By Maliq Hicks
NABJ JSHOP Reporter
Cleveland TV personality Cornell Calhoun III had his big start as a college athlete, but he’s still doing big things in entertainment, too.
A former arts and culture coordinator for the city of Cleveland, Calhoun is now a renowned talk show host at TV20, the city-owned television station.
While speaking with students from the NABJ JSHOP this week, Calhoun described himself as an accomplished basketball player — he played decades ago at Talladega College in Alabama – who later transitioned to media and the arts.
“I’ve always had that creative, storytelling element inside of me,” said Calhoun, who’s also a well-known local actor, screenplay writer and filmmaker.
When asked about his basketball career, Calhoun enthusiastically described it with one phrase: “I could give you 30 (points per game)!” However, he also had a passion for theater, dating back to high school.
Calhoun recalled telling himself back then that the next time he set foot in a theater, he’d be on the stage.
When asked about the transition from athlete to personality, with his colorful candor and flashy smile, Calhoun said he is just being himself.
“It was easy,” Calhoun said. ”I’ve always been a performer.”
Calhoun went on to have a critically acclaimed career in theater. According to his website, he was last seen as the bandleader Cutler in Cleveland’s Karamu House production of August Wilson’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”
Currently, Calhoun’s TV20 show, dubbed “Cleveland’s Hollywood Kids,” focuses on the city’s up-and-coming performers.
“They are the next stars we need to be paying attention to,” Calhoun said.
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