Hello everyone,

I made it publicly known on December 22, 2022, for anyone unaware, that I was pulling out of elevators entirely and would cease production. Once the remaining backlog I had ran out, that would be all. On April 28, 2023, I uploaded my last elevator video on the channel. A lot has happened since, and I have decided to reflect on that choice and how things have been since making that choice. 

I'll start by saying that I had wanted to get out of elevators for a while, and it all goes back to 2016. 2016-2019 was when I was unhealthily obsessed with elevators and felt the need to see one of each kind, this took up a lot of my free time, but that was all I was after. From 2016-2017 my world revolved around elevators, and mentally I was not very well off. I was not equipped to handle drama, nor did I know proper internet etiquette and how to behave entirely maturely. Although, by some miracle, I managed to keep out of a lot of drama, I did get into a few situations. Now, no matter where you go, online or offline, there will be some drama; it doesn't matter on the size or any other factors like that; there's just no such thing as a topic everyone can agree on. In 2017, when I went to the Hilton Anatole for the first time, a long-dormant interest in hotels came back to life in the very back of my mind. The Anatole was a place I thought couldn't exist, and it blew me away; it was something I had never seen before. When I left that hotel, I walked out knowing there was much more to the world than elevators and that I should pay attention to those things more. In 2018, when I did my first hotel review, I felt happy doing it, which was something I hadn't felt in a very long time, as for a while, elevator filming felt more like a chore, and I wasn't enjoying it, but I still wanted to do it. This hotel review showed me that I could do other things and find enjoyment in them and that you can have as many hobbies and interests as you'd like, and that sometimes change will happen. It would be best to embrace it, not fear or deny it. This was also around the time I went into a deep depression. However, I won't go into specifics since much involves personal matters. To keep it short, rapid changes in my life caused much of it. It took me a while to adjust to these changes, which was a challenging time for me. This was when I started thinking, "Do I really want to continue making these videos if my interests are moving away?" After a few breaks, I eventually decided to stay, reluctantly. Although things did lighten up in 2019, and after meeting Andrew Reams of Elevatours, I briefly saw enjoyment in elevator filming again, which was relatively short-lived as my hotel interest was growing faster than ever before, and my elevator interest continued to dwindle. In late 2019 I also met a few of my now very close friends, but more later. 2020 came in fast, and after the lockdowns, I had the chance to look over myself and rethink my life choices. I decided to go on a hiatus to sort out my issues and move forward. I ended up distancing myself from quite a few people. I rethought a lot of my life, wondering what would be different if I had made other choices and what the future would be if I returned to the internet. Unfortunately, during this time, I lost contact with many friends, including those I met in 2019. I decided to start fresh, but in late 2020 I got back in touch with those friends I had met in 2019, and it was like nothing happened, and we got up to speed pretty fast. I knew what the future was, and by this point, I had felt that regardless of my choices, I'd still be where I am today; perhaps it'd be elsewhere, but still in a similar position. On July 1, 2021, I decided to make a comeback, with long-term plans to change names and eventually pull out. 

Some may ask, "So you knew you'd pull out in 2023; why didn't you say so in 2021 when you changed names?" The reality is that I did not know when I'd pull out, but I knew it'd be within the next two years. I also did not want people to spread rumors saying I was quitting, as it was already a pain to clear up rumors in 2018 saying I was leaving. By 2022 I was waiting for an opportunity to pull out of elevators, and in late 2022 the community saw some of the worst drama yet. As far as I can tell, it appears to all have been a massive smear campaign to try to take out a more prominent channel that backfired. It caused a ton of drama, which was my chance to pull out. Given I was honestly feeling miserable at this point filming, I decided to pull out for my well-being in late 2022, with a full conclusion of elevators in 2023. After deliberating with the world of 2201 board, we decided that April would be the ideal pull-out month, and the goal was met, with the finale going up on the 28th. 

Since then, I've never felt better. It has been a massive weight off my back, being out of the elevator community's eyes and being able to take life slower and enjoy it. I know some people have asked questions like, "Well, why didn't you just become unaffiliated" and the answer is complicated, but I'll try my best to answer it. Long story short, since 2020, I have been unaffiliated with the community, but the reality is that regardless of your affiliation, you will still be seen as a community member if you post elevators. As well as that, I'd still get a year's worth of drama in a day even though I was already distancing myself. The only way to truly unaffiliate is to pull out entirely, and since I had wanted out anyways, I did. Like I've said, ever since, I've never been happier. It's nice to finally get away from all that garbage from the community and instead be able to focus on things I like. This was a long overdue choice, and I cannot thank you enough for all your support even through these changes. 

As for how things will go in the future, I am working to involve more of my current interests on the channel. Some are not at all like elevators, others more similar. I am now reaching the capacity and ability to do more, and I am excited to show you all what is planned, as my friends and I have a lot planned for these next few years! 

