Our ambitious goal to chronicle the suburbs in showbiz

A year ago, Dann Gire and Jamie Sotonoff set off on an ambitious mission. It was their goal to chronicle someone from the suburbs each week who had made something of him- or herself in the entertainment industry.

We didn’t know quite what to expect. You hear about the people who move out to Hollywood and New York with big dreams that don’t come true, and you wonder, how many entertainment success stories could there possibly be from our little corner of the world?

The effort to tell the stories of those from the suburbs who’ve made it was, in many respects, a groundbreaking idea. No other newspaper that we know of attempts to do the same kind of hometown thing on a regular basis.

But off Dann and Jamie went, shaking the bushes to see what they could find.

And what they’ve found, we must say, has been astounding. Our suburban neighbors are doing some incredible things in the entertainment industry.

We hope you’ve seen the stories about some of them. Dann and Jamie write about them on Tuesdays in an innovative column we call, “Gire & Sotonoff: From Suburbs to Showbiz.”

One week, they told the story of Colin Brady, a Wood Dale native who has become an amazing Hollywood animator. His most recent success was as animation director for the five-time Academy Award-winning film “Hugo.”

Another week, they told the story of Andrew Mitchell, a Palatine native who won the Television Camera Operator of the Year in February from the Society of Camera Operators for his work shooting TV’s high school musical series, “Glee.”

They’ve also told the story of 9-year-old Naperville resident M’Laah Kaur Singh, who made her motion picture debut as a character called Young Calcutta Girl in the superhero movie “Marvel’s The Avengers.”

And the story of Hanover Park’s Todd Stashwick, a comedic actor who shows up in several popular movies and TV shows, everything from “Heroes” to “You, Me and Dupree.”

There are many others, including a Glen Ellyn native named John Shepherd who’s now the studio president of MPower Pictures; a Hinsdale-born actor named Chris Klein who’s appeared in “Election” and “American Pie;” and an Elmhurst native named Don Konopka who’s the drummer for the Grammy Award-winning band OK GO.

The suburbs are well represented in showbiz.

That, of course, is a source of pride for those of us who live here, and no doubt a reflection at least in part on nurturing environments and schools that encourage measured risk and foster success in the entertainment arts.

But there’s an even more important message in their successes, and it’s particularly applicable in this time of high school and college graduations.

That message is this:

Don’t be afraid to follow your dreams. Despite all the naysayers, you just might be able to reach them.