Can You Be a Huge Success in Cleveland? Or Do You Have to Go Somewhere Else, First?

Can You Be a Huge Success in Cleveland?

Or Do You Have to Go Somewhere Else, First?

The other day, I was having an impromptu afternoon conversation with a close friend, also a writer. We are very supportive of each other’s craft and sometimes share ideas so that we can both grow and advance within our chosen profession.

At one point, my friend said, “If you want to make it big, you have to get out of this town.”

Ever the optimist, I at first resisted his words, full of intention and strength. “No,” I replied, “look at…”

And then I realized that the biggest fish in town, Michael Symon, had to first win “The Iron Chef” before he reached mega-success level. He opened the initial Lola’s in Tremont a decade before winning the nationally broadcast title and, ever since, warranted success, on both a local and national scale, has followed. Michael is a driven businessman, an award-winning chef and to anyone he meets, a nice guy with a contagious laugh. He’s kept Cleveland as his home base and, simultaneously, now offers culinary advice to America’s kitchens as one of the regular hosts on ABC’s The Chew.

Of course, beyond culinary exploration, there are other industries making a huge impact in Cleveland, including real estate, banking, agriculture, education, aerospace and, of course, healthcare. The Cleveland Clinic boasts an impressive list of clients, including the most powerful person in Hollywood, Oprah, as well as Robin Williams, and even Middle East royalty. And, the Clinic will be opening a branch in Abu Dhabi, scheduled for 2013. The demand for an overseas location signals fantastic growth for any organization. But that the Clinic first established a reputation locally and is about to branch out internationally, most likely, will repeat the pattern of it then making it even bigger in yet a new, not yet announced place.

One rarely hears of local actors who return to live here after succeeding in the industry. Halle Berry, George Clooney, Woody Harrelson, Katie Holmes and Rob Lowe all have an Ohio connection. And, true, both Chrissie Hynde and Drew Carey still make local appearances and indicate respect towards their Cleveland area roots. And Clooney produced and set last year’s The Ides of March in Ohio, centered around our state’s fictitious governor, Mike Morris, running for president. But, for the most part, Chrissie and Drew are the exception with most entertainers staying close to the Hollywood sign.

Two years ago, a musical duo anchored in Akron released a great album, received solid press and toured the small music halls. Then, last year, the duo left Akron, moved to Nashville, released a new album and is not only selling out sports stadiums but have also licensed their tracks to numerous television and film soundtracks. The band? The Black Keys. The album? El Camino, ranked as a Top 5 selection of 2011 by Adult Contemporary radio stations across the country. The band is also headlining Coachella and returning for another Grammy nod.

Could the Black Keys have reached such quick and large-scale success by staying in Akron? We’ll never know, but they hedged their bets and the payoff is now evident.

Of course, there’s more to life than entertainment. But writers, musicians and actors influence our cultural landscape and if the people who are leaving the most influential mark are now doing it in places other than where they are from, i.e. N.E. Ohio, then what does it mean for the region that first helps these innovators cultivate their craft? And what can Cleveland be doing better to retain artistic talent, people whose innovative and risky ideas go against the grain of what’s proven and expected?

d.a. levy, the local beatnik poet, writer and author, was acknowledged by Allen Ginsburg but ousted by the very city he loved and wrote about in his insightful work. The result? A tragic and pre-mature death. Dave Letterman and Anthony Bourdain featured Harvey Pekar on their respective television shows. Nearly a decade ago, American Splendor, with respected thespian Paul Giamatti, brought Harvey’s story to the big screen and to international recognition. But how many people in the 216 area code ever read anything that Harvey wrote? When Harvey died on July 12, 2010, his death was timed with another Cleveland exodus, just three days prior. The latter was so controversial and disrespectful, that the death of a true and loyal talent was overshadowed by a man who can never set foot here, again. The local population diverted all its attention and focus on their athletic messiah, including an unforeseen level of desperation from local politicians and business people, and has never truly since recovered from his decision. The city also never gave Pekar a proper tribute or levy deserved gratitude. And they stayed.

Sports are important. But sports don’t save a city. People do.

Michael Symon’s “Iron Chef” win propelled a culinary explosion for other chefs, many of whom moved to other cities, and even countries, to pay their food apprentice and sous chef dues, returning to home turf and creating culinary opportunities that the locals have embraced with gratitude and glee. Can this same kind of model be replicated in art, fashion and music? Will it take one very special and uniquely positioned superstar to reach the epitome of national industry success and, also, to commit to staying here, all the while embracing other opportunities that then, in return, bring even more focus to a city that’s finally reshaping itself as more than a manufacturing hub?

Perhaps, first, we must decide what it even means to be professionally successful in Cleveland. What does it mean to be at the top of your game and how does that then compare against a national scale? At a time and place where most people are aware of most things that happen all over the world, is it time to raise the bar and aspire to global success vs. local? And, once that goal is achieved, is it enough anymore to continuously pace yourself according to what’s going on within the local region or even the rest of the Midwest? And now that Oprah has left Chicago, who emerges in her place and will this person have to live on one of the country’s coasts to be even considered for the role?

N.E. Ohio could position itself as an A-list brand, desirable destination with a diverse portfolio of industries, to not only those who live here, but also to the outside world; a brand so strong, that if you do want to make it big, you can succeed right here, on home turf and have that success be recognized by the rest of the world. And, next time, when you’re sitting in a coffee shop in New York, how great would it be to overhear a patron say, “Ah, he’s a writer from Cleveland. He must be very good.”

Reprinted with permission and gratitude from CoolCleveland.com.