Jack Rouse
CEO, Jack Rouse Associates
In a multi-faceted career that spans more than 30 years, Jack Rouse has embraced the worlds of academia, entertainment, education, culture and community development. “All of these worlds share one common element,” Jack has often said. “They all want to connect with an audience.” So while the company he heads is often regarded as a design firm, Jack prefers to think of it as a firm that specializes in connecting with the emotions of target audiences. “Yes, we design and create spaces, and certainly we tell stories. But what we really do is unlock the inherent drama of our client’s vision in order to create lasting memories and forge strong relationships with their audience.”
With a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, Jack’s first career was as a college professor. Later, as a senior executive with Taft Broadcasting Company, Jack was one of the management investors responsible for the leveraged buyout of the theme park division from Taft and the establishment of Kings Entertainment Company (now King’s Island and owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Group). In 1987, Jack left Kings Entertainment Company to form his own firm — Jack Rouse Associates. With colleagues Keith James and Amy Merrell, JRA has become one of the most recognized global names in the various industries that it serves. Those industries include museums, zoos, sports facilities, theme parks, entertainment complexes, cultural venues, community developments and corporate environments.
Building on a management philosophy that stresses a sincere and honest concern for the personal and professional lives of each of the firm’s associates, Jack has guided and inspired the development of one of the most respected and creative firms in the world. Always believing in a multi-disciplinary team approach to the development of creative projects, Jack has assembled a variety of writers, artists, designers and producers and supports them with operations, marketing and administration professionals in order to create a firm of remarkable depth and diversity. Jack has led a movement to augment this Cincinnati team with associates from all corners of the globe enabling JRA to give great credence to Tom Friedman’s claim that “the world is flat;” and thus providing JRA’s clients with superior creative and project management services all over the globe.
A much sought-after lecturer, panel member and charrette participant, Jack couples his thoughtful insights with a charismatic presentation style that has benefited audiences at ULI, AZA, IAAPA, TiLE, LIW, IAAM, ECSITE and numerous other professional association events in the United States, Europe and Asia.
Jack understands not only the missions and messages of the clients he serves, but also the business principles that are essential for their success. Jack has often said: “The production techniques used in museums and visitor centers are often the same. But the real similarity between cultural businesses and show business is the noun - Business. We must never forget that the other words are the adjectives.”
Jack works on a variety of entertainment, museum, corporate and sports projects for clients worldwide. In recent years Jack has become increasingly interested in the role that arts, culture and entertainment venues can play within the larger context of economic development. Speaking at a recent conference in Europe, Jack said, “Whether in Dubai, Pella, Iowa, Cheyenne, Wyoming, Dublin, Ireland or Singapore, the interaction between what JRA creates and the more traditional mixed-use elements like retail, residential and commercial is becoming more important as a driver for economic success and development differentiation.”
In addition to his professional work for JRA, Jack serves on the board of trustees for many organizations, including the Cincinnati Zoo, the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and the Cincinnati Central City Development Corporation. He also serves as chairman for the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority.
Soapblog 3 - The puppy metric...
Posted By: Jack Rouse, 6/12/2008
Let’s think big about dogs.
Here’s the background. I spend some time at our apartment in New York and when I’m there it’s highly unusual for me to get on the elevator and not have a few dogs as my fellow passengers. The dogs are well behaved…some friendlier than others, but then the people on the elevator fall into those two categories as well. The dogs are often more interesting though. And when I follow the puppies and their owners out of the building, I observe that some head to the dog park portion of Riverside Park, others just casually stroll down the streets of the upper west side. The owners (or dog-walkers, which is a profession in NY) walk dutifully behind, carrying a litter bag which they invariably use to clean up after the dog does what dogs do when they get out of the apartment building. It all works splendidly.
Here’s the Cincinnati observation. For the past 15 years our offices had been on Central Parkway in the Kroger Building. There’s a nice grassy median on the Parkway (and it’s been greatly improved recently thanks to the Cincinnati Park Board). When we first moved our offices there I never saw many people on Central and I certainly never saw any dogs. Then, as condos and apartments began to appear, so did the dogs.
Enter the Puppy Metric.
And I began to realize that the health of an urban environment can, in part, be measured by the number of dogs: the puppy metric.
