A Fairmount Creative Director Filmed This Uplifting Video Tribute to His Neighbors
Jake Krolick wanted to show the world that “there are good things happening as well.”
Creative director Jake Krolick wanted to spread some positivity by capturing the Fairmount rainbows on video. Screenshot via video by Jake Krolick
With the coronavirus pandemic, there’s been plenty of bad news. Over a million Americans have been infected with COVID-19, and tens of thousands have died. People of color are being hit especially hard. There are so many Pennsylvanians out of work, they’re overwhelming the unemployment office.
And yet, some good things have still happened in the weeks since COVID-19 shut down life as we know it. Acts of kindness, generosity, and creativity have continued. After returning home from a trip that ended early in March due to the coronavirus outbreak, Jake Krolick, a creative director with the Advertising Specialty Institute, started making a habit of early morning walks around his Fairmount neighborhood. As he strolled through the streets, he noticed the rainbow drawings, signs of encouragement and thanks to essential workers, and balloon rainbows (which were installed by Fairmount-based event and balloon stylist Jace Florescio of Florescio Events) that filled his neighbor’s windows and stoops.
“I hadn’t seen a lot of positive things coming out from our country,” says Krolick. “In Italy, I saw people who were filming people out on balconies and interacting with one another. I hadn’t seen a lot from here.”
So Krolick decided to capture it himself. Over the course of a month, he filmed the signs of hope he saw spreading around Fairmount. He recorded a voiceover himself and spent a couple of weeks editing to turn it into a moving tribute to his community and a message to the world that positivity persists in Philly.
“I want to give a thank you to my neighbors for what they’re doing,” says Krolick. “It’s a positive reminder that there are good things happening as well.”
You can watch Krolick’s video tribute here.
Covidivity – Life in our Philadelphia Neighborhood from Jake Krolick on Vimeo.
