HOUSES, HOT DOGS, AND 'HOODS: PLACE BRANDING AND THE RECONSTRUCTION OF IDENTITY IN RICK SEBAK'S PITTSBURGH DOCUMENTARIES Bryan James McGeary A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY December 2012 Committee: Ellen Berry, Advisor Ellen W. Gorsevski Graduate Faculty Representative Cynthia Baron Scott Magelssen © 2012 Bryan James McGeary All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Ellen Berry, Advisor This project investigates the implementation of place branding theory via documentary filmmaking focused closely on the local characteristics of a place/region. Employing a close reading of WQED filmmaker Rick Sebak’s Pittsburgh History Series focused upon recurrent themes about aspects of Pittsburgh’s unique identity framed in relation to rhetorical approach and documentary techniques, while also noting aspects left out of Sebak’s films, this dissertation demonstrates the progressive potential of publicly funded documentary filmmaking to enable the residents of a given place to rebrand their identity and foster revitalization, independent of the expectations of city planners or corporate sponsors, and without sacrificing the diversity of experiences that give that place its unique character. As a whole, Sebak’s body of work constructs a particular narrative of Western Pennsylvania’s identity that revamps some of the preexisting notions about that identity. As a project of self-definition and self-understanding, the Pittsburgh History Series provides the local populace with some agency in recreating its image, rather than being branded from the outside. The success of this place branding approach to documentary filmmaking for Sebak and Western Pennsylvania suggests that other cities and regions could use it as a model to take greater control of their identities and cultivate renewal. On the whole, this dissertation views Sebak’s films as a series of reconstructions. While place branding aims to reconstruct a place’s identity, the process of documentary filmmaking involves a specific reconstruction of reality in order to communicate certain iv ideas about that reality. In other words, through his films Sebak constructs or reconstructs aspects of Pittsburgh identity and feeds them back to the residents of that area. Particular aspects of this unique identity frequently emerge in his films. These recurring characteristics that he stresses include neighborhoods that retain a sense of closeness and community as well as ties to their history, a uniquely dedicated workforce that can innovate without abandoning the working-class values of the past, and a rich cultural life that is competitive with that of larger cities in terms of quality yet also more modest and accessible than that found elsewhere. This redefinition of Western Pennsylvania’s identity seeks a way forward without attempting to completely discard all aspects of the region’s existing identity. This celebration of the region’s positive attributes—and consequent downplaying of its more divisive and unpleasant elements and episodes—encourages pride among the local population while also enhancing its appeal to outsiders who might consider relocating themselves and/or their businesses to the area. v In memory of John and Johanna Marafka vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank my family for their unending support not only in my educational pursuits but in my life in general. I simply would not have made it to this point without them. I’d particularly like to thank my parents, Jim and Pam, my siblings, Kelly and Michael, and my grandparents Ruth and Gene. We should all be so fortunate as to have family like them. I wish my grandparents John and Johanna Marafka had lived to witness this and many other milestones in my life. I’d like to think that they would be pleased. My gratitude also goes out to my godparents Tom and Diane Hahn for their belief in me over the years. My extended family has so many members that I could not possible thank them all here individually, and I would hate to cause offense by acknowledging certain individuals and neglecting to mention others. Such is the complicated inner politics of a large family. Please know that I am grateful for the positive impact you have had upon my life. The nonhuman members of my family, namely my cats Jack, Sting, and Maggie May, have also played a significant role in my success by providing much quiet (and sometimes not-so-quiet) companionship and affection through some otherwise difficult and lonely times. If there is truly such a thing as karma, their actions have surely earned them a better rebirth. I am indebted to my dissertation chair, Ellen Berry, for her ongoing enthusiasm, encouragement, and support throughout this process. I honestly believe that I would not have completed this project otherwise. The other members of my dissertation committee, Cynthia Baron, Scott Magelssen, and Ellen Gorsevski, also deserve a great deal of thanks for their support and contributions to my work. They have helped me to strengthen my ideas and to recognize potential that I would not have otherwise seen in myself. I’d also like to thank Clayton Rosati for assisting me in the formulation of my dissertation topic vii during the embryonic stage of this project. In addition to these extraordinary educators, there have been a number of others who have nurtured my intellectual abilities along the way, stretching back to the beginning of my formal education. In particular, I’d like to thank my master’s thesis chair Cary Frith and my undergraduate advisor Randy Jesick for their encouragement and help in furthering my talents and abilities. My friends also deserve tremendous thanks for all that they have done for me over the years. I would particularly like to thank April Manalang for being my greatest cheerleader during these past four years of graduate school. I cannot possibly express my gratitude for your friendship and all that it entails. You have been and continue to be one of the finest friends anyone could ever have. I was fortunate to be part of such a welcoming and supportive community at Bowling Green State University, and my time there would have been far less enjoyable without the friends I made there, particularly Sudipto “Deep” Sanyal, John “J.R.” Rawlins, and Christian Remse. Thank you, guys, for your friendship and all the great times. I would also be remiss if I failed to thank some of the wonderful friends who I had to leave back in Pennsylvania when I moved to Bowling Green. Matt and Caylan Neil: In a world where friends come and go easily over the years, you are truly irreplaceable. Your friendship has been too long, too extensive, and too significant to do it justice here. Mike Dahlheimer: Thank you for being a great friend and bandmate. Whether you know it or not, you have helped me through some very difficult times, and I appreciate having your friendship all these years. Kristin and Neal Brown: I feel incredibly fortunate to have the two of you as both family and friends and to have been able to share so many wonderful times with you (or perhaps I should say “yinz” since this is about Pittsburgh after all). viii At the risk of being labeled a leftist, I’d like to thank the various government agencies responsible for securing the funding—and the taxpayers who provided those funds—for the tuition scholarships, grants, stipends, and student loans that made my university education possible. Without their financial assistance, higher education would have been out of reach for this son of a Western Pennsylvania factory worker, and undoubtedly for many others like me. I hope that I am one day able to return your investment in me, and not just because I dread the notion of defaulting on my student loans. Finally, I would like to thank the man himself—Rick Sebak. In addition to giving me something to write about, your films provided me with a great deal of comfort and relief from homesickness during my years in Ohio. Thank you for reminding me why I love Western Pennsylvania. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 1 Place Branding as a Theoretical Framework ............................................................. 6 Film Studies, Folklore, and the Politics of Documentary .......................................... 12 Methodology and Limitations .................................................................................... 21 Dissertation Structure................................................................................................. 23 CHAPTER I. FOUNDATIONS OF SEBAK’S STYLE ...................................................... 26 Reality vs. Fiction ...................................................................................................... 26 Humor and Lightheartedness ..................................................................................... 31 Celebration….. ........................................................................................................... 36 Narration and Narrative ............................................................................................. 38 Remaking Cities ......................................................................................................... 42 CHAPTER II. A CITY OF NEIGHBORHOODS ................................................................ 51 Ethnicity and Race as Sources