A friend once described me to a group of people as “kind of a weird guy.” - I was there in the room and my internal thought was "Buddy, you have no idea."
We’re approaching the end of 2023 and I’ve obnoxiously surrounded myself with planners and organizers. If I have to hear the word manifest one more time… let me try that again so we don’t get stuck in a feedback loop.
I was invited to speak to a group of students at Kent State’s LaunchNet this week (thanks Alizeh), and man, it was a pleasant experience. I got to share that usually if you want to do something - people have to see you doing it - appreciate the way you do it - you will attract exactly what you do. It’s the M word, and it’s not BS - track it back, think it through. It can be discouraging because there are no guarantees… trust me, I feel that, but the only thing you have any control over is you, so make your lane.
The theme of this month’s GREYT BIG TALK is GRAVITY. The inexplicable law of attraction that binds elements of the universe together. As always, we’ll hear a single perspective on the topic. Ben Lachman is a Silicon Valley pedigree technologist, an entrepreneur in residence at BRITE Energy Innovators, and currently curates an industry newsletter around SPACE news. If I were a betting man, and I am, I’d say that Ben’s chosen work likely has him on a path to becoming a key player in the development of tools for the exploration of space.
A lot is happening right now, and I don’t usually share this kind of thing in team letters but I want to take a moment to talk about the relationship between Brite Energy Innovators and GREYT CULTURE - few of you know this story.
The CEO is an old friend of mine from my very first days working in Cleveland’s Startup Scene. Early in the global financial crisis, I was recently out of college and laid off, a bad combination of things to be. I did some freelance creative for startups in the technology, environmental, and arts spaces… even some projects just for me like a public mural activation that marked my first experience “going viral.”
Rick was recently back from active service in Afghanistan and working on a documentary film project about every effort in the Midwest to pull the rustbelt out of the recession. We found ourselves having some of the most incredible experiences, building lifelong friendships, and learning how to make our ideas turn into reality.
The mural project never happened. To my knowledge, the documentary didn’t either.
I went on to work deeply in music and arts, producing some festivals and studio work that would ripple through artist networks that have touched millions of people before launching the programs that would become GREYT CULTURE.
Rick went on to lead an effort like one of those observed in his documentary, and then honing the vision to tackle renewable energy, for the infrastructure advantage he saw in resources existing in Ohio and its impact on the climate crisis - the most critical problem of our time.
I reconnected with Rick in 2019 at a startup event organized by Heather Hall, the same day I met Pauly Suchy - I can’t help but think of GRAVITY.
Pauly and I brought Brite in as a programming partner to support their work in 2022. In 2023, there may not have been any Greyt Culture programs or the thousands of connections, and beautiful moments made if it weren’t for Brite’s shared belief in us and support for our work in fostering space for creativity to flourish.
Almost every piece of GREYT BIG TALK on November 17th is connected to BRITE ENERGY’s work - it’s near and dear to me, for the mission, and my belief in the character and intention of the people leading it. It would mean the world to world to me to see you there.
In preparation for an incredible year in 2024 we're making some important changes our community should know about now.
We're retroactively extending individual memberships to every past speaker, performer, designer, and other creative who has participated in Greyt Culture programs for 9 years - there are a lot of you, to say the least - you’ll get a note from me soon. New speakers, designers, and musicians will also become honorary members going forward. Individual membership plans will increase in price in the new year, so if you’re thinking you’d like to be a member, now's a good time to sign up.
We have such gratitude for Brite Energy Innovators for being a leading corporate member of Greyt Culture. For other companies and organizations who would also like to be leaders in fostering Cleveland’s creative culture in 2024, new plans will give all access to every program we produce. Reach out to our team for more information.
To be continued…
Yours Truly,
T.Fox
GREYT CULTURE // Greyt Letters Archive // About the Letter: This monthly(ish) email goes to GREYT event participants, partners, and others I would like to be aware of the contents of upcoming programs. Event details listed here are subject to change based on input from recipients. Confirmed event details will always be listed through event listings on ThatsGreyt.com - recipients are added and removed periodically at my discretion. If you would like to be a permanent recipient or removed from GREYT emails, reply and I will comply with kindness. Thanks for reading.