Prism Keystone Edge / Host: Lee Stabert

Pennsylvania's film industry employs almost 10,000 people in the Pittsburgh region. From the Dark Knight Rises to Netflix series Mindhunter, to an upcoming Ethan Cohen movie, groundbreaking entertainment is being created in southwestern PA.

And then there is Lancaster County. Eighty percent of the Billboard top 100 tours were built out and conceptualized at Rock Lititz, a conglomeration of companies and creatives that have created a mecca for the event production sector.

These industries have taken root in PA, and they are growing economic engines. But that does not happen on its own. People need to be trained for these careers and they need to know that well-paying jobs in these dynamic fields exist close to home.

Taking center stage to discuss these issues are Rachel Hales from Rock Lititz and Dawn Keezer from the Pittsburgh Film Office. Both women have built careers in film and event production, and are helping bring the next generation aboard.

Pennsylvania once boasted one of the most powerful industrial economies in the world. Steel, textiles, glass, cars, matchbooks — all were made right here in the Commonwealth in large factories that anchored small towns and big cities alike. As we all know, during the 20th century, things changed. Manufacturing moved elsewhere. Mills closed. Jobs were lost. Populations shifted. 

But many of those buildings are still here. Erected by craftspeople using materials that are made to last, the state’s industrial infrastructure is an essential part of its legacy, but also its future. In this episode, we spoke with Patrick Quinn from the Center for Metal Arts in Johnstown and Justin Genzlinger, owner and CEO of Settlers Hospitality Group in the Pocono Mountain region. They are inspiring examples of how the state's history can be both recaptured and reimagined.

Arts are a driver of growth and vitality — that's the argument being made by economic development and local government leaders across Pennsylvania. In a lively conversation, we heard from two such folks, one from Erie County and one from York County, about how their communities support, fund, and catalyze the creative sector, and how that work is paying unexpected dividends. 

In this episode, we’re talking about immigrants — artists who came from abroad to make Pennsylvania their home. Through their work, these two men are enriching their communities and adding to the commonwealth's bounty of public art.

This episode covers Pennsylvania’s flourishing games industry. We’ve come a long way since the days of the arcade, and so has this fascinating field, which runs the gamut from large institutional degree programs to boutique video game designers.

In our first episode of Prism, we spoke with Hannah Harley of Indiana, PA and Erin Ninehouser of Ambridge, PA in Beaver County, western Pennsylvania. These two women have committed themselves to creative pursuits outside of resource-rich and art-dense cities, and they’re happier and more fulfilled for it. The lesson is clear: In a small place, you can have a huge impact.