Cleveland Hustles
GenreReality show
Presented byBonin Bough
Starring
  • Kumar Arora
  • Kathy Futey
  • Alan Glazen
  • Jonathon Sawyer
Narrated byLeBron James
Theme music composerRobert ToTeras
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Kathryn Vaughn
  • Jada Bates
  • Andrew Wallace
  • Mike Roth
Production locationsCleveland, Ohio
Running time60 minutes inc. commercials
Production companies
Original release
NetworkCNBC
ReleaseAugust 24 (2016-08-24) –
October 12, 2016 (2016-10-12)

Cleveland Hustles is an hour-long American reality TV series created by LeBron James and Maverick Carter, which aired for an 8-episode season between August 24 and October 12, 2016, on CNBC. In it, aspiring entrepreneurs competed to open one of four physical stores in the Gordon Square Arts District under the mentorship of a Cleveland investor.[1]

About

The show was produced by SpringHill Entertainment and Magical Elves, with LeBron James and Maverick Carter as executive producers. It was hosted by Bonin Bough, with Kumar Arora, Alan Glazen, Kathy Futey, and Jonathan Sawyer as its panel of investors,[2] and LeBron James making several cameos.[3]

The show was based in the Gordon Square Arts District, a commercial hub in Cleveland's Detroit-Shoreway neighbourhood near Lake Erie.[4] Cleveland had been second on the Distressed Community Index, and fourth on the list of dying cities.[5] CNBC announced that it would "help a neighborhood that desperately needs investment",[6] and may have assisted Gordon Square's revitalization.[4] One business owner, however, suggested that "To create good TV, you have to create a villain. That villain was vacancies", and investor Sawyer confirmed that "the neighborhood was going to be there with or without the show... It was going in that direction, is going in that direction and buildings are still affordable".[4]

In each of the first four episodes, two businesses presented competing pitches and ran a pop-up shop, with one of the businesses being selected for mentoring and financing.[7][8][9][10] The remaining four episodes focussed on stages in the setup and opening of the selected stores.[11][12][13]

Cast

Bonin Bough: former executive VP for PR firms Weber Shandwick and Ruder Finn who then joined PepsiCo in 2008. Serving as its senior global director for digital and social media, his work resulted in Fast Company naming him one of its "100 Most Creative People In Business" in 2011.[14] Between 2012 and 2016, he worked for multinational food company Mondelez International, where he became its chief media and e-commerce officer.[15]

Kumar Arora: CEO of investment firm Aroridex,[16] founder of designer sunglasses company Rogue Eyewear,[17] and investor in iLTHY, a streetwear apparel company.[18]

Kathy Futey: A wealth management advisor who previously worked at Morgan Stanley.[19] She serves on the board of the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA) and the Cuyahoga Valley Chamber of Commerce.[20][21]

Alan Glazen: A neighborhood developer, and retired advertising executive. He co-founded the Cleveland International Film Festival,[22] and was once mayor of the village of Bentleyville, Ohio [23]

Jonathon Sawyer: Chef and owner of three Cleveland restaurants, including the Greenhouse Tavern for which he won a James Beard Foundation Award in 2015 as Best Chef: Great Lakes. He was a finalist on the Food Network's 2016 Chopped Grill Masters series.[24]

Episodes

No.TitleOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
1"Bagels or Blowouts"August 24, 2016 (2016-08-24)253,000[25]
"The Cleveland Bagel Co." (winner) vs hairdresser "Styles of Success"[7]
2"Honey vs. Hip"August 31, 2016 (2016-08-31)250,000[26]
"Akron Honey Co." vs handbag shop "FOUNT" (winner)[8]
3"Downward Dog vs. Proper Pigs"September 7, 2016 (2016-09-07)175,000[27]
BBQ food restaurant "The Proper Pig" vs yoga school "Groundswell" (winner)[9]
4"Soda Bars vs. Pickle Jars"September 14, 2016 (2016-09-14)164,000[28]
"Randy's Pickles" vs soft drink manufacturers "Old City Soda" (winner)[10]
5"Location, Location, Location"September 21, 2016 (2016-09-21)182,000[29]
6"Expanding Horizons"September 28, 2016 (2016-09-28)199,000[30]
7"Constructive Criticism"October 5, 2016 (2016-10-05)213,000[31]
8"Open for Business!"October 12, 2016 (2016-10-12)150,000[32]

