Daily Inspiration: Meet Josh Chefitz

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Josh Chefitz.

Hi Josh, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
It started with the name “ActLocle,” as in “Act Local” in the “CLE.” We Clevelanders are proud to be from the CLE, and you’ll find those three uppercase letters all over town.

The initial idea for ActLocle was to be like Etsy for Cleveland. I pitched that idea to dozens of local artists and creators, and I noticed themes in our conversations of what they actually wanted and needed to support their creative pursuits. I realized their ideas made a much-improved site, so I said goodbye to “.com” and dove into “.org,” incorporating all of the things that I’d learned. 

ActLocle.org serves as a hub for locals, creators, and businesses in the greater Cleveland area. Locals can find events (including some underground finds), browse local creators, and learn of storefronts that show local work. We have a vibrant creative scene here in Cleveland. ActLocle helps people find it. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Everything about this project feels positive. It’s not a business, nor is it a non-profit, although that’s a consideration. The mission is to bring creators and Clevelanders together, so we need to get the word out. 

Right now, ActLocle is primarily used for promoting creators and their events. Those reasons alone make it worthwhile. But I feel there’s an important aspect of ActLocle that’s still missing. I want locals to be able to browse the best creators in Cleveland, both those well-known and those emerging. This will continue to grow organically. 

Initially, I felt a bit like an agent trying to sign talent. I’d message my favorite local artists and creators (and the new ones I was learning about in starting this endeavor). Everyone was kind, and some were appropriately skeptical. I hope I can make a better second (or third) impression. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Twenty years ago, I was a screenwriter living in Los Angeles with my Clevelander wife. To pay the bills, I was a substitute teacher at a high school, and the students had a profound impact on me. I decided to switch careers which led to the move to Cleveland and a degree in social work. For the last seven years, I’ve had the privilege of working as the Director of Student Care at Ruffing Montessori School in Cleveland Heights. 

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up.
Growing up in Miami, our family vacations were typically Disney-related or long drives to New Orleans and Boston to see my grandparents. But we felt like we had lots of vacations because my dad started a family tradition when we were little. Every time we drove over a railroad track, he’d pull the windshield wiper fluid and yell, “Vacation!” I’m not sure why that’s the word he chose, but it stuck, and our family here in Cleveland has taken many “vacations” as a result.  

Contact Info:

• Website: actlocle.org
• Instagram: @actlocle