The opposite of small talk.
We’re here for those three magic words that bring people in every corner of the world together: “Let’s get coffee!”
It’s not the coffee itself with some mystical power, but the intention made by people to break the small talk and get to know one another, to lean across their differences, and find out if there’s an opportunity to share a future.
Greyt Big Talk is a 90 minute commitment to have coffee with Cleveland's creative community, just 8 times a year. This is lightning fast in the context of creative conferences, which typically can span days, cost thousands of dollars to attend, and make grandiose promises to inspire the best work you’ve ever made in your life. Instead, we want our attendees to wake up roughly once a month, and do something a little bit different.
We provide breakfast, coffee, original artwork, live music, pitches for projects people are working on in the community, and a keynote from a successful artist or entrepreneur living in the city. By 10 am the detour from your routine is over and you can be off to work. In that short time you very well may make a new friend or business connection. You could hear a talk that will inspire you to start a business or go back to art school. You might even meet your spouse, or learn about a problem in society that will become your obsession, your life’s work! At the very least, it's a cup of coffee and a view of Cleveland from a different perspective.
Origin and Evolution
Cleveland's Creative Communities began gathering for monthly peer learning sessions in January 2015. The first event featured Nikki Villagomez, a typography designer, who spoke to a sold-out crowd at Cleveland's Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). The program was branded as part of an international series, presented by Greyt Culture in Cleveland before an independent relaunch as GREYT BIG TALK in 2021. Resuming live in-person events after the pandemic.
Greyt Culture has hosted over 30,000 attendees to these talks, with hundreds of speakers in hundreds of places. Connections have been made through these programs that have changed the face of the city, and bound leaders together to create life-altering projects that affect the daily life and character of the city.
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Regular Event Timeline:
8:30a Check-In
9:00a Music & Community Features
9:25a : Keynote
9:45a Q&A
10:00a Get to Work!
The Big Talkers
Always go a little further into the water than you feel you're capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth, and when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you're just about in the right place to do something exciting.
– David Bowie
The main event of each Greyt Big Talk is a TED-Talk style presentation, from an outstanding creative person living, working, or connected to the greater Cleveland community. Consistent with the rest of the Greyt Culture platform, we toe the line of casual, accessible connectivity, and world-class prestige.
Through a massive annual community outreach campaign between 200-300 candidates are
evaluated by the Greyt Culture team each year. 8 candidates are ultimately selected to speak. Speaker messages must be non-promotional in nature with a focus on educating the community about their work, their journey, or their most impactful lessons learned.
Speakers are chosen for many reasons, chief among them being that they are awesome people. The second criterion is diversity in creative discipline, as you can see from the past speaker profiles, cross-disciplinary education is by design. The third criterion is that they relate to a monthly theme chosen by our community.
We’re proud to have showcased some of Cleveland’s most visionary creative leaders.
Past Speakers :
Ariel Vergez, Artist TAF Grant Recipient
Michael Barakiva, Theatre Director
Maya Madison, Architect
Jean Angus, CEO Global Manufacturing
Patrick Shepherd, CIFF
Craig Hassel, CEO Playhouse Square
Ben Lachman, Space Journalist
John B. Johnson, UX Designer
Jackie Watcher, Fashion Entrepreneur
Anna Cerveny, Choreographer
Dale Heinen, Theatre Director
Denis Polverine, Publisher
Paul Roetzer, AI Marketing Institute
Justin Reynolds, Writer
Sam Skelton, Film Maker
Aimon Ali, Fashion Entreprenuer
Doris Korda, Educator
Brandi Larsen, Author & Editor
Michael Fox, ETA Operator & Investor
Nwaka Onwusa, Museum Curator
Theron Brown, Jazz Pianist
Rick Simmons, Executive Coach
Baiju Shah, CEO GCP
Howard Washington, Choreographer
Candy Mashmoor, Textiles Entrepreneur
Katie Spotz, Endurance Athlete
Chris Bobko, CTO Hyperloop TT
Melissa Armostrong-Brine, MD
Eliza Wing, Writer, CEO
Justin Bibb, Tech Civic Leader
Siaara Freeman, Slam Poet
