Neil McCormick ’70

Neil McCormick entered St. Joseph High School in 1966, having attended elementary school at St. Jerome School in the North Collinwood area of Cleveland. During his four years as a Viking, Neil proved to be a well-rounded young man, taking interest in many extracurriculars and clubs. He involved himself in the Art Club, Cinema Club, Chess Club and Ski Club, The Norseman, the literary magazine, the Carpenter, tennis and musicals. He also became an avid photographer. Many teachers at St. Joseph were instrumental in opening his eyes to his own interests and passions. Neil credits Joe Radican for teaching him the art of critical thinking and Bro. Phil Hoffman for bringing to light his inner artist. It was Bro. Bob Hollis who ultimately kick-started his career in filmmaking while a student. Neil acknowledges Bro. Hollis’s teaching of analyzing symbolism and points of view in theatrical films as giving him the tools to later make his own films. By his senior year, Neil was noted for his opinions, passions and the leadership roles through which he helped create the spirit at St. Joe’s that was inclusive of a diverse student body. 

Neil graduated from Bowling Green State University in 1974 with a Bachelor of Science degree in education, speech, radio, TV and film. He later earned a Master of Science degree in broadcasting at the City University of New York, Brooklyn College in 1976. Neil returned to Cleveland and was hired as a film editor and assistant to the president at Cinecraft Productions, located in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood. Cinecraft is the oldest-running commercial film production company in the United States, having been established in 1939. Neil made Cinecraft his life’s work. In 1985, he married Maria Keckan, and the following year they became co-owners of Cinecraft in an equal partnership, with Neil as president and then chairman in 1988. 

For more than 30 years Cinecraft prospered as a producer of film, video and digital productions. Under the McCormick-Keckan leadership, Cinecraft worked on hundreds of projects and received multiple awards for its efforts. Being a family business, Dan, Neil’s step-son, also joined Cinecraft and now has transitioned into the CEO role as Neil has moved to semi-retirement. 

Aside from his work with Cinecraft, Neil has involved himself in social and religious causes. For 10 years he served on the boards of Templum House, leading a search committee for a new executive director. Neil was also a critical part of steering the merger of Templum with the Center for Prevention of Domestic Violence in 2000 and served on that board until 2005. Currently, Neil is involved with “The Order of St. Luke,” a Christian healing ministry. He and Maria taught PSR classes for 15 years at St. Angela Merici Parish in Fairview Park.

For decades after graduating from St. Joseph, Neil was the “keeper of the flame” of Bro. Hollis’s rather unique creation, the Cinema Club. He was the keystone in keeping this tight-knit club together, organizing and hosting annual reunion baseball outings and dinners. As the class of 1970 was looking to celebrate its 40th reunion, Neil was encouraged by his classmates to re-engage with his alma mater in a much deeper way.

At that time, Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School was experiencing decreased enrollment and advancement revenues were minimal. Neil immediately got busy creating a reunion website and was able to provide staging for the gym. He was also instrumental in helping the reunion team raise $100,000 for a much-needed class gift. Neil says he had a wonderful experience renewing old friendships and forging new relationships. 

Neil has also been a leader in the marketing of VASJ. Since 2010, he has produced recruitment videos for the Admissions department and created a video component titled “Ask" that featured three VASJ students reflecting on their journeys to become Vikings. Neil was so impressed by one student that he offered to help pay his tuition so that he could stay a Viking.   

In an effort to bring vitality to alumni, Neil was instrumental in coordinating the Viking Classic Mixer fundraiser in 2011. Cinecraft produced the A/V content for the event and provided equipment to stage it, including video cameras with crews. Neil has continued to support VASJ throughout this decade with digital media productions and staging. The Classic Mixer and its successor event, Continue the Dream, benefitted from Neil’s generosity each year it was held. In 2020, Neil was an integral part of guiding the St. Joseph Class of 1970 to beat its original goal of a $250,000 class gift in support of scholarships, music programs and athletics at VASJ.

A self-described “born again Viking,” Neil has a new appreciation for the lasting memories and lessons of his time at St. Joseph High School. Even more cherished are the lifelong friendships Neil continues today with his classmates.