CLEVELAND — Ivan Schwarz is leaving his role as president of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission, the organization announced Monday.
Schwarz is leaving to pursue his own personal projects, the commission said in a news release Monday. Schwarz and his wife have launched LIKE Entertainment, a new production company.
Schwarz will be succeeded by Evan Miller, a Cleveland native who has spent 15 years in Los Angeles working in entertainment as a film and TV talent agent.
Since Schwarz took over in 2006, the film commission has helped secure state funding for Cleveland State University's School of Film, Television and Interactive Media.
Schwarz is also credited with leading a statewide effort to form the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit to promote filming in Ohio. Since it was implemented in July 2009, the tax incentive has created 5,000 full-time equivalent jobs in Ohio and generated nearly $700 million in economic impact, according to the commission's release.
“I am so incredibly proud of what we have been able to accomplish as a GCFC team over the past 13 years,” Schwarz said in the release. “While I feel it is the right moment for me to take the next step in my career, I know I am leaving the commission in excellent hands. I am confident that Evan and the rest of the team will continue to create jobs, expand the industry and achieve our mission of making Ohio a global destination for film, television and theater.”
Schwarz is scheduled to join WKYC for Let's Be Clear Monday at 1 p.m.