Randy McShepard, Civic Developer
Tracy Lind, Retired Pastor
Daniel Ortiz, Cenus Outreach
Marko Zlatic, Finance Youtuber
Patricia Princehouse, Paleontologist
William Morgan, Deaf Theatre Director
Douglas Tratner, Food Critic
Floco Torres, Hip Hop Artist
Lisa Quine, Mural & Lettering Artist
Christopher Feran, Coffee Buyer
Jim Kukral, Tech Marketer
Stormy Sweitzer, Behavioral Researcher
Ann Klotz, Principal Laurel School
Jenice Contreras, Business Leader
Doug Paige, Biomimickry Design
Lukas Kronawitter, Biomimickry Design
Jesty Beatz, Music Producer
Ivan Schwarz, Film Commision
Laura DeMarco, Culture Writer
Graham Veysey
Marika Clark, Design, Urban Planning
Mai Moore, Non-Profit Leader
Margo Hudson, Seeds of Literacy
Liz Maugans, Artist
Megan Reich, MOCA Cleveland Curator
Jill Vedaa, Chef
Alex Sheen, Non-Profit Founder
Jarryd Huntley, Video Game Designer
Doc Harrill, Youth Program Founder
Brian Zimmerman, CEO Cle Metroparks
Claire Campbell, Clinical Counselor
Mr. Soul, Graphic Artist
Daniel Gray-Kontar, Educator
Aimee Crane, Designer NASA
Patrick Walker, Business Coach
Mano Singham, Physicist
Alana Jochum, Non-Profit Leader
Stephanie Sheldon, Market-Builder
David Jurca, Urban Planner
Robin VanLear, Community Arts Leader
Dan Moulthrop, CEO City Club
Robert Banks, Film Maker
Annie Zaleski, Music Journalist
Kauser Razvi, Arts Leader
Michael Ryan, Judge & Author
James Renner, True-Crime Author
Danielle Drake, Refugee Advocaate
Kumar Aurora, Entrepreneur
Anila Rubiku, Fine Artist
Dave Rigo, Distillery Founder
Greg Lehman, Distillery Founder
Kay Shames, Arts Administrator
Jeremy Bendik-Keymer, Philosopher
Philip Metres, Poet
Al Wasco, Design Educator
Zachariah Durr, Comedian
Ariel Clayton Karas, Violinist
Scott Ashley, Workplace Designer
Dennis Barrie, Museum Curator
Kathy Barrie, Museum Curator
Kate Snow, Mixed Media Artist
Bob Ruggeri, Film Producer
Chris Ryniak, Ilustrator
Amanda Louise Spayd, Sculptor
RA Washington, Writer/Musician
Steve Tamasi, Robotics League Leader
Mike Belsito, Tech Entrepreneur
Joseph Makkos, Print Archivalist
Jeremy Umansky, Chef
Nikki Villagomez, Graphic Designer
Greyt Big Talk
Greyt Big Talk
Craig Hassall | Greyt Big Talk
Candy Mashmoor | Greyt Big Talk
Siaara Freeman | Greyt Big Talk
Rick Simmons | Greyt Big Talk
Greyt Big Spaces
The space within becomes the reality of the building.
–Frank Lloyd Wright
Do we shape our environment, or does our environment shape us? We’d argue that it’s a bit of both, and to get to know a city it’s just as important to explore the physical places as it is to meet the people.
Over 10 years Greyt Culture’s breakfast lecture series has not taken place in the same place twice. This is a lot of extra effort in planning, in logistics, and contingency considerations that are difficult and expensive to execute, but it’s worth doing. By moving the event series to different physical spaces each month, not only do we get to introduce people to places they may have never been before, we also get to connect people to the program who live/work in each location. Breaking silos of communication between networks within our city is an on-going job, and we love to do bring people together.
Greyt Big Talks are unique among any other public forum in the city by breaking every conceivable boundary to connectivity IRL. (That’s “In Real Life”) Greyt Culture will visit public parks, private offices, residential spaces, art galleries, bars, restaurants, theatres, warehouses, factories, photo studios and retail storefronts, because, for the people in the back, Creativity. Is. EVERYWHERE!
📍 Want to host a future event? Connect with us to feature your space! omg@thatsgreyt.com
Why it matters.
Teaching people and enriching their lives, makes life better for all of us.
–Candy Mashmoor
The impact Greyt Big Talk has had on Cleveland is all around.
We believe everyone in our community has something special to offer—whether it’s ideas, skills, experience, or just a fresh perspective. When people connect and share these talents, amazing things happen. Our goal is simple: to help people tap into their creativity and push their ideas forward.
We can’t put a number on how many dreams have turned into businesses, artworks, or life-changing projects because of Greyt Big Talk. And honestly, that’s not the point. We’re not here to take credit—we’re here to keep the momentum going and help creativity flow where it’s needed. These metrics are just a glimpse of what we can measure, but they help show the bigger picture of our impact. Every cup of coffee shared, every talk filmed, every piece of art created, and every new partner we bring in adds to the cultural vibrancy and creative energy in our neighborhoods.
