Innovation + Job News

Realtyme Productions was more of a nomadic firm before finding its home in 25,000 square feet on Fort Street in southwest Detroit.

The 6-year-old company is opening a film production studio in the second floor of 1915 Fort St.'s five stories. It's also opening an art gallery in the front of that space. The two spaces are meant to complement each other's creative sides.

"The film industry is taking off here so we're going to throw our hat in the ring," says Kenneth Eaddy, director and CEO of Realtyme Productions, which is a division of Abundant Harvest Holdings.

The company got its start producing music popular in urban areas, such as gospel, R&B and hip hop. One job led to another and the next thing Realtyme Productions knew it was employing 50 people and producing everything from music to film. It plans to use its new space for productions of everything from music videos to low-budget films.

It hopes to one day buy the building its renting space in and continue to hire to accommodate its steady growth.

Source: Kenneth Eaddy, director and CEO of Realtyme Productions
Writer: Jon Zemke

Michigan's 21st Century Investment Fund just sent out $35.5 million in investment to some large mezzanine funds with the largest chunk coming to a Detroit firm.

Downtown-based Peninsula Capital Partners took in $14.5 million from the fund. The firm focuses on unconventional transactions, such as growth capital and strategic acquisitions.

Peninsula Capital Partners is the state's biggest mezzanine fund and the only Michigan-headquartered firm to receive cash from Michigan's 21st Century Investment Fund. The other two companies that received money last week have decided to open offices in Michigan in places like Ann Arbor.

The 21st Century Investment Fund is part of the 21st Century Jobs Fund. The initiative is working to invest $2 billion over a decade to help diversify the state’s economy and grow jobs.

Source: State of Michigan
Writer: Jon Zemke

Detroiters may know James Canning from his days as mayoral spokesman for Kwame Kilpatrick, but it's starting to discover James Canning, entrepreneur.

The Warrendale resident started Canning Communications last year and worked for a number of recognizable organizations in the city, such as Vision IT and Paxahau, as an independent consultant.

The 29-year-old Detroit native and Wayne State University graduate regularly works with a team of graphic designers, web designers, writers, editors and event planners. Canning hopes to hire a part-time employee next year and is in ongoing discussions with another Metro Detroit communications and event planning company about forming a collaborative partnership.
 
Describe your business in two sentences or less?
Canning Communications is a full-service communications firm that specializes in media relations, event planning and management, crisis communications, government relations, community and social media outreach. We develop specialized communications strategies to help our clients share their story with targeted stakeholders.   
 
Why did you decide to set up shop in Detroit?
I am a Detroiter through and through. I have lived in the city limits my entire life. While in high school I realized my passion for Detroit. Ever since then I have taken a career path and community involvement route that have been focused on making a positive impact on the city, which made it an even easier decision for me to start my business here.

It is important for me to work on things and for people that are contributing to the greater good of the city. I believe by having Canning Communications located in the city, I will be able to connect with like-minded people and organizations that need assistance communicating their story to the residents of our community.

What are some of the advantages to doing business here?
Access to existing leadership. Decision makers in Detroit are always willing to listen to your idea; especially if it fills a void in the community.

Detroit has a great entrepreneur support network. Entrepreneurs here are always willing to help each other out because they understand they need one another to become successful. And the city is ripe for new ideas, products and services.                     

What do you see in Detroit that other people who live outside the city don't?
If you strip away Detroit’s poor public image and the rough exterior of its landscape to take a close look at those who live in its neighborhoods, you will find good people. That is why I choose to stay in the city.         

What advice would you give to someone who was thinking about opening a business in Detroit?
Get to understand the Detroit community. If you prove to have a genuine interest in Detroit stakeholders; then the community will embrace your organization and it will become successful.  

If you could change one thing about Detroit, what would it be?
If I had a magic wand to wave over the city, I would change the negative attitude that exists in our community.

Here are two attitudes I would want people who live and work here to adopt:

1. Acknowledge the problems and work to address them, but don't dwell on them.
2. News stories such as the changes in the auto industry and recent developments with our elected officials dominate the headlines, but they don't define the people.

If everyone in our community thought this way, I believe it would help to change the way we portray ourselves and our city to others.

Source: James Canning, founder of Canning Communications
Writer: Jon Zemke

It didn't take long for an entrepreneur to step up to fill the void left by the closure of The Citizen newspaper in Hamtramck. The newspaper had been one of the longest-running publications in the state, launching in 1934 and shutting down this spring.

Mike Wilcox, a former publisher of the The Citizen, has started The Hamtramck Review. It looks a lot like The Citizen on the surface, focusing almost entirely on local news and advertising.

He believes his newspaper will succeed because his team of five employees and a couple of interns will help bring in more revenue through advertising.

"I think I know how to make a newspaper work, even a printed paper," Wilcox says. "I still believe the Hamtramck community is very viable."

Source: Mike Wilcox, publisher of The Hamtramck Review
Writer: Jon Zemke

Wayne State University is partnering with the Michigan Technology & Research Institute to create a drug-development company focused on a key molecule that could help treat depression and possibly other ailments.

