Hartford – Yankee Institute hosted a free screening Tuesday of the film Generation Startup, a documentary following the lives of six young men and women working at startup businesses in Detroit. The film highlights their successes and hardships as they, sometimes blindly, pursued their ideas and desires to create something new.
According to the film, entrepreneurship among young people is at its lowest point in 25 years and that factored into Yankee Institute’s interest in screening the film. “In Connecticut, sometimes we focus too much on the sure thing. It’s risk-taking and creativity that make the economy work,” said Zachary Janowski, director of external affairs for Yankee Institute.
Connecticut Can Work! is a set of no-cost reforms that make it easier to hire and work here. In particular, the reforms focus on making it easier for new businesses to get started – and succeed.
There couldn’t have been a better venue for screening a film about young people starting new businesses. The Sea Tea Comedy Theater on Asylum Street is part of a Hartford startup. The theater opened in August, but Sea Tea Improv has roots that go back much further. The company also has classroom space on Pratt Street. Sea Tea is a place where young actors and writers can hone their craft and perform for audiences as they strive to make it big in the world of show biz.
Greg Ludovici, artistic director and one of the founding members of Sea Tea Improv, says some of their actors have moved on to writing for popular national programs like Stephen Colbert or appear regularly on the Jimmy Kimmel Show. “The actors who had those aspirational dreams came here, studied here and really honed their craft and went on to do great things,” Ludovici said.
Connecticut Can Work! is all about making it easier for Connecticut residents to find their own way without extra obstacles of government regulation. “We wanted to bring together people to hear about our no-cost reforms to help Connecticut get back on its feet,” Janowski said.
Entrepreneurs – both young and old – are the engines that drive economic growth and they have enough obstacles in their way without having to cut through government red tape.
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