Influencer: Henry Balanon

If you don’t know Henry Balanon, you’re really missing out. He’s an incredibly smart guy with a passion for his community and a strong commitment to his friends. Some of my favorite people in the world live in Detroit, and this guy is an essential part of that crew.

Meet Henry:

He’s considered a local authority in the mobile, startup and technology arena. Crain’s Detroit Business called him the poster child for the future of Detroit. In addition to creating tomorrow’s mobile magic and being present at just about every major tech event, he is one of the founders of The Hungry Dudes, a group of food bloggers from the D getting noticed by national media. Not too shabby for a guy that likes to drink Jack and Diets, smoke cigars with his buds and make the same ridiculous face in every photo he’s in.

Professionally, he’s the go-to guy for beautiful iPhone and iPad apps, as founder and developer at Bickbot. So when I talked to Henry about something he’s really passionate about, I was a little surprised to hear about his deep love of music and the way he thinks about it in the context of telling a story or conveying a feeling. But, it seems to have a pretty natural connection to the way he has to think when he’s designing successful apps and mobile user experiences.

Henry has been a big influence on me in two major ways.

First, he’s an incredible champion of Detroit. He’s a prime example of someone that is proud of his community and has fully committed to helping it succeed. Sometimes it’s tough to love Detroit, but Henry is determined to show the world it can be a hub for innovation, startups and people working toward the future in the field of technology. He’s also a serious staple in the social media community there, encouraging people to network, work together and make things happen with the city’s collaborative energy. It’s easy to respect a guy like that.

Second, he doesn’t really seem to be afraid to really jump in head first on things. He was a major encouragement toward me taking photography more seriously. He encouraged me to get over my fear and become a speaker. He’s encouraged me to reach out to people and make high level connections – many of which have led to the interviews in this Influencers series. He’s had an impact on who I’ve connected with in this social media world and I’m thankful for how much positivity those people have added to my life.

Reach out to Henry on twitter. Follow the hilarious pre-birth adventures of his daughter. Need an app designer? Check out Bickbot. Make your mouth water with the Hungry Dudes. The rest of this part-geek, part-jokester’s life ends up at balanon.com.

Check out the rest of the Influencers Series here.