-Anatole

Hello everyone, 

Today I have an announcement regarding our upload schedule. Due to the content going in being greatly reduced these past few months for a variety of reasons, we will be making changes to the upload schedule. The main reason is I’ve been busy in college, as well as the fact I just don’t go in buildings to see the elevator anymore, I’m at a point in my life where I just can’t be going in buildings exclusively for an elevator anymore. I’ve also got a few big projects going on behind the scenes, and it can be time consuming. My interest getting lower as time moves forward has also contributed. Below I have typed the new schedule we will be using until it is changed again, 

Anatole2201 2022 Schedule Post June 1

Sunday - No upload/Special videos if applicable 

Monday - No upload unless there is spare or too much content in backlog

Tuesday - No upload 

Wednesday - Upload at 8AM 

Thursday - No upload 

Friday - Upload at 8AM/Hotel Tour at 12PM if applicable 

Saturday - Upload at 7AM 

Now I know some people will be disappointed to hear this, and I do apologize, but for the backend of the channel, I feel this will greatly be able to improve the content too. Given the fact that we have 5 uploads a week in this state, this has led to an incentive to get these videos made and out fast, thus reducing the quality, this isn't the direction I want to go in, I want to provide the best content I can, and this new schedule will greatly help me in my efforts to make that happen. I have said this before too, but my interest in elevators was not what it was in 2015, I've gotten into newer things as time have moved on, and while I don't think my interest will go away, and it will always be there, it is definitely not my main interest anymore. Change is inevitable, and I've hit that point where changes are happening. 

The future of Anatole2201I know some may be concerned with the future being dark, but I can conform we're far from being done, if anything we're just getting started! I have big plans leading into at least 2028 and there will be a ton of content, while it may not be in the daily or part weekly schedule we have come to know here, I think the quality will benefit. I'm working to phase in more content in alignment with my current interests too, as I want to be posting things I enjoy. Elevator videos will continue to go up, but they are not being filmed nearly as much as I used to do them, and I do feel hotel tours are the thing which the most work will be put into, as I enjoy making them, elevator videos feel like a chore at times, which is a reason I am not pushing it as an exclusive thing anymore. 

Keeping with the running theme of every summer being crazier here on the Anatole2201 Channel, this summer is no exception. While 2022 started off crazy, it is only continuing! Now, if you haven't already done so, I highly recommend watching the summer 2022 trailer on my channel, which can be found here. Though as the trailer said, this year we're starting off with a staycation in Dallas, which will involve a mini trip to a city too! After that, we will be taking a short trip to another city, which while I cannot disclose it, I can't wait to show the videos from there! Though it doesn't end there! After that, to finish off this summer, we have one more huge trip to 3 cities around Texas, which will be full of live streams and other fun, as well as it will be the longest and CRAZIEST trip in Anatole2201 history! As a result, to total everything, we're having 1 Staycation, 2 Trips, 5 Cities, 5 Hotel Tours, and plenty of adventures in big cities! As well as the release of the most in-depth elevator modernization video I've made! It is needless to say this summer will be crazy, and I am excited to be able to share this experience with you all, my viewers, who I cannot thank enough for all the support to get me to where I am today. -Anatole

For all those aware, I am sure you've seen the new name, logo, and possibly some other changes. In this update we will be going over a few things, mainly more the back end of the changes, but also the turnout of all of this too. The main reason of the change was a variety of reasons, the first was that the DEF1 name was supposed to be changed not long after it was made, but by 2017 it became a brand, and didn't make sense to change it. By 2020 though, it was getting time to finally make the swap to a new name, as to why I will give the reasons now. The first was that the name was not even accurate, I am not a big fan of Dover elevators, I prefer Westinghouse myself, but WestinghouseElevatorFan1 is too long and "WEF1" doesn't sound right. I wanted to branch out to more variety too, and I felt trapped keeping the word 'elevator' in my username, and wanted it removed. DEF2201 was a considered name, but I did not want the word elevator even beung referenced, and I felt it was time we move on from the DEF1 era and opened a new chapter. I felt we took the DoverElevatorFan1 name as far as it could go, and it was time we get a name we can continue with. After discussing this with my close friends/channel mods as well as a few others, and also brining the idea to my viewers that we were going to be rebranding, in the end a name was chosen. Given I go by Anatole, and felt the last number of the username should remain a 1, and the address of the Anatole conveniently ends with a 1, the name was decided to be Anatole2201. On the backend a few more changes were done though, given we were doing a fresh start, I wanted to remove a few videos which were either very unprofessional or immature, as those were not what I wanted to be known for or have affiliated with the Anatole2201 name. Eventually the day came, and we officially swapped from DEF1 to Anatole2201 at midnight on January 1, 2022. It was a big step forward, and thankfully viewers have liked the changes. Since then I also acquired my own domain for the channel and have a whole new system set up for the backend too. I'm excited to see how things go, and I hope you are too, as 2022 is going to be crazy(in a good way)! 

