Video-maker highlights Philadelphia's delightful oddities

Some people may find it odd that David Siller, a lanky man with a brown beard, forages for berries and other edibles in Philadelphia forests. Videographer Cory Popp found it interesting, so he grabbed his Rebel T3I camera and followed Siller around in the woods for the day.

After six hours of shadowing and two weeks of editing on his laptop, Popp posted onto his website last week his 11th video on Philadelphia's hidden gems - entrepreneurs, artists, hikers, collectors, and ordinary people with stories to tell.

In addition to marketing his skills and enjoying a creative outlet, Popp hopes to improve the image of the city in which he was born, grew up, attended college (Temple University), and currently lives.

"Even though people love the city, they can have such a terrible view of it," he said, referring to comments on the forager video claiming that Philadelphia plants are too toxic to eat. "And there are lots of talented journalists in the city, but not enough to cover these kinds of things."

Popp, 24, who lives with his wife, Lauren, in South Philadelphia, makes his living shooting videos of houses for real estate companies. The commercial work, he said, "is not something I want to show off."

His creative work began with a mini-film titled A Very Philly Christmas, which showcased snow-powdered Rittenhouse Square, LOVE Park, and rowhouses decked out in red ribbons, wreaths, and icicle lights.

"Everyone just loved it - it was iconic Philly places under the snow, before everyone was sick of it," he said. "I knew that was the direction I wanted to go."

What followed were clips on service dogs, hikers, a series called Philly Makers on new or unique businesses in the city.

Siller, the forager, said that without Popp's videos, "people would definitely miss this kind of stuff."

The professional plant-gatherer, who supplies local restaurants, said he worried that he "wasn't doing a good job" of explaining his work during the six hours that Popp followed him in the woods. In the end, however, "he really got the highlights," Siller said.

While Popp found Siller on Instagram, he discovered the star of his latest clip while walking down a South Philadelphia street.

Betsy Alexander, whose own videos turn the spotlight on her piano-playing "Internet-famous" cat, Nora, welcomed Popp into her home, where she displays a vast collection of artwork.

"We have art from floor to ceiling - it's a very stimulating experience," she said. Alexander and her husband created, bought, or received each piece as a gift from friends and fellow artists. Oil paintings, blown glass, tin robot sculptures, and pieces of almost every imaginable type of art cover the walls and shelves.

"I can't wait to see the environment through his eyes," Alexander said of Popp's video. "It's clearly his passion - it's a privilege to be a part of someone else's art."

Popp spent about two hours with Alexander, but will edit the footage down to several minutes. Asked whether he would pursue longer features, perhaps documentaries, Popp said he was "still getting started," and compared himself to a chef still learning to make an entrée - not quite ready for a full-course meal.

"I'll definitely be doing longer pieces in the future," he said, adding that he plans to shoot some stores in North Philadelphia before possibly branching out of the city.

"I'd like to do something global," he said, saying he might have to upgrade to more professional equipment. "I like getting out of my comfort zone."

Editor's Note: This stort was changed to correct Cory Popp's wife's name to Lauren, instead of Laura.