Cleveland, Ohio  ·  Est. 1989  ·  Global

CHRIS
WEBB

Emmy-Winning Journalist Playwright Filmmaker Spoken Word Artist Creative Director
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Emmy Award Winner✦ Tribeca Film Institute✦ Cleveland Public Theater✦ Poets in Autumn — 50 Cities / 4 Continents✦ National Civil Rights Museum✦ The Biden White House✦ Essence Festival✦ MTV · BET · Tribeca✦ Emmy Award Winner✦ Tribeca Film Institute✦ Cleveland Public Theater✦ Poets in Autumn — 50 Cities / 4 Continents✦ National Civil Rights Museum✦ The Biden White House✦ Essence Festival✦ MTV · BET · Tribeca✦
About
Chris Webb

"Keep the promises that you made to yourself."

Chris Webb is a globally recognized spoken word artist, Emmy-winning journalist, playwright, filmmaker, and advertising creative director from Cleveland's East Side. His work exists at the collision of ancient oral tradition and emerging technology — performing in sold-out theaters with AI-generated projection, Mimu Gloves, and holographic displays; producing national campaigns for the White House and the National Civil Rights Museum; and building research frameworks that ask what Black art does to Black communities.

His one-man show The End of Black Excellence premiered as the launch production of Cleveland Public Theater's 2025–26 season. He is currently in production on a studio film version at TRG Sound and Vision's virtual volume stage.

Recognition
2021
Emmy Award
WKYC-3 / Outstanding Community Journalism
2025
World Premiere — The End of Black Excellence
Cleveland Public Theater — Season Launch
2019
Tribeca Film Institute If/Then Shorts Winner
$25,000 Award — "The Session" Documentary
2019
Most Interesting People
Cleveland Magazine
2018
Cleveland Film Incubator Project Winner
Full production resources + funding
Ongoing
Telly · Webby · Promax Awards
Advertising Excellence — ABCD & Company
Work
Theater · Live Performance
The End of Black Excellence
World premiere at Cleveland Public Theater, 2025. A 59-minute one-man live movie fusing spoken word, AI projection, Mimu Gloves, and holographic performance.
Documentary Film
The Session
Award-winning documentary on Cleveland's Krump-Dance subculture. Tribeca Film Institute / If/Then Shorts winner.
Advertising · Campaign
2023 Reel
"History Moves Us Forward" — evergreen national campaign. Telly, Webby, and Promax recognized.
Spoken Word · Tour
Poets in Autumn
5 years. 50 U.S. cities. London, Kenya, the Caribbean. The world's largest spoken word tour.
Journalism · News
WKYC-3 Front Row
5 years of Emmy Award-winning community journalism. Documenting Cleveland's overlooked and emerging voices.
Spoken Word · Poetry
Poetry
Original spoken word and poetry. Click to watch.
Listen · Watch · Follow
Instagram
📸
@chriswebbspeaks
New visual poems, AI-generated art, and behind-the-scenes from the studio and stage. 22K followers and growing. New content drops mid-April.
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YouTube
▶
@chriswebbpoetry
Full-length visual poems with original AI imagery and custom scores. 30 unreleased pieces. New releases begin April. Subscribe for first access.
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Music · Coming Soon
◎
Spotify · Apple Music
Original spoken word pieces with custom scores produced in Ableton Live — available soon on all major streaming platforms. Follow to be notified at launch.
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Press
Black Girl in CLE
"Webb forces us to ask who defines success, and at what cost. His storytelling doesn't just critique — it liberates."
The End of Black Excellence — Cleveland Public Theater, 2025
Ideastream Public Media
"A really, really special person, a special performer — from the beginning, you could see it."
Raymond Bobgan, Executive Artistic Director, Cleveland Public Theater
Cleveland Magazine
Named one of Cleveland's 30 Most Interesting People — a spoken word poet whose words spill out like a thoughtful poem, even when he doesn't intend it.
Most Interesting People 2019
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Show
to You.

Chris Webb performs and presents for colleges, festivals, arts organizations, corporate events, and speaker series. Every performance is a fully realized multimedia experience — spoken word, original AI projection, and live technology designed for your room.

Live Multimedia PerformanceSignature
Mimu Glove + AI Projection ShowTechnology
Keynote / Speaker EngagementSpeaking
Custom Campaign / Creative DirectionAdvertising
Workshop / Artist ResidencyEducation
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