| Genre: | Reality show |
| Presenter: | Bonin Bough |
| Starring: |
|
| Narrated: | LeBron James |
| Theme Music Composer: | Robert ToTeras |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Num Seasons: | 1 |
| Num Episodes: | 8 |
| Executive Producer: | |
| Producer: |
|
| Location: | Cleveland, Ohio |
| Runtime: | 60 minutes |
| Company: |
|
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]
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. The remaining four episodes focussed on stages in the setup and opening of the selected stores.[7] [8] [9]
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.[10] Between 2012 and 2016, he worked for multinational food company Mondelez International, where he became its chief media and e-commerce officer.[11]
Kumar Arora: CEO of investment firm Aroridex,[12] founder of designer sunglasses company Rogue Eyewear,[13] and investor in, a streetwear apparel company.[14]
Kathy Futey: A wealth management advisor who previously worked at Morgan Stanley.[15] She serves on the board of the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA) and the Cuyahoga Valley Chamber of Commerce.[16] [17]
Alan Glazen: A neighborhood developer, and retired advertising executive. He co-founded the Cleveland International Film Festival,[18] and was once mayor of the village of Bentleyville, Ohio [19]
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.[20]