The Ann Arbor-based institute is taking advantage of research developed by Dr. Aloke Dutta, a professor of pharmaceutical sciences at Wayne State's College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. The idea is to help create drugs and therapies that can combat ailments like depression and more, such as obesity and neuropathic pain.

"It can be used in a number of ways," Dutta says. "We still don't know the full potential of this molecule."

He points out that current treatments for depression don’t address dopamine component and how it targets relevant parts of the brain. His recently-discovered polyfunctional molecules interact simultaneously with norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine systems in the brain and exhibit activity in animal models that indicate antidepressant activity.

He expects it will take 6-8 years of research and clinical trails to bring the molecule to commercialization and FDA approval.

Source: Aloke Dutta, professor of pharmaceutical sciences at Wayne State University
Writer: Jon Zemke

Not all of the movies being shot in Detroit are big-budget productions that employ everyone and their cousin. Smaller productions are also having a significant impact, such as "Pawn Shop."

The movie is bringing in some recognizable Hollywood talent while employing dozens of people and giving some up-and-coming Detroit talent a place to shine. The independent movie has a budget of $525,000 and is employing about 50 people.

"Detroit is a good backdrop city for urban films," says Parrish Redd, co-writer, co-producer and director of "Pawn Shop." "There is a lot of landscapes and talent."

"Pawn Shop" is bringing in nationally-known talents, such as Garret Morris (member of the original "Saturday Night Live" cast) and Joe Torry ("Poetic Justice" and "Russell Simmon's Def Comedy Jam"). It’s also shining the spotlight on some well-known local talent, like Robert "Foolish" Spearman Jr. (WJLB 97.9 FM radio personality) and Chandra "Deelishis" Davis (Flavor of Love 2).

The budget for "Pawn Shop" is $525,000. It is being funded by Paris Deior Studios of West Bloomfield and a group of private investors. When filming is done 50 people will have been employed during the 15-day shoot, including local actors; caterers; hair stylists; interns; acting coaches; security personal and crew members. The majority of the "Pawn Shop" budget has been spent locally.

"This feature film is giving a lot of local talent an opportunity to expand on their careers," Redd says.

Source: Parrish Redd, co-writer, co-producer and director of "Pawn Shop"
Writer: Jon Zemke

Small businesses continue to flock to the Russell Industrial Center and Bazaar, making the old Rustbelt factory turned creative enclave arguably the most successful business incubator in Michigan.  

Today more than 285 fledgling firms call the structure home. Six new tenants joined the complex in May, including a photographer, artist and lighting company. So far another four have signed up for space in June, including a web and graphic design firms.

The Russell Bazaar, a flea-market-style retail center, continues to attract more clients, too. Occupied by independent retailers, the Bazaar's tenants range from clothing makers to computer repair shops. With 125 businesses, it is now 70 percent full and continues to grow.

"We're seeing people coming in asking for more square footage," says Eric Novak, the Russell Industrial Center's leasing agent, adding that recent square footage requests he has seen have started at 10,000 square feet and up.

The Russell Industrial Center is a circa-1915 factory sprawling over several levels, wings and acres on the northeast corner of I-75 and I-94. It originally made chassis for the Murray Body Company and wings for B-29 bombers during World War II. It had shrunk to about 10 businesses and artists when Boydell Development Co. (the Nikki's Pizza folks) took it over in 2003.

Boydell decided to continue to rent out 600-1,000-square-foot spaces to artists and small business at rock-bottom prices instead of going after quickly vanishing industrial tenants. Now large, growing sections of the factory are occupied by these artists in a beehive of eclecticism and creativity allowed to flourish with low costs and a few, basic rules of respecting the building and each other.

Source: Eric Novack, leasing agent for the Russell Industrial Center
Writer: Jon Zemke

Two new reports show that green jobs could be the employment wave of the future in Michigan, and they're touting big numbers to support this claim.

These reports show that a $2.3 billion investment in alternative energy in Detroit would create 23,880 jobs. A similar investment of $4.8 billion in the state of Michigan would create 54,000 jobs. Those jobs would range from high-tech research positions to manufacturing jobs.

"That goes all the way to manufacturing the batteries of hybrid cars to making windmill parts and installing solar panels," says Roshani Dantas, a spokeswoman for the Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice.
 
Those are the easy to name green jobs, but there are others that aren't so obvious. These positions include weatherizing homes to make them more energy efficient. Such jobs not only create the economic opportunity of new income but also help create energy cost savings that free up more money in the economy.

The reports were prepared by the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts, Center for American Progress, Green For All and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Source: Roshani Dantas, spokeswoman for the Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice
Writer: Jon Zemke

The gray hairs weren't the only people talking economics at the National Summit in Detroit last week.

Excerpt:

Detroit -- It wasn't Alex Zelinski's idea to attend the National Summit, a gathering of leaders from across the country to set an agenda for America's future.

The senior at Brother Rice High School said his parents thought it would be a good for him to go. But after a day of speeches, the 16-year-old Rochester resident said he was impressed and glad he went.

"It's a privilege to listen to all these successful business people and what they think about the economic times," Zelinski said. "It's inspiring."

Read the rest of The Detroit News story here.