Changing Gears is a public media project about the future of the industrial Midwest. Each week, reporters Dan Bobkoff in Cleveland, Niala Boodhoo in Chicago and Kate Davidson in Ann Arbor cover issues of interest to the Great Lakes region. Changing Gears also sponsors public events and conversations.
The Michigan Central Depot is a must-have shot for any documentary about Detroit.
Detroit is a city that fascinates a lot of people.
Its story is not a simple one, though it has sometimes been a dramatic one. So maybe it’s not surprising that we seem to hear every week about a new documentary film being made about Detroit.
Changing Gears hasn’t had a chance to see all of these documentaries, but we’ve heard about an awful lot of them.
And we’ve noticed some patterns that we thought could be helpful in case you ever decide to make a documentary about the Motor City.
So, here is our DIY guide for how to make a Detroit documentary:
Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews is special to us at Changing Gears. He gave us his song “Right to Complain,” for the Changing Gears theme song. He’s doing his part to help kids in New Orleans, in the same way that people are trying to help out in the Midwest.
Trombone Shorty
Now, Andrews has gotten the ultimate New Orleans honor. He’s the subject of this year’s Jazz and Heritage Festivalposter. It’s called Porch Song, and shows Andrews on the porch of his home in Treme. The artist is Terrance Osborne.
Andrews, 25, is joining a heralded group of musicians who’ve appeared on the poster, including Irma Thomas, Allen Toussaint, Louis Prima, Jimmy Buffett, and Fats Domino.
We talked to him not long after Changing Gears went on the air in 2010. Hear his interview a few months ago with our friends Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis on Sound Opinions, from our partner station WBEZ.
Name: Stephany Wilkes Midwest Home: Michigan New Home: San Francisco, CA
I left Michigan in August 2001 after my employer, Borders.com, sold their online division to Amazon and laid off most of my colleagues. Though I was not among them, the writing was on the wall.
In addition, I didn’t find Midwest work culture particularly friendly or flexible. There is thinking that one should be grateful to have a job, any job, no matter how awful it might be.
Stephany Wilkes
I moved to San Francisco in 2007 where I work in data science and software development.
Being in San Francisco and the Bay Area has made me realize that geography does still matter. I am not sure how I would find the number of highly skilled, highly educated engineers I need in Michigan. I wouldn’t be able to conduct frequent meetings with venture capitalists on short notice. I’ve also fallen in love with the Bay Area’s “work to live” culture, its mild weather, the huge diversity of people and lifestyles, and other quality of life aspects.
700 jobs short Google is celebrating its fifth birthday in Ann Arbor. When the company first opened its Ann Arbor office in 2006, it was huge news for the state. The company said it would hire 1,000 workers in the first five years. The actual number is closer to 300. (We tried asking Google: “Where are the rest of our jobs?” The search didn’t turn up anything useful.)
The story of the economic transformation in the Midwest is a story about new jobs, new industries and economic growth.
But it’s also a story about how we regain our swagger.
And part of regaining our swagger is reminding ourselves what we love about where we live. There are now countless official PR and advertising campaigns aimed at doing just that. But there’s also a growing movement of young entrepreneurs who want us to wear our local pride. Wear it like a shirt.
But here in the Midwest, selling t-shirts with a local message isn’t just a business plan. It’s a transformative idea. Whenever you see one of these shirts on the street, you’re seeing a person that’s invested in the survival, growth and reinvention of our region. At the very least, they’re willing to invest $15 in it.
And wherever you live in the Midwest, there’s a now a t-shirt to show your local pride. Here’s a list of some of the t-shirt companies we’ve found:
Soul Train was a big influence on generations of American teens (and their younger siblings and older relatives). So, the news today of host Don Cornelius’ death is jolting many people, no more so than here in the Midwest. Famous people, ranging from Jesse Jackson to Quincy Jones, are paying tribute.
Soul Train began as dance parties at local schools, then became a local program on Chicago television. It featured dancing and performances in the mode of American Bandstand, but with an urban flair exemplified by Cornelius’ deep, smooth voice. And of course, the highlight of every show was the Soul Train line dance, along with Cornelius’ sign off: “Wishing you peace, love and souuulll.” Continue reading →
Everybody who lives in the Midwest knows somebody who moved away — and maybe you’re one of those folks. All this month, Changing Gears has been bringing you the personal stories of that Midwest Migration, here and on our dedicated page.
Now, we want to hear what people who left have to say to the folks back home. That’s the reason for Don’t Forget To Call Us.
All this week, dial in with messages for your family, your friends, your hometown, your school, your buddies at work — anything you feel like sharing. We’ll post your voices here on ChangingGears.info, and we also may put your greeting on the air.
Now through Friday, call (888) YOUR-NPR OR (888) 968-7677. Don’t forget to call us!
Name: Sam Osterhout
Midwest Home: Minneapolis, MN New Home: New York, NY
I was living in Minneapolis, but had grown up in Kansas. I used words like “I-90” and “3-2 beer” in every day conversation (but not usually in the same sentence). I knew several hot dish recipes. I had owned three snow blowers. I was doing a show in Minneapolis called The Electric Arc Radio Show, and in 2007 we took it to New York City. (It’s now Radio Happy Hour.)
One of the New Yorkers who came out the first night was a woman. She was a friend of a friend and we were smitten from the beginning. After carrying on long distance for a year, I moved to NY in 2008 to be with her and to pursue more writing work. In 2009 I married that audience member, friend-of-a-friend I met at my first show in New York, and last November we had a little girl named Ruby.
Every day I think about how different her childhood will be from mine. She’s a New Yorker, for the love of God! I had my first taxi ride when I was 16. She had her first taxi ride when she was one day old. Will she someday look past New Jersey and only see California? Not if I can help it.
Honda, like Toyota, has suffered through a lot in the past year — sluggish sales, the Japanese tsunami and earthquake, and floods in Thailand. But it’s vowing to get its mojo back and plans to do so by revving up its American production.
This morning, Honda said it will invest $98 million at its engine plant in Anna, Ohio, the one you’ve probably driven by Interstate 75. The investment comes on top of a $120 million investment at Honda’s transmission plant in Russells Point, Ohio.
The money is going to build a new engine and transmission family called “Earth Dreams.” The transmission plant will make what are called Continuously Varying Transmissions, or CVTs, which don’t have gears but shift up and down smoothly, and the engine plant will produce parts for those transmissions. Continue reading →
Right to Work, right away Indiana is expected to be the first state in the industrial Midwest to become a Right to Work state. And it could happen as soon as today. Right to Work rules prohibit companies from negotiating contracts with their unions that make union membership mandatory. Instead, workers will have a choice whether to join the union. Business leaders say the changes will make Indiana more competitive. Union leaders say the changes will let some workers benefit from union bargaining without having to pay to support the union. They say it will ultimately weaken the union.
