Blog

HAULED AWAY

On a day in late spring, the year of 2018 - an impulse came over me. I had been tired of working from home, from a small space. My previous dreams of building my own office and studio had halted the year before, but the foundation of the ideas, and structure had remained. In that instant, I took to the web, searching on Gumtree for a small office space for lease. Within minutes, I had found one. A modest 3x3m in the heart of Burleigh Heads. 23 Taree St. Situated on a quarter-acre industrial block. SQID Civil, had newly bought the lot, moved in, and were looking to sublet additional spaces.

I met a man, as I entered, his name was Mike Collins. An entrepreneur, founder of Freedom Internet, IT Mastermind, and the new owner of not only SQID Civil, but the land it occupied. Met with a warm smile and a handshake, Mike showed me to the office for lease. It was small, but it would be mine, and most importantly, it was away from home. The first step in what was to come.

I moved in the next day, though, there wasn’t much to move. A small desk was already in place, and all I needed to bring was my laptop, a camera, and a few bits of gear. Upon greeting Mike as I set myself up, he offered a tour of the facility. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was spacious, and full of potential. Out into the warehouse, he led me upstairs to a small mezzanine, roughly 45 meters squared. The space was appealing to me, even though it was open to the daily operations of a civil engineering company. A loud business, with many comings and goings throughout the day - but after hours, it could be all mine.

When prompted about the use of the mezzanine, Mike elaborated on how he would be interested in having a caretaker on-site. I promptly offered to assume the position. From then on, my integration into the space slowly took shape. As I began to outgrow the 3x3m office, and work began to pick up, both Mike and I agreed that it was about time I shifted to the warehouse and began setting up shop in there. He warned me though, as a great deal of work was about to unfold. He had plans to extend the mezzanine, creating more leasable space within the warehouse. An entirely new second floor. It was my idea that he not only extend the mezzanine, but enclose it entirely, creating 180sqm of new, leasable space.

Plans began, and both Mike and I traded ideas about how to design the new space. Initial concepts were crude, but what we both settled on was a vast empty space, with separate caretakers quarters. We designed a dual staircase that would allow entry and exit from two sides of the loft-styled space. The construction process was not without its challenges. There would be days when workers wouldn’t show up, or if they would, they’d be lazy, drunk, or agitated. This was my first glimpse at how important cohesion and teamwork was when dealing with large-scale projects with multiple departments.

Often I’d find myself so overwhelmed by the noise, the heat, the extended delays, I would spend days away - in the forest, seeking as much of the open space and quiet as I could. The solitude brought relief from the relentless march of assembling dreams. It was during this time I had been spending in the mountains and rainforests that I had been developing a large digital art installation for one of Brisbane’s newest corporate centres. The foyer of 100 Creek St had a dual LED wall display that spanned over 7 meters on each end. I had been commissioned to design and animate rainforest-themed content for the walls. Needless to say, I had found my inspiration, and the contrast of bustling city life with the solitude of nature found its way into my art.

Back at the warehouse, things gradually took shape, and you could start to feel the energy of what was to come. Each day I would wake in the warehouse, and gaze upon the open expanse of the structure taking shape ahead of me. It was like my dreams were physically coming to life, growing like a plant, colonising the environment. The name “HAUL” came to me, as I envisioned not only the use of the space as a community arts “hall” but also in the nature that I had a knack for amassing old electronics, cameras, vintage and retro collectables. With all this new space, the concept of “hauling” as much in the way of trinkets, furniture, artworks into this dynamic arena felt fitting - and the name “HAUL” forever stuck.

By January 2019 (roughly 3 months from the beginning) HAUL had taken shape. A blank canvas, ready for colour, character and charm. It needed lighting, flow, music, people, purpose! I began a never-ending game of Tetris with the space. rearranging, organising, dragging furniture, moving lighting, creating zones, shapes, areas for entertainment, comfort and community. I had yet to officially launch the space in any concrete way, but slowly I would allow others from industry, arts and the community in to get a glimpse at what I had been creating. It was early on during this time that I had found my first serious financial backing - an independent film producer who had been looking to invest in a studio without the burden of complete responsibility. This was a good way to keep the lights on while I kept the dream alive.

