Today, at WVIZ IdeaCenter, Ingenuity Festival founder and director James Levin hosted his peer Steve Dietz, director of a remarkable "sister" arts and technology festival ZeroOne San Jose, along with a group of NEO arts leaders, for intimate planning for the 3rd Ingenuity Festival, which will be held around Playhouse Square and Cleveland State University in 2007. James introduced the discussion by explaining he had been in San Jose last month for ZeroOne and is working with the organizers of that event in his brainstorming for our festival, which is one of the most exceptional of its type in the world. And, based on what was presented and discussed today with Steve Dietz, Ingenuity Festival is about to get much more exceptional... James is looking and partnering very globally and focused on strengthening the integration of "technology" into Ingenuity 2007. This was clearly a strength in the exciting artistic expressions of ZeroOne, as presented in an impressive overview by Dietz.

Location

This weekend the Toronto arts and culture scene was world-class beyond belief, featuring the final weekend of the Toronto Film Festival, the opening of the new Four Seasons Opera House (premiering Wagner's Ring Cycle), many smaller community arts festivals, and two major arts festivals – the Queen West Arts Crawl, featuring over 500 artists and galleries along mind-blowing Queen Street) and the august 11th Annual Canadian Art Gallery Hop. The Queen West Arts Crawl was way cool, but I stayed in Toronto an extra day for Software Freedom Day and the Canadian Art Gallery Hop, as that featured a free “Glocal Live Roundtable” of many of Canada's arts leaders. “The term GLOCAL fuses global with local and points to the meshing of macro and micro realms of experience in the contemporary world of Internet technologies and instant information. The speed and collapsing distances of this new reality hold challenging implications for traditional identities and communities, along with promising opportunities.” The roundtable was astounding... see below for detailed notes of interest to all concerned about arts, culture and the economy, local to anywhere in the world and global.

By lucky coincidence, I was in Toronto on international Software Freedom Day and so had easy access to Ubuntu today, right when I needed it, and lots of Ubuntu and FOSS experts, and got to meet the cool people in Toronto who run the Toronto Ubuntu and Linux User Groups, and the Linux Caffe, and the awesome Center for Social Innovation... this city rocks in every way.

Susan Miller posted very exciting news about NEO today: former editor in chief of the Free Times and now columnist for the esteemed New York Times Lisa Chamberlain (props, Lisa!) published in today's New York Times a real plum of promotion for NEO, with an article titled: "Filmmakers Say Hooray for Cleveland". The subject is very smart and progressive local real estate developer David Perkowski, shown above on top of his Hyacinth lofts, which David developed to serve the unique live/work needs of local artists and film and music makers. Anyone who knows NEO knows David for transforming the historic Tower Press building from a dilapidated shell into a spectacular and bustling arts loft complex... one of the most innovative historic restorations and downtown redevelopments in Cleveland History. Well, the Hyacinth is as impressive and significant in similar and other ways.

At the Meet the Bloggers benefit last week, at Tower Press, I hoped I would see NEO's top filmmaker Bobert Banks, who has his studio in the Tower Press. Robert showed up, as is his style. Not only did I learn it was his 40th birthday (happy b-day... shush) but that he was having a filmfest birthday party today, 09/10/06... not to be missed, to celebrate a great man and artist's b-day and enjoy some retro film of Robert's choice. As Robert was born in 1966, and Star Trek was apparently invented then, the evening started out with some crazy Star Trek film that I suppose was the pilot of the series, and was totally freaky... rampant green dancing aliens, booze and sex.

I am really appreciative, this morning. After posting what was certainly the saddest news I can imagine, about the hardship my staff has suffered as a result of a lack of appreciation from my former business associate, Peter Holmes, I opened up this week's CoolCleveland and found that their crew had featured TWO postings from REALNEO. I am very touched and thankful to Thomas and his team for noticing REALNEO and taking an interest in the thoughts posted here - thank you. Please show appreciation back to CoolCleveland... if you are not a member, see what you've been missing... subscribe at CoolCleveland - all free - this is a real NEO must,  and send feedback to CoolCleveland letters at the links below, and supporting the upcoming CoolCleveland/Tech/Ingenuity party at Fat Fish Blue, July 13, and the Ingenuity Festival, as described below... but first, here's the nice write-up about REALNEO from CoolCleveland today, July 5, 2006:

 The following story with its links ran in CASE Daily (Case's online newpaper) today. Do feel like you have entrepreneurial genes? I think I do! Please post your thoughts
"Do genes influence who will be entrepreneurs?"

ABC News (Reuters), June 5, 2006
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2041245

Day two filming "The Man With The Magnetic Brain", and the economic impact on NEO is adding up. There's the dozen or so people running around town (gas and RTA), and the meals (Rascal House and the grocery store), film and processing (Dodd's), and a hat at Mike-The-Hatter - so, it's only hundreds of dollars, but that's more than would have been spent without the film industry happening here, today. And we had fun, scared a few cops, and entertained a homeless couple on E. 19th - I'd say... all that makes Cleveland a better place to be... and if you're cruising around E19th and Superior tonight, stop by and be in pictures...