For those who haven't watched my latest 'update' video, while I do suggest giving that a watch first, but to keep it short, while I was out on my hiatus, I really was thinking about the future of the channel, and the trajectory it would be taking into the next year, and with me leaving the elevator community in 2020 due to it's high levels of toxcisity, that it was finally time to drop out the word 'elevator' from the name, given Dover also isn't my favorite elevator company(it's actually Westinghouse) I thought I'd come up with a name that is something I am known for, something still memorable, and ending in a 1, and while the name has been determined, it will not be publicly given out until the day of, but on December 31, 2021 a teaser will be released featuring some new branding. In terms of content, through 2022 nothing will be changing other than equipment upgrades, there will be more hotel tours posted through 2022 as well. There is a longterm goal to have more hotel tours than elevators, but that will be quite a while, and you should not worry about this, the videos are not stopping, please do not start rumors that they are. In the end though, I am really excited for this new name, as I hope you are too. While this will be the end of the 'DEF1 Era', it is only the beginning of more amazing content! 

After having a somewhat stressful past few months, as of July first, I uploaded the first video to the channel in just under a year. Shortly after, an official relaunch was announced. Since content is finally coming back in, and I have a few trips planned, it isn't stopping anytime soon. While we won't be returning to daily uploads just yet, eventually, that is the goal. The first few videos are set to release late the week of July 4th and will continue on a schedule of Friday-Monday, and Wednesday. This will keep more content in and less out, and now that I have sufficient backlog, I think we will go a long way with it. Hotel tours are set to become a more main focus on the channel too. This relaunch so far has been successful, and I say a HUGE thank you to those who stuck even through the months of no activity.

Thanks for sticking around all these years, I hope you are excited too!                        -DoverElevatorFan1

Recently I caught wind of people saying they were be, but in reality were not even affiliated with me. This is a problem we all deal with at times online, and while it can be frustrating and difficult to keep under control, it is something at the end of the day that is going to happen regardless of what you do. However there are ways to stop this or keep it in control. At the moment this is only occurring on Discord, as I got an annonymous message on Discord. The person did change their name after they realized I caught wind of this I presume, but I just wanted to say that if anyone ever approaches you claiming to be me, none of my social profiles use my channel logo or name, in other words, my discord and all other platforms are not named DoverElevatorFan1, and they all have a different profile picture. I would also NEVER ask for money, personal info, or NSFW(inappropriate) questions to anyone. If you suspect someone is a fake DEF1, please use my contact form and notify me directly, I have provided a new special option for this. Additionally, spread the word about the fake too, this will get people aware to get the message out to stop that person. The more people that know the better. Anyways, now that you know about this, keep an eye out, even if one was stopped, the person will likely just make another account, and if you see a fake, please do your part and report them. 

Thank you for your understandings and apologies for the urgency of this message, -DoverElevatorFan1

I have gotten a few questions regarding what has been going on recently. I know I wasn't too upfront about what happened, and I deeply apologize for this. I can assure you I am alive and well at this moment. The best answer I can give is long, but I certainly feel will explain fully what is going on. 

Change is inevitable, it happens to everyone like it or not. As I progress in life, I am currently starting my next chapter. The chapter where I ran around filming elevators has ended, and as I now move forward to reach my goals there is a lot less time to do things. In 2020 I had the opportunity to take a moment to think over my life, my life choices, and what I could do to better myself. I had never had the time to do this previously, and honestly I feel it was one of the better things that has happened to me recently. The main reasons for creating my channel in 2015 were to have a creative outlet and to show my experiences in Dallas riding the elevators I encountered. Long story short for many years I had members in my family constantly degrading me and disliking/hating me for things and always shooting me down whenever I had ideas or showed my work. Please note I am not talking about my parents here, they have always been supportive in every direction I have wanted to go in, and I will always be beyond grateful for that. Despite this though, it really was one of the most pleasant feelings I had to see people other than my parents were enjoying my work and were actually supporting me rather than pushing me down a level. In 2020 I realized that it was not normal to have family members behaving in this manner, and took measures to distance myself from them. However, 2020 also brought this little thing called Covid-19, don't know if you've heard of it, but it turned out to lock down the entire world. During this time I could not get any content and for my safety as well as others stayed home. Due to all the recent YT drama I decided to just take a step back after running out of backlog, and legitimately felt my quality of life had improved. I felt it was likely better that I just make an exit and begin my next chapter, saying goodbye to an era when YT was a main priority. I know some may ask about if I have lost interest, and my best answer is yes and no. While my interest was nothing like it was in 2015, I think my interest in elevators will never fade away. I know I have had some other questions regarding uploading status as well, and I can say uploads likely will not start again for a while if at all, unless I find something so epic that I feel the need to.  Another regarding my current videos, I likely will not be pulling down anything unless I get people trying to 'save DEF1' by recording and reuploading my content if I ever did say I wanted to pull it down. Copyright policies still apply, and I will have any reuploads pulled down, I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but I do not want my future employers finding out about my channel. I need to take measures to ensure this won't happen. 

I really hope this helps to answer any questions you have had, and again I am very sorry about not keeping you up to date on what's been happening. I just want to say thank you for giving me all the support you did, and being be best fanbase ever. Without you guys I don't know what would have happened to me, or where I would have went. 

Thank you all for your understanding as always, -DoverElevatorFan1