house with a purse. A photographer takes a spontaneous road trip. However you define it, experimentation is growth. It challenges those ideals of “should” and “supposed to,” but always leads us to something new.
- Hello Mr. Issue 8This issue examines the many performances we conduct in our lives, both on and off stage. In one’s work, much of what we do and what we take a stand for is so often for an audience. What’s more important is that what we create has meaning to us, driving us out of bed. As Hanya Yanagihara tells Garth Greenwell: Determination “announces you have something to say.” Stephen Galloway, dancer-choreographer-creative-movement-director, is no stranger to the stage. Where no creative profession is short o
- Hello Mr. Issue 7We’ve been taught to believe we deserve nothing but the best in life. “Never settle” is the mantra of our generation and it no longer seems crazy to think that we can change the world. This issue is for those who challenge the ideals of others. Our seventh cover boy, Parson James, is consumed by his drive and push for something beyond where he came from. For him, “impossible” was never an option. Our studio visit with the artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset shows us a new level of precision – the changing of a color, the texture of a material. In their case, dissatisfaction continues to work to a great advantage. We seek more meaningful answers in our relationships and in our work to collect evidence that we are constantly moving forward, proving to others, but more importantly to ourselves, that we can always do better.
- Hello Mr. Issue 4For many of us, the answer to “where are you from?” isn’t so straightforward. Collectively listing every place you’ve ever lived would paint a more complete picture than just saying, “Oh, a small town in Michigan.” More than the geographies of our past, the lessons we carry with us give context to who we are and form the foundation on which we create a stronger understanding of ourselves. Drawing from his childhood obsession with classics like The Little Mermaid, Bobby Abley’s Disney-inspired clothing designs are universally relatable, but derive from several different upbringings. Similarly, our cover mister and poet, Saeed Jones spent much of his early years trying desperately to escape the South, finding out, at the end of it, he would have to return there in order to get in touch with his own past in order to write what he needed to write. No matter what we think of our history, the places we’ve called home are at the core of who we are. We can try to distance ourselves from it, or use it to show how far we’ve come, but only after we've embraced it can we finally turn our attention toward the future.
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Projects credited in
- Hello Mr #3
- Hello Mr #2
- Hello Mr #48
- Hello Mr #711
- Hello Mr #86
- Hello Mr #1It’s a truth universally acknowledged that gays are quick to jump into relationships. The conventions of courting a potential partner are thrown out the window the minute you find someone that ticks enough boxes and pays attention to you. And if he stays long enough to cuddle, then skip ahead five places and add a baby peg to the backseat of your plastic car. What’s worse is oftentimes your optimism overrides discretion as you share this with everyone you know. But you don’t care. What you’re feeling is incredible and everyone who cares about you should know. You could say the same for our journey with the first issue of Hello Mr. In our inaugural publication, we hear from both HIV activist (and cover mister) Nic Holas, and the team behind The Outs on what it means to put yourself out there. We also chat with Kevin Truong, creator of “The Gay Men Project,” on what it means to feel comfortable in your own skin. Our contributors kept going back to the theme of “potential.” They, like us, hope to project a certain potential in order to gain reassurance from people that they trust. A simple exercise in vulnerability, also experienced by launching this magazine.
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Work history
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ConsultantSelf Employed
Tulsa, United StatesFreelance
President & FounderHello Mr
- United StatesFull Time
In early 2012, inspired by his experience developing local and global initiatives, Ryan left his position as communication designer and strategic consultant at IDEO and move to Australia to launch Hello Mr, a magazine about men who date men. More than a magazine, Hello Mr. is a global community of gay men with evolved interests and aspirations.
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Skills
- Art Direction
- Typography
- Creative Direction
- Graphic Design
- Book Design
- Communication Design
- Branding Identity
Education
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MFA Design CandidateCalifornia College of the Arts
- San Francisco, United States
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Art HistoryKingston University
- London, United Kingdom
Summer abroad in London
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Awards
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New Visual Artist, 15 under 30Print
PRINT magazine
http://www.printmag.com/imprint/announcing-the-2015-nvas-15-artists-under-30/