When choosing a No. 1 or discussing the various categories, some names and their contributions came up time and time again. Here are five of Pittsburgh's cultural leaders who had outstanding years.

Tom Atkins
Actor

	Steve Mellon, Post-Gazette Tom Atkins: The Pittsburgh actor left an indelible impression as "The Chief." Click photo for larger image.

Do actors have cultural clout? In the same sense as artistic directors or corporate funders, no. But actors are certainly the living, charismatic heart of what theater is all about. Some Pittsburgh actors can even sell tickets, too. Among those with that clout are Helena Ruoti, Bingo O'Malley ... and Tom Atkins.

Born and raised here, a graduate of Duquesne, Atkins went off to New York and Hollywood and made a good living in solid middle-range roles before tiring of West Coast life and moving back to Pittsburgh. He continues to work regularly in TV and movies, but he's also been a stalwart of the Pittsburgh Public Theater since he galvanized the very first season as McMurphy in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975). There have been 10 more Public roles since, including the gloriously cantankerous Irishmen in "The Steward of Christendom" and "Long Day's Journey into Night," for which duo he was named Post-Gazette Performer of the Year in 1997.

This year the Public gave Atkins another signature role as Art Rooney Sr. in "The Chief," a one-man play of reminiscence by Rob Zellers and Post-Gazette columnist Gene Collier. It was a great Pittsburgh occasion, reaching out to audiences new to live theater, and it couldn't have happened without Atkins, a great actor who also breathes Pittsburgh through every pore.

Charlie Humphrey
Executive director
Pittsburgh Filmmakers

	Matt Freed, Post-Gazette Charlie Humphrey: He has kept Pittsburgh Filmmakers moving with an eye to the future. Click photo for larger image.

Even if he weren't running Pittsburgh Filmmakers, Humphrey would be a cultural force -- and conversation catalyst.

He recently wrote a column for the PG that dissected what is cool, how it differs from hip and how Pittsburgh native Andy Warhol was himself not very cool but a supreme arbiter of cool. In addition to being head of Filmmakers, Humphrey is a trustee of The Andy Warhol Museum and board member of Quantum Theater and The Mattress Factory. Just for fun, he recently started a record company.

Filmmakers, one of the largest and oldest independent media arts centers in the country, was founded in 1971. "You look at the digital world and the access now that individual artists have to very, very good technology, and it's an embarrassment of riches."

With those riches come worries about media literacy. "We have real concerns about how images are rendered and read from the amateur level, all the way up to the most sophisticated media that exist." For instance, just because a photo turns up on a computer or TV screen or in print doesn't mean the image hasn't been altered or even invented.

Although Humphrey recently had to lay off three staff members and anticipates a slightly smaller budget for the next fiscal year, he is looking forward to completion of a study for a film and video campus adjacent to Filmmakers' Oakland headquarters.

J. Kevin McMahon
President/CEO
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

	Steve Mellon, Post-Gazette J. Kevin McMahon: Presided over Cultural Trust gallery, restaurant and theatrical openings. Click photo for larger image.

The theatrical portfolio of J. Kevin McMahon is so diversified that it includes openings of art galleries, a box office, a cabaret, a restaurant and a parking garage. This past year, the Trust opened Theatre Square, home of a box office that sells tickets to every event in the Cultural District, a WQED broadcasting booth, Pittsburgh CLO's upcoming cabaret and Cafe Zao, a new restaurant. McMahon even tried to repair a gas stove that gave restaurateur Tony Pais fits when Cafe Zao held its opening. So he's a handyman, too.

McMahon, who began his Trust role in 2001, has a lot more to add to his resume, including the Globe Theatre's production of "Twelfth Night," which played to sold-out houses, "The Lion King," the Quebec Festival and Nederlands Dance Theatre. CD Live, which brought The Mavericks to town, is a popular music series with young audiences. The Trust also opened SPACE, an art gallery at 812 Liberty Ave., after restoring the building's facade.

Farther up the street, the Trust and Carnegie Mellon University opened Future Tenant, an art gallery at 801 Liberty Ave. At 937 Liberty, the Trust opened a 100-seat performance space that will be the home of Prime Stage. The building's second floor will house the Three Rivers Arts Festival offices, while the African American Cultural Center will use the third floor for events. Another gallery, known as Urban Space: BridgeSpotters' Gallery, opened at 709 Penn Ave.

James E. Rohr
Chairman/CEO
The PNC Financial Services Group

	Annie O'Neill, Post-Gazette James Rohr: Under his guidance, The PNC Foundation helps support regional cultural events. Click photo for larger image.

As Jim Rohr strides across Katz Plaza in the heart of the city's Cultural District clutching a PNC umbrella, he cuts an unassuming figure among the statues and sculptures. But were it not for Rohr, places such as Katz Plaza would not exist. Rohr, a member of the Cultural Trust board since 1991 and its chairman since 2000, believes passionately that corporate responsibility means helping to create vibrant communities for employees, customers and other residents. To that end, he has been a staunch advocate for the arts, channeling upwards of $2.5 million annually from the PNC Foundation into all manner of cultural events. This year, PNC also was a leading sponsor of the first National Performing Arts Convention.

Jon Rinaldo
Promoter/club owner

	Annie O'Neill, Post-Gazette Jon Rinaldo: Promoter opened The World and continued to book big acts on the club scene. Click photo for larger image.

When Club Laga closed its doors on April 2, two months down the road from the closing of Rosebud, the city was faced with having lost its two best venues for seeing a club-level artist. That's when Jon Rinaldo, the maverick promoter whose Joker Productions brought in last year's PG Concert of the Year, Erykah Badu, stepped to the plate and took his profile up a notch.

Rinaldo had already started booking Club Cafe, a more intimate venue on the South Side, in February, bringing a higher quality and broader range of touring acts to the venue. It's how he responded to Rosebud's closing, though, that put him in our Next 5. He purchased the venue, which he now owns, books, promotes and operates as The World.

Rinaldo knew he couldn't do the kind of shows he'd been doing at Laga in a room the size of Club Cafe. And that's when he moved into real estate. "It fell into our laps," Rinaldo says of the former Rosebud. "And the timing couldn't have been better. We moved in a week before Laga shut down and opened our doors four days later with Floetry."