Media in Chicago? (Lincoln, Irving, Bridgeport: rent, employment, neighborhoods)

[mvanzuylen2011]

I'm a film & television student in New York City, and realizing my current living expenses won't be sustainable after I graduate. A few of my peers suggested making the move to Chicago, where living is more affordable and there is still a large media presence (thus, opportunities for employment). I have a few questions, and all advice would be greatly appreciated:

First of all, I wouldn't be making the move for about two more years, I'm just trying to nail down my options.

-Is living in Chicago a more reasonable option than living in New York City?
-Are there opportunities for employment within the realm of mass media and computer sciences? (I've researched online and Chicago media looks promising, but I'm hoping someone can enlighten me on the reality of the situation.)
-What neighborhoods might you recommend for young adults moving to the city? I'll be living with a couple of film buddies from New York also, and we'd like a vibrant, fun area if possible (farmers markets, festivals, nightlife....while still affordable. Is that possible?)
-What are the most affordable neighborhoods within the city? (I'm getting conflicting opinions from my research online) I'm not sure what my target price will be in two years, so any price range helps.

Any advice or other tips concerning the city would be greatly appreciated.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by mvanzuylen2011

-Is living in Chicago a more reasonable option than living in New York City?

Yes, easily. You could live comfortably in Chicago even on $30,000/year in a decent neighborhood. Yeah, you aren't going to get to live downtown, but you can still afford a rent in a nice neighborhood where you can utilize a train easily or buses and get to areas easily.

-Are there opportunities for employment within the realm of mass media and computer sciences? (I've researched online and Chicago media looks promising, but I'm hoping someone can enlighten me on the reality of the situation.)

Well, computer science in general. That is what my degree is in, but not sure if you meant that. If you did, then first, Chicago has been a hot bed for startups the last 1.5-2 years. Personally, I know some people in the industry who've gotten "let go" from their jobs, and they have no trouble finding another job within a month of getting word (although of course there's other factors).

Bridging the gap between media and computers, you could do stuff like Interactive agencies. That would be companies or organizations which create digital media for other companies (could be anything)..they hire programmers, marketers, media people, etc. This is what I do actually. There's a number of them in Chicago like Digitas, Razorfish, IBMi, Harp Interactive, ARC Worldwide etc. There are many advertising and media agencies in Chicago as well including Leo Burnett who is prolific (responsible for many iconic commercials).

For film, there of course are TV stations such as WGN, ABC, CBS, and NBC here in town, but there's also PBS, and other film production companies. There are also a number of things shot here in Chicago (movies, tv shows, etc). There is a film studio called Cinespace on the South Side just a few miles from the Loop.

-What neighborhoods might you recommend for young adults moving to the city? I'll be living with a couple of film buddies from New York also, and we'd like a vibrant, fun area if possible (farmers markets, festivals, nightlife....while still affordable. Is that possible?)

As far as just in general? There are a number such as River North, Gold Coast, Wicker Park, Ukrainian Village, Logan Square, Lakeview, Lincoln Park, etc.

In your case, sorry if I"m going to get this wrong, but just based off my sister who was a film student, if you're more artsy you will probably want an area like Logan Square, Wicker Park, Ukrainian Village, Lakeview, and an area called Pilsen which is south of Illinois-Chicago University. Bridgeport is okay too, but I'd consider the neighborhoods above.

The areas West like Wicker Park, Logan Square, UK Village used to be bad parts of town, but now mostly aren't. Wicker Park is probably the most gentrified of those, and it has "hipster" elements to it, artsy, but there's also yuppie stuff there too. The corner of North/Milwaukee/Damen is easily one of the best nightlife areas of Chicago right now. In the area you can find one of the best cocktail lounges, a dive bar open til 5am that plays punk/metal, nice restaurants, record stores, book stores, a barcade (you guys have one in NYC), and tons of other stuff. Every Sunday in the summer has a farmers market in Wicker Park too.

I would say that Logan Square is kind of like that, but less "yuppie" maybe. All the true hipsters kind of migrated to there, Pilsen, etc. There are a few bad areas still of Logan Square, but yeah. Ukrainian Village, same thing in a way. Maybe a little more laid back, more jazz stuff or something.

Lakeview has a bunch of stuff in it, although it's on the north side. This is where the gay section of town is (Boystown), Wrigley Field (where the cubs play), and a bunch of other stuff, so there's a semi eclectic mix of people living around there IMO.

-What are the most affordable neighborhoods within the city? (I'm getting conflicting opinions from my research online) I'm not sure what my target price will be in two years, so any price range helps.

Depends on your definition of affordable. Here's what I think are some averages for various neighborhoods I recommended for you.
Logan Square: Studio - $600-$700/month. 1 bdrm - $750-$850/month.
Wicker Park: Studio - $700-$800/month. 1 bdrm - $1000-$1100/month.
UK Village: Studio - $700-$800/month. 1 bdrm - $800-$900/month.
Lakeview: Studio - $750-$850/month. 1 bdrm - $1000-$1100/month.
Pilsen: Not 100% sure on these, buuut maybe something like $600-$700/month for studio, and $750-$850/month for 1 bedroom.

I could be wrong on these. This is just the prices I"m used to seeing honestly.

Some other areas, but less artsy, include:
Lincoln Square, Ravenswood, Edgewater, North Center, Albany Park, Rogers Park, Irving Park, Hyde Park (where U of Chicago is, but public transit isn't as good down there), Chinatown, etc.




Chicago is great because there are festivals pretty much every weekend. Last weekend I went to an outdoor street music festival in Wicker Park, and then an antique market (outdoor and indoor) on the West Side.

Farmers Markets:
Chicago Farmers Markets - Neighborhood Farmers Markets

Festivals:
Chicago Neighborhood Festivals

[jonnynonos]

It depends what kind of media you are talking about.

I would guess that in nearly all categories Chicago is a far, far, far cry from New York, and Chicago is very provincial in comparison. But if your goal is just work for a local TV station or something you could do it here.

There are some things Chicago is great for... pursuing glamorous careers like media, fashion, entertainment etc.... not as much. Most often people start here and then have to move to the coasts. That's just the way it is.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by jonnynonos

I would guess that in nearly all categories Chicago is a far, far, far cry from New York, and Chicago is very provincial in comparison. But if your goal is just work for a local TV station or something you could do it here.

You'd be surprised at how many interactive and media agencies have offices in Chicago... if you want to work on a movie, obviously you're better in LA or NYC, but if you want to work on digital media stuff, there's actually a lot available here, or just marketing/advertising in general.

I did forget to mention that it seems like marketing in Chicago, most people want at least 1-2 years experience in the industry first.

[jonnynonos]

Nah, not talking about advertising, talking about news/entertainment media. Yes Chicago still has a (relatively) healthy advertising sector.

For news media (TV, print, film) it is pretty slim pickings and generally bleak.

[TheSunshineKid]

The studio Film District (distributed Drive, Insidious and upcoming Looper) has branch in Chicago so you could check there.