References

  1. ^ "NBA Legend Lebron James Gives Small Businesses a Boost in 'Cleveland Hustles'". Observer. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  2. ^ "Contestants, judges chosen for 'Cleveland Hustles,' LeBron James' CNBC reality show". cleveland.com. 24 June 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  3. ^ Jones, Kathryn E. (15 January 2016). "LeBron James Documents The 'Cleveland Hustle' In New Reality Show". Vibe. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  4. ^ a b c Glusac, Elaine (15 November 2017). "A Cleveland Arts District Hustles and Rebounds". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  5. ^ "How a New Reality TV Show Featuring Lebron James Could Help Struggling Cleveland". Inc.com. 6 Sep 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  6. ^ "LeBron James' reality TV show 'Cleveland Hustles' to premiere Aug. 24 | Crain's Cleveland Business". Crain's Cleveland Business. 31 March 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Cleveland Hustles: "Bagels or Blowouts"". CNBC. 8 September 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  8. ^ a b "Cleveland Hustles: "Honey or Hip"". CNBC. 8 September 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  9. ^ a b "Cleveland Hustle: "Downward Dogs and Proper Pigs"". CNBC. 7 September 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  10. ^ a b "Cleveland Hustles: "Soda Bars and Pickle Jars" Gallery". CNBC. 19 September 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  11. ^ "Cleveland Hustles: 'Location, Location, Location' Gallery". CNBC. 23 September 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  12. ^ "Cleveland Hustles: 'Constructive Criticism' Gallery". CNBC. 12 October 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  13. ^ "Cleveland Hustles: 'Open for Business' Gallery". CNBC. 26 October 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  14. ^ Zmuda, Natalie (2012-02-07). "PepsiCo Loses Digital Guru to Kraft". Ad Age. Retrieved 2016-09-13.
  15. ^ Rodio, Michael (2016-09-01). "B. Bonin Bough: The Creative Genius Who Teamed With LeBron to Raise Cleveland's Game". Retrieved 2016-09-17.
  16. ^ Council, Young Entrepreneur. "How Five Entrepreneurs Overcame Their Toughest Emotional Challenges". Forbes. Retrieved 2016-09-02.
  17. ^ "Rogue Eyewear--Cleveland-based sunglass line making global fashion statement: Kristel's CLE". 19 June 2014. Retrieved 2016-08-27.
  18. ^ "ilthy makes a local move, looks to national stage". Retrieved 2016-08-27.
  19. ^ "Kathy Futey". CNBC. Retrieved 2016-09-17.
  20. ^ "BOARD OF DIRECTORS". Retrieved 2016-09-17.
  21. ^ "Who we are". Retrieved 2016-09-17.
  22. ^ "Mad Man". Retrieved 2016-09-17.
  23. ^ "People". Archived from the original on 2016-10-12. Retrieved 2016-09-17.[better source needed]
  24. ^ DeMarco, Laura (2016-08-02). "Cleveland chef Jonathon Sawyer close but not quite in finale for 'Chopped Grill Masters'". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2016-09-17.
  25. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (August 25, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.24.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on August 27, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
  26. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (September 1, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.31.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on September 2, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  27. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (September 8, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 9.7.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on September 9, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
  28. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (September 15, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 9.14.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on September 17, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  29. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (September 22, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 9.21.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  30. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (September 29, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 9.28.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on October 2, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  31. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (October 6, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 10.5.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on October 6, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  32. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (October 13, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 10.12.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on October 14, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
Categories