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easier to tell Reno’s story because it’s
so much more openly received. There
are more and more people that make
associations with the Reno I know
versus the palm-tree laden city of Reno
911.
The challenge in the past was getting
journalists to understand that it wasn’t
spin when we were pitching Reno’s
vibrant downtown corridor with a
robust food and drink scene, incredible
nightlife and entertainment options, a
world-class kayak park steps from the
casinos, countless museums, galleries
and theaters and a festivals and events
calendar that could rival any city. We
weren’t embellishing when we said
you could ski in the morning and
golf in the afternoon. And it wasn’t
hyperbole to say that we have one of
the most comprehensive arts festivals
in the country each July with Artown.
The challenge was getting writers here.
The easy part was letting Reno shine
once they were.
Of course, it’s also easy to give
someone the highlight reel over a few
days. Reno is fun and quirky but it
also has a seedy side. I personally like
that about Reno. I like the characters,
the history, the authenticity. I think
we, as a community, have tried for so
long to prop Reno up, to show only its
best side and to gloss over everything
else, that anytime Reno is shown or
mentioned in a less than flattering
light, we freak out. We need to get
over it and not be so darned uptight. If
people are going to be loud and proud
about Reno, they’re going to need to
embrace the less-than-perfect part of
it too.
That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strive
to make Reno a better place. This town
is so full of creators, and innovators
and doers who are constantly making
our community better. Reno’s future is
bright and there are great things on the
horizon. Let’s just cut Reno some slack
along the way.
All this being said, I would regret Reno
being too polished, too sanitized, too
“perfect.” And I would regret Reno
being the next Austin, Portland or
fill in the blank city. I hope Reno can
continue to be the best version of itself
while retaining its gritty authenticity.
Jen Eastwood is the Director of Public
Relations at the Bauserman Group
Reno-proud
By Courtney Meredith
O
ver the years I have had
the privilege to work with
the revitalization efforts
of many of the growing
districts and sections of the city
that were once viewed as unsafe or
unapproachable. My firm’s mission has
been to tell the story of the many small
businesses, family-owned companies
and non-profit organizations working
hard to succeed in Nevada. In the last
five or so years this story has changed
significantly as we have seen the
induction of many new businesses,
an active Riverwalk, a vibrant
culinary scene, a variety of options in
entertainment and really the addition
of new innovative startup companies
who are now proudly calling these
vibrant neighborhoods home.
In the past it was incredibly difficult
to grab the attention of tourism based
publications, bloggers or outside
media and have them feature the
downtown corridor, Riverwalk District
and even the city’s new MidTown
area. The media really struggled with
seeing Reno as having newsworthy
establishments. Reporters would drive
through and only see the outer layer of
blight or buildings being rehabilitated,
so as a marketing and PR firm, we
have had to do a lot of handholding,
which included guided tours to really
show how the city is progressing.
The story we are telling now is that
we have turned ourselves out of the
recession and are moving full steam
ahead; there in itself is the true gem, a
community who has come together to
increase civic pride and enhance the
brand of a city as a whole. Universally
businesses owners are excited to call
this area home and the media is proud
to support them.
The most difficult part of what we
have had to do was actually educating
our own community on the new
and exciting changes happening in
the area. To some degree the greater
population does not always see these
new changes and we want to make
sure they do. We want our community
to not only be Reno-proud but we
want them to be Nevada-proud, this is
a tight-knit community and word-of-
mouth still has great weight. The more
we support our local establishments,
events and neighborhoods the more
these stories have real value.
Over the last few years telling the Reno
story has become increasingly easier,
and I can say that many of my peers
are very pleased in the direction it’s
going. We like that we can collaborate
more and we are not jumping hurdles
to make ourselves known. Our clients
are working harder than ever to create
better products that are comparable
to larger markets and that the quality
has greatly enhanced. We are creating
organic, thoughtful content that
journalists want to write about.
I believe that Reno will always be
changing, we have a lot of areas
that still need some help, but we are
making small steps of impact month
to month. I want to think that what
we are ultimately creating is the next
generation of Nevadans who love to
call this place home, who are enrolling
in our University, staying here to gain
employment, and helping to contribute
to this great city.
If there is one thing I would hate to
see change in Reno, it would be the
nostalgic areas and establishments
that have added so much character to
our city. I think we should continue to
embrace our quirkiness and definitely
cherish our past.
Courtney Meredith is the co-owner of
Design on Edge and the co-author of
Reno’s Riverwalk District (Images of
America Series)