Bill Garvey, president of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission (GCFC), anticipates another blockbuster year for the film industry in Northeast Ohio, starting with two explosive opening events in January. 

On Friday, January 9, GCFC will hold its “Behind the Camera with Legendary Producer & Production Manager David Lester” fundraiser event at the Cleveland History Center at 10825 East Blvd. in Cleveland. 

The event coincides with the “Hollywood on the Cuyahoga” exhibition at the Western Reserve Historical Society. The yearlong show highlights the region’s vital role in filmmaking from Thomas Edison’s invention of the motion picture camera in the late 19thcentury to the filming of the “Superman” movie released in 2025.

A native of North Olmsted, Lester served as production manager and/or producer of “Star Wars: A New Hope,” “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” “Broadcast News,” “Bull Durham,” “The Shawshank Redemption,” “The Black Stallion,” “Air Force One,” and “Tron.” 

“In addition to producing some of the most iconic movies of all time, David played an important role in the industry’s technological advancement by helping develop the computer-drive, robotic camera work for “Star Wars” and other films that had never been done before,” Garvey said. “If I weren’t hosting, I’d be at this event anyway because I’m excited about all of the stories we’re going to hear that night.”

Lester will share behind-the-scenes stories and reflections from his illustrious filmmaking career.

“We need stories to see and share experiences of others, to widen our world-view, maybe see some good action and even be entertained, so we yearn for stories, and future storytellers abound,” Lester said. “This upcoming generation of visual artists has the tools necessary in hand – a phone and some editing software replaces the camera, film, processing and printing which plagued my generation. You have the stuff. Make a movie and see if you can move people.”

Garvey and Lester will reteam the next day to teach a production assistant training workshop in partnership with the Tri-C Metro campus. The event is free, but registration is required.

“Jobs in the film industry are an employment opportunity that not many people know about, so a lot of our effort is built around training,” Garvey said.

Lester will take workshop participants through a step-by-step, hour-by-hour day of what was happening on the set of “Air Force One,” which shot a significant portion of the film’s opening sequence in Cleveland. According to Garvey, the workshop will feature all of the “business of film skills” necessary for a production assistant to get into the film industry.

“This workshop program has been around for almost the entire existence of the GCFC, and over the last four years that I’ve been here, we’ve built out a lot of additional resources and programming,” Garvey said. “The gist of these events is to provide attendees a deep dive into a day on the set of a recognizable movie or TV show.” 

The Greater Cleveland Film Commission discussing set etiquette. Bill Garvey is seated on the far left of the panelists on the stage. [All photos courtesy of Bill Garvey]