Fri 11/9 @ 5- 9pm
By Joe Baur
Go Media will screen their second annual “On The Map” video series at their warehouse offices in Ohio City on Fri 11/9, highlighting the innovative entrepreneurs and organizations that celebrate Cleveland.
Guests are invited to eat, drink, watch the video release, meet fellow Clevelanders and “literally put their local business or organizations on a giant wall map.”
The series started after a few years of Go Media holding a general open house where visitors could see their studio, and have an opportunity to chat with Cleveland trailblazers. “After a few years of this format, we started to think about how we might do something to spice it up,” explains Art Director, Chris Comella. “Go Media is fiercely proud of our hometown, and when I pitched the idea to actually go out, meet the people doing good things in the city, and make it into a video series — it was a natural fit.”
The idea behind the videos is to create an unofficial guide to some of the best Cleveland has to offer and make them available online. “This project isn’t being done for a client,” says Comella. “We’re coming at it from the perspective of people living and working in the city.”
Those featured in the series are our peers, he says. “Businesses we admire and are fans of.” These businesses range from fine dining and furniture design to motorcycles. “What’s important for us to show is the type of things happening in Cleveland that embody why we love it so much,” Comella explains, noting the energy and momentum the city is experiencing in terms of economic growth. “We want to do more than talk about it. We want to show it, and share it with everyone.”
One of the businesses highlighted will be Rose Iron Works – a company that in 1929 introduced Art Deco metalwork to the United States. On the flip side, Rising Star – an Ohio City coffee roaster – will also make an appearance as one of the three of eight videos Go Media will be screening.
Asked why Cleveland can be a hub for artists and designers, Comella points to the tight knit community of makers, and the boom in new businesses and industries. Calling the progress “inspiring,” Comella says he thinks about the existing community of artists when thinking about becoming a hub for artists.
“It’s about communicating it to everyone, so that they can decide to give it a try,” he says. “Who knows? Maybe our blend of small town camaraderie and culture of makers will be perfect for their tastes.”
Watch “On The Map Series 2” on Fri 11/9 from 5:00pm – 9:00pm at Go Media’s Ohio City headquarters, 4507 Lorain Avenue. More info: http://www.onthemapcle.com.
Joe Baur is a freelance writer, filmmaker and satirist with a diverse array of interests including travel, adventure, craft beer, health, urban issues, culture and politics. He ranks his allegiances in the order of Cleveland, the state of Ohio and the Rust Belt, and enjoys a fried egg on a variety of meats. Joe has a B.A. in Mass Communication with a focus on production from Miami University. Follow him at joebaur.com and on Twitter @MildlyRelevant.