Location

Northeast Ohio is about to see an explosive, high profile, living, learning and enlightening force hit the scene and landscape, as area filmmakers, learning institutions and the public come together to create NEO Central - a bleeding-edge collaborative media arts center for NEO now and the future.The center will be based on like-minded initiatives around the world, and will provide shared film/media education, incubation, production, distribution, business and technology resources, and facilities, which are currently located in the historic landmark Gillota Building at 300 Central Viaduct (Carnegie) and will be expanded significantly as part of an area economic development plan. More on all of this is found in the links below, which will grow...

“Groundhog Day” screenwriter Danny Rubin will speak on April 4 from 4:30-6 p.m. at the Baker-Nord Center, Clark Hall room 206. He will discuss screenwriting, Hollywood, and the creative process, and will take audience questions.

Location

The grand theater of the Cleveland City Hall rotunda was the perfect setting to see NEO filmmaker Laura Paglin's acclaimed documentary "No Umbrella – An Election Day In The City". Thanks to Mayor Frank Jackson "Arts and Cultural Initiative", probably 100 citizens clearly enjoyed the free showing immediately preceded the city council meeting. The "star" of the documentary, long-standing and much-beloved councilwoman Fannie Lewis, was the star of the screening as well, as she and filmmaker Paglin answered questions following the show.

Location

Location

Who is the film industry in NEO? We started exploring this question at a film excellence roundtable, where over 40 partners in art came together to discuss growing their industry. Today, at a benefit for Independent Pictures - http://ohiofilms.com - called "Cleveland Oscar Night America", around another 150 came out to show their support for film in NEO. The more I'm around this sector of the local economic development picture the more I realize I don't know this industry - who they are, what they do, and how they operate in the regional economy.  This is worth figuring out, so next year some of the folks watching the Oscars tonight from afar can be thanking NEO from Hollywood.

Location

Please join a casual collaboration of Northeast Ohio leaders interested in supporting "Film" as a cultural, educational, technological and economic engine of this community. "Film" is an important factor in the NEO economy, with many talented "film" professionals involved here in management, production, creative and other roles, creating $ millions in spending and wealth and making NEO a more interesting and fulfilling place to grow up and live. But, what is film, and what matters to the community and our economy?

Location

Please join a casual collaboration of Northeast Ohio leaders interested in supporting "Film" as a cultural, educational, technological and economic engine of this community. "Film" is an important factor in the NEO economy, with many talented "film" professionals involved here in management, production, creative and other roles, creating $ millions in spending and wealth and making NEO a more interesting and fulfilling place to grow up and live. But, what is film, and what matters to the community and our economy?

"Film" is an important factor in the NEO economy, with many talented "film" professionals involved here in management, production, creative and other roles, creating $ millions in spending and wealth and making NEO a more interesting and fulfilling place to grow up and live. But, what is film, and what matters? Read on below:

The Studio Incubator is not the entire piece of the puzzle needed for a Film Industry here, but it is a start. First we have to recognize the Industry is not here, and then we move forward with the potential. So here, I will chart the progress of the Studio Incubator.

CrainTech published a story about two graduates of CIA's TIME
- The Integrated Media Environment - program, which fits perfectly with a recent development announced at American Greetings: AG invested in a
children-oriented film and television production, marketing and brand
development company named The Hatchery, in LA, and the CIA TIME grads have
formed an animation production company called Flipline
Interactive Design Studios that has an animation product they want to take to market (and lots more in the works, as you'll see at their website).
What better dots could we have waiting to connect for a local success story?

There's an article in the Plain Dealer on a fascinating local business development - American Greetings bought into The Hatchery, an innovative Los Angeles company "that produces family entertainment for film, television, home video,
video games and new media." My immediate thought was, what can this hatch for NEO. Our creatives need opportunities in these sectors and insider Los Angeles connections, and The Hatchery could certainly find "product" and talent here - it seems if our hometown powerhouse American Greetings is teaming up with shuch high level folks in LA, they should be able to steer some insight and opportunity from there to here. Reading a press release about The Hatchery, posted below, makes clear their management is influential and top notch - if our leaders ask very nicely, perhaps The Hatchery folks can help bring more new life to NEO than just on American Greetings bottom line. Has anyone bothered to welcome our new celebrity neighbors to town?

Art and creative industies represent $ billions in economic activity in Northeast Ohio, and the CIA is the greatest fuel we have for that wealth engine. Not only does the CIA provide the region with great creators - fine, design, graphic and craft artists and entrepreneurs - but CIA brings to town monumental art and events that generate cash for our economy. Most important, CIA is developing programs that raise awareness of social issues essential to improving the quality of life and prosperity of all our residents. Read and contribute insight gained from experiencing CIA enlightenment here.