About Christopher Anton (#TophersTravels)

A dual citizen of the United States and Germany, Christopher Anton received his education at Oberlin College before ultimately heading to art school for a Bachelors in Interactive Media Design. With a knack for problem solving, process improvements and a unique approach to finding the source of seemingly unsolvable problems, he is excited by anything related to monkeys, world travel, advertising, ingeniously written copy or brilliant industrial design.

Prior to COVID shifting everyone’s universe, Christopher spent his days globetrotting or working as the Vice President for New Orleans’ largest event production and supply company and his nights as an Airbnb Superhost. While he plots his next career move and wraps his midlife crisis up in a Moderna bow, Christopher flexes his passion for problem solving, predicting user behavior, and process flow improvements by participating in innovation and design competitions, producing artwork for his eponymous website, and writing content for Improve This Experience.

 

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The Long(er) Story

As a student at Oberlin College in 1998, Christopher started designing websites for extra income when the dot-com boom was in its infancy. At that time, Google had only recently launched and was still a month away from incorporating, and AOL was still mailing CDs to everyone on the planet. While he achieved some success as a self-taught designer of websites, content management systems, and Flash animation, he eventually realized a new passion for content organization, process simplification, and predicting user behavior.

Ten years and more than 200 websites later, he was hired at Event Rental, the largest event production and supply company in New Orleans. Concerned with an erosion of customer service and general areas of friction that he witnessed during his time quietly designing from a makeshift cubicle in the office, Christopher approached the company owner with a list of challenges and suggestions for process and policy improvements within the organization. He was promoted and given free-range to make changes within the company. With a focus on boosting employee morale, predicting user behavior (likely customer and employee response to specific policies), and overseeing development of software to automate and standardize common tasks, he garnered dramatic improvements in sales flow and employee retention, and a substantial reduction in customer complaints and service issues.

Christopher then hid at the back of Event Rental’s New Orleans headquarters handling the general “let’s think this through for a second” and “can you write this letter so it sounds fancy” challenges that popped up for quite some time. In 2020, he returned to his design roots to help the company rebrand as ELEMENT just before COVID decimated the special events industry. He’s currently in search of another intrepid innovator with a struggling company they want to see shift from floundering to flourishing.

Awards & Honors

Janssen, December 2017

Get up, Check up: Fourth place idea to encourage people to get cancer screenings more regularly.

AbbVie, March 2016

Rethinking Kids’ Medication: First place in AbbVie’s challenge for ideas to improve Children’s negative perception of medicine

Unilever, December 2015

Reinventing Laundry: First place in Unilever’s challenge to reduce reliance on water in laundering clothing

Marriott, November 2014

#TravelBrilliantly: First place in Marriott’s contest to innovate Health & Wellness offerings at hotels across America

HYVE AG, September 2014

Wiesn Merchandise Contest: 2nd and 3rd place in a contest soliciting ideas for new merchandise to be sold at Oktoberfest in Munich

Rambøll & Innosite, August 2014

On the Edge: Third place in an innovation challenge aimed at improving the desirability of public housing on the outskirts of Denmark

Mastercard, December 2013

Prepaid Plus – The Skies of Mastercard: First place in a contest which sought ideas at the intersection of prepaid cards, airline loyalty programs, and payment options during travel

Proctor & Gamble, July 2013

Ignite a Revolution in Oral Care in America: 3rd, 4th and 5th Place ideas in a contest which solicited ideas to raise awareness about the importance of oral care and modernize the process of tooth brushing via a Power toothbrush

Procter & Gamble, April 2013

Reinvent Olay Pro-X: Most Valuable Participant as well as 5th, 7th & 8th Place ideas in a contest which solicited ideas to challenge the perception of Olay ProX as “only a mass/drugstore skincare brand” and appeal to consumers who rely on high-end stores for skincare products

Lufthansa Airlines, January 2013

Lufthansa Future of Hand Luggage Innovation Contest: Winner of the Best Voted Idea and Most Valuable Participant awards in this contest which focused on improving the boarding and carry-on luggage stowing process on passenger aircraft

Lufthansa Cargo, December 2012

Lufthansa Air Cargo Innovation Challenge: 4th and 5th Prize for ideas on the topic of “how customer service should look and function in the coming years” in the air freight industry

Bombardier, September 2012

Bombardier YouCity Multi-Disciplinary Innovation Contest: Shortlisted finalist in the competition which focused on “the evolution of mobility in fast-growing urban areas.”

HYVE AG, Deloitte Consulting GmbH, Deutsche Telekom, RWTH Aachen, May 2012

Ideabird Innovation Workshop: The “most valuable participants” of the Ideabird Innovation contest were invited to attend an all-expense-paid, multi-day Ideation workshop in Dusseldorf, Germany. The workshop focused on developing concepts for future uses of M2M technology