‘Tourism’ video maker at Improv
By JOHN BENSON
There’s a self-deprecating streak that runs through local comedy writer/actor Mike Polk’s work. For example, he readily admits you’ve probably never heard of him; however, there’s a good chance you’ve seen his “Hastily Made Cleveland Tourism Video” shorts that in the spring of 2009 became a YouTube sensation and now have more than 4 million hits.
A veteran of sketch comedy troupe Last Call Cleveland, Polk naturally admits he never expected the tourism-mocking videos to generate any attention.
“It was a complete shock,” said Youngstown-area native and Lakewood resident Polk, 32. “It’s one of those things where I’ve done a lot of videos, and sometimes I’ll spend a lot of time and effort on something and think it’s going to be big, and it goes nowhere. And then you got something like that where I spent like 45 minutes on it, and it blew up. So I just stopped trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t. I just kind of roll with it now.”
Still, with so much attention, that means Hollywood came calling for his comedic services, right?
“Oh yeah, I’ve forgotten about everybody whoever helped me get to where I am,” laughed Polk, who is a video writer for Los Angeles- based media company Break Media. “There has been some cool interest, and it’s given me the opportunity to work on some good projects and stuff like that, but, no, a Hollywood producer has not showed up at my door holding a money bag with a dollar sign on it. It doesn’t work like that apparently. I was waiting out front, but nothing happened.”
Polk, a 1996 graduate of John F. Kennedy High School in Warren, will do his stand-up act at the Cleveland Improv this week. “I’ll be doing a combination of videos, song and traditional stand-up,” he said.
Mike Polk at the Improv, 2000 Sycamore St., Cleveland, tonight through Saturday. Call 216-696-4677.