Neal Sáles-Griffin, the managing director of Techstars Chicago and a venture partner at MATH Venture Partners, is a subject in “City So Real,” a new National Geographic documentary streaming on Hulu.
The film, produced by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Steve James, the maker of “Hoop Dreams” (1994), spans from the 2018 Chicago mayoral race up to present day. The film follows each candidates’ campaigns, including Sáles-Griffin’s, as well as the trial and aftermath of the Laquan McDonald shooting.
The film has received positive reviews for its raw and honest portrayal of Chicago, its neighborhoods and citizens.
James asked Sáles-Griffin, who appears in every episode, to be in the documentary after seeing he was running for mayor.
“I looked up his IMDb profile and saw all the amazing things that he produced and directed and created, and I was like, ‘Holy cow. I love this,’” Sáles-Griffin said. “So, I just said yes to anything he needed.”
The five-part documentary, which first premiered at the Chicago International Film Festival and the Sundance Film Festival, was originally four episodes. But after Covid-19 and unrest following the death of George Floyd, James made a fifth episode.
“It reminds me of your best friend who holds up a mirror to what’s great about you to what’s flawed about you in the most sincere way,” Sáles-Griffin said.
Though most of the documentary follows Sáles-Griffin’s mayoral campaign, the final episode features Sáles-Griffin after he took over the top role at Techstars Chicago. In the scene, he is with a Techstars Chicago alumni founder, Patrice Darby, and he talks about his role in Chicago’s tech scene.
Sáles-Griffin, who grew up in Chicago neighborhoods Kenwood and Hyde Park, attended Northwestern University. After graduation, he worked at venture capital firms, taught himself to code and eventually launched Code Academy, which was later renamed The Starter League. The 12-week school that taught computer science and software writing was eventually sold to Fullstack Academy in 2016. Sáles-Griffin is also an adjunct professor and faculty coach at Northwestern and the University of Chicago, respectively.
“While I have a few highlights, Steve did such an amazing job featuring the real people in the City of Chicago and what their feelings are,” Sáles-Griffin said. “It’s so much more about the energy and the struggles that are occurring with our families and friends on the streets of Chicago. It’s going to be an eye opener for so many people.”
“It is one of the best encapsulations of what Chicago is that I’ve ever seen,” Sáles-Griffin continued. “I have to pinch myself when I think about the fact that I was part of it in any way.”
