Um,…not when producers are charged $10,000 a day to rent a car wash or an empty parking lot in LA. The movie press might only cover LA, but these days, the actual “movies” are being made anywhere but LA. Have you seen a little film called “The Avengers?” Made in Cleveland and Cincinnati. Respectfully, we associated with the movie biz love LA, but the business of making movies has changed, and you can no longer discount the rest of the country when it comes to moving films from paper to the big screen.

I admire Austin for what he has accomplished, especially in such a short time at such a young age. But he also has a few key lessons to learn. For one, allow yourself to be coached on how to control your message. I’m certain the last thing he wanted to do was insult the Cincinnati community in this interview. But, as with any interview, he should have prepared for questions that might not have been to his liking, such as any question that pitted Cincinnati against the Valley, obviously boxing Cincinnati in the negative. Because you can never control how an interview will be edited, you must take the reigns of the interview as much as possible and stay on your talk points. Stay on message. And remember your constituents. If Austin’s “move” to San Fran is nothing more than a second office with a small staff of 15 people, that certainly was not made clear in the video. I would have guessed he was waving goodbye to the Queen City.

I also echo Kevin’s invitation to Chris to come on out and visit us in Cincinnati. As someone who is also involved in the startup community here, and has been for the past 12 or so years, I think Chris would be surprised at just how much talent and activity exists here. He might also be shocked to learn that some startups choose to move from the coasts to Cincinnati to grow their businesses. Why? Well, one reason might be that a large majority of consumers who buy the products that his Valley cohorts are developing “live in Cincinnati or within a day’s drive of this great city.” Let’s also not forget about the wealth of international companies that have chosen to base their businesses here. There’s lots to learn in…and from…the Nati.

I moved back in 2003 when I, like 85,000 other people couldn’t find a job in my skillset. Before – and after – I never worried about getting a job, as I am pretty ambitious/driven, loyal, creative, tech inclined with good communication skills. My colleagues and I worked many times were at the office over 14 hours for releases. Looking for $10/hr jobs entry level jobs was no fun in a town where an 1100 sq ft condo was $475,000 in 2002.

Sure I miss my friends out there, driving my convertible over the hill on Rt 17, and yes, the weather, but I do also miss that spark of ambition and drive that does at times get fanned out here in Cincy. My family is here in Cincy, and they are helping me with my son as well, which was the biggest reason for my relocation back here. Although I am gainfully employed at a fantastic small biz, I also run a non-profit startup, which keeps my internal fire going, even though it is incredibly tough to find the critical support needed to get it off the ground and get my team paid. A lot of people I talk to about what I do here, just don’t seem to get what I do – the non-profit that is. I explain it over and over and they still have big question marks over their heads and a glazed look in their eye. There are those that do, and they have been awesome supporters in-kind, but access to the capital here locally needed to build an entrepreneur’s dream – whether for or non-profit – is challenging.

I do think the title of the article is misleading, and the edit as well, since the HQ is staying in Cincy – rather than calling it a move, it should have said “Cincinnati Based Dot.Loop Expands to Silicon Valley”