Lots of different types of people who live in urban environments have dogs as I know from my trips up and down the elevators in our apartment building in NY. People with dogs don’t just live in the suburbs with a fenced back yard. They live in downtowns too and we need to encourage them to do so. Yeah, the health of an urban core can be measured by office occupancy rates, condo sales, retail turn-over, number of restaurants and bars and arts, culture, sports and entertainment offerings. But the health of an urban core can also be measured by the puppy metric. So let’s focus on growing that metric and making downtown as welcoming for dogs as it is for people. Remember, sometimes the dogs are more interesting.
Soapblog 2 - What's in a name?
Posted By: Jack Rouse, 6/11/2008
OK, I’ll admit it. I’m a performing arts/culture/entertainment junkie. My wife and I go to the Playhouse and Ensemble and Know Theatre and the Ballet and the Opera and the Symphony. We’ve been and are on the boards of many of these because we believe that art and culture can make a real difference in the quality of life in this city. And as has been pointed out many. many times, Cincinnati has a lot to be proud of in the area of the performing arts. So why aren’t all of the seats full all of the time? There are many reasons of course, and you only have to superficially follow national trends to understand that the empty-seat phenomenon is not limited to Cincinnati.
A few months ago I was speaking with a wonderful lady that has helped my wife and I around the house for many years. She is bright, insightful and can fix anything. And I said: “So Irene, (not her real name of course), have you ever been to the ballet?“ “What?” she replied. “Jim (her husband, but not his real name either) and I aren’t into all that frilly stuff.”
So being in a feisty mood I said, “Here are two tickets. Go.” And they went and they loved it. And they’ve gone to every ballet this season. Except they don’t call it ballet….they refer to it as “hot dance.” Next year I will give them tickets to the symphony and the opera. I look forward to seeing how they describe those events.
Because I’m thinking that it’s not what is happening on stage that may be the turn off to many. It may be what we call it. Think about it: opera, ballet, classical music. Those are fairly elitist terms; implying to many that you need an advanced college degree to even begin to understand what is going on. Nothing of course is further from the truth. Just ask Irene and Jim. They have lived here all their life, but it wasn’t until they were well into adulthood that they realized that we truly have the best in the world right here in Cincinnati.
Maybe we need to rethink all of this. Not to dumb anything down, and always realizing that regardless of what you call it everyone doesn’t like the same thing. Maybe we are in somewhat of a death-spiral of exclusivity, compounded by what we call this cultural stuff.
Cincinnati has some great music, dance and theatre (read: symphony, ballet, opera). We don’t want to change that….but we do need to make it more accessible. Maybe Cincinnati can take the lead in increasing the public awareness of how enjoyable this arts and culture stuff can be. Wouldn’t it be great to lead the way in turning ballet into “hot dance,” the symphony into “damn great music,” and the opera into “popular compelling theater.” That’s a challenge I think we’re up to. It would sure make Irene and Jim proud.
Soapblog 1 - What a difference a public space makes
Posted By: Jack Rouse, 6/10/2008
Every day I look out of my office windows onto the new and improved Fountain Square. On days when there is an event taking place (a large event like Taste of Cincinnati or a small event like the Turkey Bowl) there are hundreds or thousands of people on the Square and there is an energy and excitement. On these days I marvel at what a difference a public space can make in the life of a city.
And on days when there is nothing taking place, like today (an overcast Tuesday morning) as I look onto Fountain Square and write this blog, there are a few people sitting on the Square: some appear to be just having coffee with friends, a few are on their laptops, someone is taking a photo of a friend, others are just leisurely strolling across the Square. On days like this the Square is quiet and peaceful, almost contemplative. And it is on these days that I also marvel at what a difference a public space can make in the life of a city.
When I moved to Cincinnati in the late 60s I never went to Fountain Square. The few times I drove by it seemed to be a place to move through quickly…certainly not a place to linger and enjoy. There was never anything going on; at least I never saw anything and never heard about anything happening there. I’m sure things did occur there, but my perception was that it was a bit of a no-man’s land that looked like a fortress. And for many decades I despaired at what a difference a public space can make on the life of a city.
During the renovation of Fountain Square, too much time was spent talking about the capital investment in Fountain Square. Not enough time was spent talking about the tremendous social returns that a well-conceived public space can have in the life of a city.
The Square isn’t finished…hopefully it never will be. The events and amenities will evolve just as the society that uses them evolve. That’s exactly the dynamic that’s supposed to take place when a smart investment is made in bricks and mortar. And I, hopefully, will be able to continually marvel at what a difference a well conceived and well programmed public space can make in the life of a city.