A video released by the Edmonton Economic Development Corporation (EEDC) on Tuesday is being applauded for its honest yet proud depiction of the city.
The video — entitled IMPACT 2018 — is narrated by Edmonton Eskimos quarterback Mike Reilly.
Footage of the city, including the river valley, outdoor hockey rinks, post-secondary schools and Commonwealth Stadium is shown — often during dark morning or evening hours.
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Reilly describes Edmonton as “a work hard, play hard kind of place.
“If you’re born with a silver spoon and want to sit on the beach all day, this probably isn’t your kind of place.”
The video was first shown at the EEDC annual address on Tuesday. It also shows images of local business owners, health care workers, athletes, musicians and students.
“We all stay here because we’re part of building something,” Reilly can be heard saying. “A community. A city. Not New York or Toronto or Calgary — definitely not Calgary… A city of champions. Definitely champions. Always champions.”
It ends with Reilly kneeling on the football field and looking directly into the camera, saying: “I wouldn’t live anywhere else.”
“To me, it’s a celebration of who we are and I think it represents a shift in mentality for Edmontonians,” said Jared Smith, principal of Incite Marketing. “I think a lot of people in Edmonton, five years ago or longer, were apologetic about being Edmontonian.”
He believes that over the last several years, people have become less shy about revealing they’re from Edmonton. Smith says locals are starting to find upsides in what others might have considered downsides.
“It is cold here and it is kind of hard to live here — this is a northern city — but there’s a sense that we’re embracing that as an advantage because we work hard, we get up early, we know how to fight the tough fight. Our city is changing.”
Smith applauds the video’s use of “real” people: showing entrepreneurs, nurses and doctors.
“The City of Champions obviously was a moniker used a lot in the 80s when we had the Grey Cups and the Stanley Cups and the winning teams. I think that we’ve become a lot more than that.
“There’s a deeper, resonating feeling to being a champion in this city.
“I thought they did a good job of creating a model around the more individual movements, the people that make up the fabric of the city, and that they’re champions as well,” Smith said.
He said the video gives a sense of a grassroots movement, showing Edmonton being built by Edmontonians.
“Grit and love — to me, it’s that juxtaposition. It is kind of what Edmonton is about,” Smith said.
“We have a certain compassion for each other. A lot of people that move here from other cities say it’s like a small big town, that you feel like there’s two or three degrees of separation, there’s a real sense of community here and compassion for each other.
“It’s also a place that we’ve learned the hard way how to roll up our sleeves and have some resilience.”
Smith said he’s heard from others that the video leaves them feeling really proud to be an Edmontonian.
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