Todd Duesing, president and CEO of Hennepin Arts, on big, bold visions

Off the Record

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When Todd Duesing became the president and CEO of Hennepin Arts, formerly Hennepin Theatre Trust, one of the first things he wanted to do was make some bold decisions about the Twin Cities’ theater district. He saw so much potential there, he says on the latest episode of the Off the Record podcast.

“Our new tagline is braver, brighter, bolder — and that’s our vision for Hennepin Avenue. We want to be braver and take risks on buildings that could be great things. We want to brighten up the district, make it lively and really illuminate it,” says Deusing.

Duesing expands on his big, bold decisions and what it’s been like to relocate to Minneapolis from Cincinnati in his conversation with Off the Record hosts Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank, and Jen Hellman, president and CEO of Goff Public. Listen to the episode to hear more about:

• Putting on festivals in his family’s backyard in Northern Kentucky as a kid (2:08)
• Duesing’s involvement in campus concerts during college — and what happened when he picked up Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers from the airport (8:41)
• Bringing 35,000 international visitors to Cincinnati as part of the World Choir Games (15:06)
• Duesing’s vision for the Twin Cities’ theater district (22:45)
• Projections for the Broadway show industry (28:22)
• Area restaurants Duesing is excited to visit with his husband — and what song he’s likely to sing at karaoke (37:52)

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