The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
HOLLYWOOD SWINGING
Film incentives, media arts production, driving economic development in NEO
“I really believe in this community. To me, it’s glass half-full . ... . ” —Ivan Schwarz, president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission
When word got out that last year that Matthew McConaughey was in Cleveland filming the now-released biographical crime drama “White Boy Rick,” it garnered a lot of people’s attention, but not so much Ivan Schwarz’s.
Over the last 10-plus years, the president and CEO of the
Greater Cleveland Film Commission has known of dozens of big-name actors and actresses filming movies all over Northeast Ohio.
During the 2018 Annual Conference on Tourism, formerly known as the annual meeting of the Lake County Visitors Bureau, where the theme was “How Hollywood Impacts Tourism
Development,” Schwarz spoke to the power of boosting the local economy in under-the-radar areas, and how, in turn, the industry yields the creation of hundreds of jobs.
“The Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit has benefitted the area and brought in millions of dollars to Northeast Ohio,” Schwarz said Oct. 15 to a crowd of 100-plus at the Four Points hotel in Eastlake. “The impact stands out. Productions bring in the names and they leave behind the impact and the cash. They create what matters to me. This isn’t a hobby, but a profession. I want a media production industry scene here, and it’s started at Cleveland State University with its School of Film and Media Arts. I want to create jobs here and in surrounding areas.
“Northeast Ohio, within 40 minutes, has it all — urban, suburban, Lake Erie, rivers, covered bridges, whatever it is you’re looking for, it’s here,” the 12year NEO resident and keynote speaker added. “I really believe in this community. To me, it’s glass half-full. You know why other areas excel, areas like Georgia, which generated billions (with film tax credits)? They have the will. Northeast Ohio can, too. The key isn’t to go after one shiny thing, but a lot of shiny things. There’s no reason it can’t continue to evolve here.”
Since 2009, the Cleveland film industry has generated over $400 million
Since 2009, the Cleveland film industry has generated over $400 million in the general Cleveland communities.
in the general Cleveland communities.
Schwarz was one of several notable guests the LCVB lined up, including Edgar Allan Poe performer David Keltz and Painesville Township native and television writer/producer Dan O’Shannon.
Scott Dockus, executive director of LCVB, believes Lake County can mirror the accomplishments of Cleveland, and said Northeast Ohio has proven that attracting devotees of entertainment can serve to continue driving cultural and economic development in the area.
“We can’t remain stagnant,” he said. “Individuals visit destinations viewed on the screen. Movie- and television-induced travels, the specific locations, bring in a variety of visitors. That’s why we chose this as a main theme. We continue to see people visit the area, and we can put this (type of success) together, to develop tourist destinations. Lake County can become a destination of choice by Hollywood.”
Lake County Commissioner Day Troy cited The Fine Arts Association in Willoughby and Rabbit Run Theater in Madison Township as examples that have enlivened arts education, production and performance in the region.
“Lake County was the first county in the state of Ohio to get into the business of acquiring public money into grants for arts and culture, we were before Cuyahoga County. We earmarked a portion of the bed tax for those grants and that program still continues and it’s made a difference at Fine Arts and some of the community performances that take place at Lakeland Community College.”
According to LCVB, the Remarkable Arts and Culture Grant Program this year has awarded $98,475 to 20 Lake County organizations.