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One of the Guardians of Transportation that oversee traffic on the Lorain-Carnegie (Hope Memorial) Bridge in Downtown Cleveland stars in Progressive Insurance's newest recruiting video, a Valentine to many of the cultural institutions, landmarks and attractions that make Northeast Ohio unique. Progressive is hoping the 2.5-minute video, which has been viewed more than 114,000 times, also helps recruit promising out-of-towners to its more than 400 jobs openings in Greater Cleveland.

(Progressive Insurance)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland's most-shared new video is a Valentine to the city from a Chicagoan who came here to work for Progressive Insurance and quickly became smitten with his new home.

Jon Somers, a senior video producer and motion graphics artist at Progressive, said he wants out-of-towners "to walk away feeling surprised about all the awesome things happening here, and give it a second look instead of writing it off like I did for a while."

"I also hope that people from Cleveland may get a sense of pride from it and might even see something that they aren't familiar with," he said.

Mayfield Village-based Progressive Group of Insurance Companies, which employs more than 9,000 people in Northeast Ohio, is looking to hire another 400 by the end of 2016.

The jobs include:inbound call center sales, claims, analytics, product management, marketing, and information technology, with a $500 signing bonus for those with a valid Property and Casualty license.

Progressive is hoping the video will help recruit people from outside Ohio -- who might never have visited Cleveland or may have outdated ideas about the city from its "burning river" days -- and persuade them to consider working at Progressive.

"We really wanted it to be about attracting people to the city where we're based," said Erin Hendrick, Progressive's TalentSearch Leader. "It was all about changing perceptions."

The video highlights Northeast Ohio's rich cultural, geographic, and architectural diversity, its sports and entertainment venues, as well as its affordable housing options, and its comparatively low cost of living, Hendrick said.

"The plan is to get it out there, especially among proud Clevelanders who we hope are sharing it with their networks around the country, because the more that we can show versus tell what the area's about, the better," she said.

Progressive hiring events:

Feb. 10: Interview Event for Customer Service and Sales Representatives at Progressive: 6300 Wilson Mills Blvd., Mayfield Village.

Submit your resume online to careers@progressive.com and recruiters will contact qualified candidates for on-site interviews that day.

Open House: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. April 20 at Progressive, 6300 Wilson Mills Rd., Mayfield Village.

Jobs are also posted at: Progressive.com/jobs

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/progressive-insurance

The Center for Population Dynamics at the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University just ranked Cleveland eighth in the nation for its growth of college-educated millennial residents ages 25 t0 34.

Shot last summer and produced entirely in-house by Progressive's 96 Octane creative agency, the video racked up more than 110,000 views the first week it was released.

That includes thousands of social media shares by people who missed that it was a recruiting video. It has even drawn some international views, Hendrick said.

"I've watched a star being born..."

The 2.5-minute piece opens in pitch darkness, with flickering flames gently bobbing on the waves as Somers narrates: "I've seen the river burning/ White sails shining off the Emerald Coast. I watched a star being born on stage/ Gods behind glass at the [Rock and Roll] Hall of Fame. I've heard the sax man flatter downtown streets/ Captivating sounds of brass, wind and strings..."

From a point somewhere out over Lake Erie, cameras swoop over downtown Cleveland landmarks, mosey down to a Cleveland Orchestra outdoor concert at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, walk under water at the Greater Cleveland Aquarium, stroll through the Cleveland Botanical Gardens, and hike back north to Squire's Castle at the Cleveland Metroparks in Willoughby Hills.

Scenes were shot at 63 venues, including from ships along the Cuyahoga River, hot-air balloons over rolling farmland, atop merry-go-rounds in museums, chasing paragliders on the beach, and along ziplines in the trees.

The video's closing words: "I've experienced progress/ I've watched perceptions change. I've seen all of these things/ I am these things. I am... CLE."

"To get people to look at Cleveland differently"

Somers, originally from Morgantown, Indiana, said: "It took me and fellow producers, Jen Short, Gabe Cotto, and Pat Janesz about three months to film everything, which mostly took place over weekends or in the evenings. It was a passion project for us.

"Jen Short, our senior producer, was able to coordinate all the different locations/events -- more than 60, and work with different businesses to get their permission to film, as well as help generate excitement about the project," he said. "Editing the project took about a month to complete. I had over 4,000 clips to sort through, which is incredibly intimidating as an editor."

Before moving to Cleveland last year, "I worked in Cincinnati for several years and then moved to Chicago to work for an agency. I worked with [Progressive's Executive Video Producer] Gabe Cotto in Cincinnati, and he was always trying to convince me to work for his team at Progressive, but I didn't like the idea of moving to Cleveland, especially from Chicago.

"After three years in Chicago, I was looking for a change. After a couple visits to Cleveland and Progressive, I realized that my perception of both the company and this city couldn't be further from some of the misconceptions out there. Progressive is a large company, but it's also innovative and fast-moving, with a blend of art and science, so it feels more intimate than you might expect. So, I welcomed the change, and decided to go for it."

Progressive is ranked one of Northeast Ohio's Top Workplaces, with flexible work schedules, performance bonuses, a casual dress code, on-site medical facilities for employees and their families, and fitness centers. Its Mayfield Village offices also house BIG (Business Innovation Garage), an internal think-tank for innovating products and services that is open to all employees.

"This is the beginning of more to come," Hendrick said. "As a company that's headquartered here, we're committed to the area, to get people to look at Cleveland differently, to stay here and make their mark here."

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