Road to Red Carpet – Cleveland Celebrates the Oscars

The Greater Cleveland Film Commission threw the party of the year. On Sun 2/26, East 4th Street transformed into Hollywood, complete with lights, reporters and photographers, news crew interviews and celebrity spottings. Once inside Pickwick & Frolic, the hard-working wait staff welcomed guests with Moët champagne, topped with a surprise souvenir. Delicious food included angus burgers with chipotle sauce, gourmet french fires, fresh sushi, ripe strawberries and much more. Once the Oscar ceremony began, it was broadcast on every single screen in the building. And, throughout the night, drinks continued to flow, keeping the ~700 people crowd happy and social.

This is the fourth annual Road to the Red Carpet event and, compared with the first one that I attended back in 2009, it has grown bigger and better, attracting Cleveland’s Who’s Who of commerce, philanthropy and community. Mayor Frank Jackson was there. Councilman Anthony Brancatelli was there. And, reportedly, so was County Executive Ed FitzGerald. Terry Stewart, President and CEO of the Rock Hall, was there, auctioning off four final tickets to the big induction ceremony returning here for a series of events beginning Wed 4/4 and continuing through Sun 4/15, the night of the big event. And, while some of the familiar movie industry faces attended, the event, unlike the regularly scheduled local Film Mixers, was focused less on networking and more on raising money for the Film Commission.

The Commission, under Ivan Schwarz’s leadership, has three specific goals: jobs, economic development and advocacy. And the non-profit is succeeding. In the summer of 2011, the six films shot in N.E. Ohio spent over $70 million in our region. This includes nearly 70,000 hotel room nights, almost 1000 locally hired crew members and over 800 days of production. It also includes partnerships and educational programs with both CSU and Tri-C, as well as with local high schools, to train and recruit young talent. It all began with the passing of the tax incentive and with these kinds of results, the goal, according to Ivan, is that filmmaking in Ohio “becomes a year-round business.”

The Commission is a lean organization, with only four full-time employees: Ivan (Executive Director), Mary Crawford (Office Manager), Jason Drake (Production Coordinator) and Jeanne Romanoff (Director of Development). And, with the public’s support, these four people have achieved the impossible: bipartisanship. During an election year, and as the country and our state and region continue to recover from the Great Recession, this emerging industry attracts attention and revenue, which is why politicians on both sides of the great two-party divide look beyond their own agendas, and, instead, work together to keep things moving and growing. Ivan publicly thanked Jackson, FitzGerald and Governor Kasich, as well as many others, reassuring Cleveland’s power players that when it comes to rebuilding N.E. Ohio, there is hope and evidence.

And, there is also tremendous fun and excitement. Most of The Avengers Super Bowl commercial featured coverage shot right here on East 9th Street. Local production companies continue to bloom and blossom. And, as JT Thomas, Creative Director at FashionTVNetwork, wisely observed, today’s national morning television is well represented and hosted by Clevelanders – Michael Symon on The Chew, Drew Carey on The Price is Right and Steve Harvey on Family Feud. Finally, there’s Hot in Cleveland, the Emmy and Golden Globe winning show with Hollywood’s number one leading lady, Betty White. While the series doesn’t shoot in N.E. Ohio, the cast has made a big visit here, even receiving the keys to the city.

Resurrecting an economy is tough. Creating demand for a new industry of make believe, harder. But it’s real and it’s happening, right here in Cleveland.