For the love of Chicago

Nick Strolia ’17 is a Chicago native and self-described “natural optimist” with a knack for video creation. Drawing from the Flyer value of community, he created a way to bring the city of Chicago together in hope during the pandemic.

“I would like to first state, on record, that Chicago is the best city in the world,” Strolia said. “It is the birthplace of deep-dish pizza, skyscrapers and a ‘roll-up-your-sleeves-and-get-the-job-done’ mentality. Over the past few months, our city has evolved into an eerie, almost unrecognizable place. I felt a need to remind everyone of what makes Chicago so great and decided a video would do the most justice.”

Strolia said his love of his city and his desire to help others drove his work. He worked with the mayor’s office to complete the project. 

“This project started with a simple vision: to remind Chicagoans that nothing can ever strip away what makes us us — not even a pandemic,” Strolia said. “There was no real roadmap aside from that. I think my favorite part of working on this project was just how easily late nights turned into early mornings.”

The video features images of the city and the words of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. 

“We start by not forgetting who we are as people,” the mayor says in the video. 

As far back as high school, Strolia was involved with storytelling through audio-visual effects and editing software. Through college, he continued to hone his video projects. 

“At UD, my roommate and I majored in entrepreneurship, but we took a class or two on Adobe After Effects and were often working on little videos here and there,” Strolia said. “I remember when he bought a DJI drone for the first time and, within minutes, the expensive toy was stuck in a tree behind our house on Kiefaber.”

The Chicago video has been shared on Facebook and Twitter by many Chicago-focused pages, including the mayor’s Twitter account. Strolia said he has received opportunities to work on political campaigns and create content for companies in Chicago since he released the video.

“I simply wanted to contribute my editing and storytelling skills to create an uplifting message,” Strolia said. “I hope Chicagoans who watch the video find inspiration to power through this uncomfortable moment in time, as there is a light at the end of the tunnel.”