Another 3 months pass - events, gatherings, performances, shoots, studio sessions and workshops were becoming the norm. I was learning on the fly, balancing my personal desire for community engagement with the necessity of corporate entanglement. Pretty soon it became evident that the council would need to be involved, as it would only be a matter of time before word spread and they may come knocking. I began holding business meetings, networking events and consistently sought out collaborators that might help fuel the fire that was HAUL. My greatest lesson during this period was not being able to accurately distinguish the paths of industry in a sustainable way that would lead to long-term growth and the development of a team, as things felt transient, and at the end of every day - it would indeed be me, alone in a giant space, wondering what I could do next.

With all that being said, a great deal of gratitude will forever be extended to Mike Collins for his trust and assistance along the way. It was Mike who steered me clear when I was having doubts or facing hurdles in the realm of business - and soon enough the time came where the growth of both our businesses would come to an impasse. While things were always respectful, friendly and supportive between Mike and I, there was a gradual inconvenience brewing that stemmed from both of our businesses outgrowing the spaces we were in. “It’s a good problem to have” he would say - and as I told him that I would need to start looking for more suitable locations to operate from, he not only agreed, but found himself in the exact same position, as his company was ready to expand as well. “The end of an era” he described it as.

In a humorous twist of fate, the lot directly across the road had come up for lease at that exact time, and had recently been vacated. I remember being on the phone to the agent who had asked me if I was familiar with the whereabouts of 4/16 Taree St. “I’m looking right at it” I chuckled, as I peered out through the upper window of my room, getting a glimpse of the “For Lease” sign from across the way. I inspected that day, paid the bond, signed the lease and began shifting all 20 car loads of equipment, furniture and collectables up and down the driveways after hours, in what could only be described as one of the most absurdly convenient relocations in modern business history.

This place was perfect. It was what I had always wanted. A much larger ground-level warehouse with a large roller-door. A showroom upon entry, a separate office downstairs, and a larger managers room upstairs. The combination of all these things made HAUL 2.0 the perfect new playground for larger projects and expansion. The first event I held there had over 120 people, of all ages, seated comfortably, enjoying live local music performed by artists from around town. There was merchandise sold at the door from other artists, and ways to book your tickets in advance for future events. It all had the makings of a sustainable system, and everything that worked at the first space was being adapted and expanded for growth in the new space.

While I had shot music videos at the first HAUL, the primary focus for HAUL 2.0 was now ready to shift into feature films. Within a few short weeks, a script, cast, crew, locations, shooting schedules and rehearsals had all been selected and ready for action! Finally, after all these years of working on films, I had my shot at Directing one. A wiser man could’ve seen hints of problematic instances from the beginning, whether it was the need to keep investors happy with the direction of the film, and business operations, the lack of consistent support or foundation of a good, strong working team ethos, or maybe even just sheer exhaustion. I persevered, did my best to make it work, and for the most part, we were all happy with the direction and result of what we were making. The problem of course came when the pandemic reared its ugly head, and lockdowns commenced 2/3rds of the way through our shoot. Our window of opportunity to shoot at our locations were closing - and for the most understandable of reasons, we all agreed to pull the pin, as we waited to see what would happen to the world, the industry, and each other.

A few short, lonely weeks had passed, and all the investment money had dried up. Getting decent work for the studio at this time was essentially impossible. I called the agent, I let him know the situation, and we both agreed on a date to vacate the premises. HAUL Media, was to officially close its doors, indefinitely. The deconstructing of your own dreams is a brutal process, and not knowing what was to come or where I was to go - after all, HAUL was my home. After weeks of breaking down furniture, sets and countless trips to the tip and storage facility, I had but one car-load of my most valuable goods packed away, and late one night of April 2020, I locked the doors to the empty shell of a warehouse, left the keys to HAUL inside the mailbox, and drove deep into the night, headed for my fathers home in Sydney. I had no plan, no money, no movie, and no idea.

In the 2 and a half years that followed, my life was nothing short of an endless mess of trial and error, stress, expectation, drive, aimlessness with a mix of strong direction. For those who know what happens next, and the way my life turned around, this story seems like the perfect storm, leading into an abyss of uncertainty, change and development. But, ultimately, it is the price we pay for dreams. The sacrifices we make, and the lessons we learn along the way. HAUL carried so much weight and potential, but in the end what matters most is knowing that some things are entirely out of our control. The necessity to cherish what we have, when we have it, is a gift, a blessing not to be ignored, and something I will carry with me for the rest of my days.