A column by Kevin Leininger
City should tout assets to attract 'creative class'
If you believe the hype, Brian Adams shouldn't exist. At least not here.
Adams, 33, is an animator, sculptor, production designer, videographer and art director who has spent the last five years living and working in Los Angeles — a resume that makes him the epitome of the 'creative class' whose members author Richard Florida argues are abundant in thriving cities, and often scarce in conservative rust-belt backwaters such as you-know-where.
Yet, less than a year ago, Adams set up shop in the city Men's Health Magazine had just branded the dumbest town in America — and says he hasn't regretted the decision.
Why did Adams choose to 'cast against type,' as his old Hollywood friends might say? His reasons may not be what you expect, or even want to hear. But people trying to make Fort Wayne better — and better-known — should still pay attention.
I was a bit disappointed myself, at first. When I heard about Adams' business, I was hoping he had chosen Fort Wayne for reasons that might disprove some of the city's often-erroneous stereotypes. An underground but thriving artistic community, or lucrative but untapped Midwestern markets for his creations.
No such luck: He's here mostly for the same old reasons we've heard before: The cost of living is low. For all our complaining, Fort Wayne traffic is manageable, and its air is fresh (at least compared to Los Angeles). People here are friendly and level-headed.
And — you just knew this was coming — Fort Wayne is a great place to raise a family.
Oh, is that all?
Then it dawned on me: No, that's everything. Instead of trying to compete with other cities' beaches, mountains, weather and other things Fort Wayne will never have, why can't we improve and publicize the strengths we do have — the things that brought Adams back home after spending years in supposedly more desirable cities?
"I've had a few of my old friends ask, 'Why Fort Wayne?' But others have told me they think it's a great opportunity," said Adams, a Fort Wayne native and Northrop High School graduate who also studied at Columbia College in Chicago, Glendale Community College in California and IPFW.
Even though Adams has also lived and worked in places such as Chicago, Dallas and Phoenix, his Fort Wayne roots brought him home: His late father, Roland, was a city police officer for 27 years, and his mother, Diane, was a longtime Republican member of the county Board of Voter Registration who still lives here. His fiancée and her young son are from Fort Wayne, too.
But if you think family alone keeps Adams here, think again.
"The location here is good: close to Chicago, Detroit, Ohio. In Los Angeles, I'd spend two hours in traffic when it should have taken 20 minutes. You can make money in Los Angeles but not afford anything. A two-bedroom home could cost you $400,000. A parking ticket there is $50 compared to $5 here. You think you should be dying in Los Angeles because you can see the air. And I was stopped by the police at gunpoint because I had a shaved head and was wearing a T-shirt (an apparent gang uniform). It was pretty rough."
For now, Adams' house on Fort Wayne's north side doubles as a studio.
The garage has no room for cars because it's home to a handmade set for a film Adams is planning. Throughout the house are handmade models of characters he has created for a variety of customers — including one for a TV show he's trying to sell.
Adams does his animation work in the basement, where he also does his stop-action photography. Much of the work can be sent to clients over the Internet — another reason doing business in Fort Wayne makes sense, so long as you already have big-city contacts, as Adams does.
A former set decorator at Disneyland and stage manager at Universal Studios in California, Adams also worked as a production designer on television pilots, art director on feature films and commercials, and produces videos for attorneys.
Even if Fort Wayne should temper its civic dreams with old-fashioned Hoosier realism, we can dream, too.
"The new Grand Wayne Center is great, and with the dorms being built (at IPFW and other campuses), this is becoming a college town. And as it does, it will become a more creative town. In another 10 years, you'll really see the change. There are a lot of possibilities here. Fort Wayne isn't a hard town to live in."
Or, to put it another way: Fort Wayne's not L.A. — and why would we want to be?
Not the sexiest marketing slogan, perhaps. But Adams is proof Fort Wayne can build on it — if it wants to.
Stopping the drain
In 2002, author Richard Florida argued in 'The Rise of the Creative Class' that a tolerant environment and the presence of artists, entrepreneurs, scientists and health-care professionals determine which cities thrive — and which don't. Indiana ranks 50th per capita among the states in the number of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher, causing City Councilman John Crawford to begin a program last year to stop Fort Wayne's "brain drain.'
Columnist Kevin Leininger appears in The News-Sentinel every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Leininger has been with The News-Sentinel for more than 25 years, 11 of which were as an editorial writer. The column reflects his opinion, not necessarily that of The News-Sentinel and will discuss issues affecting Fort Wayne. To pass along column ideas or feedback, contact him at kleininger@news-sentinel.com, or call 461-8355.
Posted by Admin at July 21, 2005 04:42 PM