Colin Weir: “there’s no startup culture around video” in Philly

This is Exit Interview, a weekly interview series with someone who has left Philadelphia, perhaps for another country or region or even just out of city limits and often taking talent, business and jobs with them. If you or someone you know left Philly for whatever reason, we want to hear from you. Contact us.
In a few weeks, Colin Weir will be gone.
The Toms River, N.J. native video producer is leaving April 19 to work for TWiT.tv in Petaluma, Calif. A Rowan University alumnus, Weir, 25, is leaving a job as a video production specialist for a Center City hospital to chase dreams westward.
Though he wants to stay in Philly, he says there just isn’t a culture around video like Philly is developing in other creative fields. Below, Weir talks about how he sees Philly on his way to the airport.


What are the primary reasons you left Philadelphia?
I’ve been working at a hospital doing video work for just over two years now. For the past year or so, I’ve been looking for the next step in my career. But it just doesn’t seem to exist in Philadelphia.
I helped out doing video for a couple Ignites. I tried getting involved with a public access station, but they stopped responding to me after several emails. In between, I applied everywhere from major networks down to student films on Craigslist with nary a response.
Was there a specific event or moment that you realized you wanted to leave?
I don’t want to leave. I’d love to stay here in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, the work I’m looking for just doesn’t exist in this area. This job I landed on came about by chance, and it’s working for someone [Leo Laporte] who I’ve been following since I was 13 years old. I’d be foolish to pass it up.
What lessons can we learn from you as a region and a technology community about retaining talent?
When I look at the people I follow and know in the community in Philadelphia, these are the groups I see: developers, graphic designers, writers, advertisers, and PR. Some may fall into more than one or may specialize in more specific niches, but these are the types of people I’ve seen the most in my two and a half years here. From my perspective, those fields look strong and the people in them are doing great work.
But in video production, there isn’t much here. There are groups like Viddler, who I love and use to host my demo reels, but most of their work is on the developer end; content comes from the users. Shooters in Old City is a staple for a lot of production under big names like Food Network. NFL Films is right across the river in Jersey, although the impending NFL strike may leave them in a bad situation.
But there’s no startup culture around video. A new public access station started here, and I tried to get my foot in the door and get a job there, which I was ultimately turned down for. I tried volunteering, but stopped getting responses after a few times back and forth.
When someone you meet from outside the region asks about Philadelphia and its tech community, what do you tell them?
That it’s a strong community of smart people doing things they love to do. And a great city to eat your way across.
What is the perception you most often find of Philadelphia?
That it’s dirty, smelly, unsafe, uncultured, and the people only like to eat cheesesteaks and throw snowballs.
Do you think you would return to Philadelphia under appropriate circumstances?
Absolutely.