Jim Wolak says he’s cherished the Chargers “for as long as I’ve loved football” — even though he “officially” moved to San Diego only three weeks ago.
But even at 22, Wolak is already wise to the ways of Bolts fans, and proved his fever with lightning speed and an 18-minute video posted Wednesday. After 24 hours, the highly polished “Combined Tackle” had already been viewed 1,500 times.
“We need to make sure that the NFL owners, including Dean Spanos, see it!” he said. “After all, they are the ones we need to convince. My hope is that this video gets so big that they have to watch it.”
Wolak says he’s always planned on moving to San Diego after college, “so I did just that.” In his last semester at Temple University in Philadelphia, he did his film department’s LA Study Away program.
He said he had Los Angeles internships from January to May in his first visit to California.
“While there, the news broke about the Chargers considering leaving and that’s when I knew something had to be done,” he said via email. “This video is a product of me doing what I can to support my Bolts!
Saying he’s in love with the city, the unemployed videographer added: “I don’t know what I would do without my team here.”
A native of Nazareth, Pennsylvania, Wolak attended what he called “a fantastic school,” Northampton Community College, and then Temple for his bachelor’s in film and media arts.
“This is my first video as far as sports media goes,” said Wolak, who now lives south of Poway. “I also do music videos, interviews, promos, TV studio projects, etc. I also produced a few short films, but they have not been released yet.”
He attended the San Diego Society of Professional Journalists panel discussion Wednesday night on how local journalists cover the Chargers and stadium issues.
Times of San Diego: Your reaction to the SPJ panel’s consensus that the Chargers are leaving San Diego?
Jim Wolak: My reaction to the SPJ consensus that the team is probably leaving was kind of nerve wrecking. Yes, I understand that their job is simply to report, but I felt a lack of confidence from everyone there. I came to that meeting riding the high of my video and all the support of the fans, only to be shot down by what their predictions were about the team possibly relocating.
Look, I respect everyone there very much and I know nobody wants to see the team leave, but we need to rally everyone together and do whatever we can to keep the Chargers here. We can’t think that the NFL has already made a decision. Even if that’s true, we can’t sit around and do nothing! We need to speak up and let everyone know that we are not OK with the Chargers leaving.
How many fans are in video?
I can’t remember how many fans are in the actual video, but by the time we finished shooting, we had roughly 27 interviews with fans and other supporters. We were not able to fit everybody in the video due to time restraints and content, but we really appreciate the people who were eager to voice their thoughts. We met a lot of the people online through other fans.
Why include Raiders fans?
The idea to include Raiders fans crossed my mind when I realized that this is bigger than just football. Yes, we are rivals and yes we hate each other — at least on the field, but this off-season, as Dr. Death himself put it, we have the same agenda. We both want the same thing — to keep our teams where they already are. So in that sense, we are working together.
So I thought it was such a powerful message to fans that we can put aside our rivalry to accomplish a common goal. Also, with a bigger group, we can accomplish bigger things! Now, let me explain why I dove so deep into the Raiders culture. Before meeting with Dr. Death, I had assumed all Raiders fans were nasty, evil people, but I soon realized that’s not the truth at all!
I wanted to show the rest of the world that this fan base is actually doing some good in the community. I understand that by releasing this video, I may damage the intimidating factor that the Raiders have, but if there’s ever a time to reveal yourself to the world, it’s now! We need to do everything we can to keep our teams. Sacrifices are being made.
Anyone refuse to appear in video?
There were only a couple of instances where someone didn’t want to be in the video because they were shy. Obviously these people want their Chargers to stay as much as everyone else — they just weren’t comfortable on screen. Those instances were when I was asking strangers outside of a Padres game to say a few things. A lot of them probably thought they were being “put on the spot.”
Your favorite footage?
I’d hate to pick out my favorite parts, but my editor and I really enjoy the whole Danny Coyle’s section. We found this amazing bar in San Francisco that Chargers fans basically took over. We went up there to get interviews and just had a blast!
The people there were so much fun. They have a whole community of people and it’s not just football anymore. They have a Facebook group where they coordinate camping trips and other events. It’s just a great group of guys up there in San Francisco that are fighting to keep the Bolts where they belong. I also enjoyed visiting Oakland to attend a Silver and Black Alliance meeting. The Raiders fans were so friendly and it was just cool to be a part of something like that even if it was for my rival team.
When was video filmed?
I think I started shooting mid-March with my classmate and camera operator Kevin Otte. We came down to San Diego from L.A. to get B-roll footage of the city. The interviews took a while to get. Thankfully, my producer Marisa Cali was able to find interesting people. She also works for Save Our Bolts, so I know she is just as dedicated as I am. We wrapped shooting after the San Francisco NFL League meeting May 19.
How long did it take to edit?
I’m so glad you asked about editing. Kevin Otte and I edited the entire project in just two days! That’s incredible when you think about how much footage we had. Even I don’t know how many hours we had to log. Anyway, we spent 10 hours editing on the first day, and the second day we edited for a full 24 hours! It was very strenuous, but it was important to get it released as soon as possible. Somehow, I was still able to make it to the SPJ meeting after that 24-hour editing session!
Cost to make video?
We didn’t have a budget for the video. Anything we needed to pay for came out of my pocket (which isn’t very big considering I am a recent college graduate). Driving to San Francisco on two separate occasions were on me except for the time I took Marisa with me. She threw me some money to cover half of the gas cost. Kevin graduated with me and we are pals. This is more of a passion project, so he was willing to work for free. I just paid for food. I couldn’t tell you exactly how much it cost to make the video, but I know it wasn’t cheap.
How is video being promoted?
I just assumed we would share the video as much as we can on social media. Getting people to share it is the real challenge, but we are doing very well with that. I just want the whole world to see it and know how much this team means to the fans. Maybe Dean Spanos will watch it — who knows? Oh and it would be incredible if I knew that Philip Rivers watched it. Philip is my personal hero, and his passion and leadership on the field has inspired me to do a lot of things in my life — like make this video!
I haven’t thought out how to get the video out there much more than social media. Maybe I could convince a major news organization to air it? That would be a dream come true!
How did you discover Chargers bar in San Francisco?
I feel terrible about this, but I can’t remember honestly who told me about Danny Coyle’s. It was probably David Agranoff or Marisa Cali. Regardless, it is pretty well-known to be THE Chargers bar in San Francisco now.
How do you feel about Chargers owners not taking CSAG financing plan seriously?
I’m not even too aware about how the NFL owners are taking CSAG’s financing plan. I’ve been more focused on completing my video and rallying the fans together. Anyway, I hope the NFL does realize how much this team means to San Diego and I hope they honor the Chargers/Raiders rivalry. In fact, maybe the NFL should just watch my video. Maybe then they will be convinced that the team needs to stay. They need to stop thinking about the money and start thinking about the emotional connection that these fans have with their teams and their communities.
Who should see this video?
Not only should all of the media outlets push this video to the public, but we need to make sure that the NFL owners, including Dean Spanos, see it! After all, they are the ones we need to convince. My hope is that this video gets so big that they have to watch it. To do that, we can’t rely on the support of just Chargers and Raiders fans — we need fans of every other team to pitch in and support us! Heck, even non-football fans should share this video! It means that much!
David Agranoff of Save Our Bolts says in video “he’s done” being a Chargers fan if Bolts go to L.A. Think Dean Spanos cares?
Almost everyone I interviewed said they will not root for the Chargers if they move to L.A., including myself. Do I think Dean Spanos cares? I hope so! If Spanos doesn’t care about his fans, then what’s the point of owning a team? You should be proud of your team and support your fans who have supported you! I do think Spanos cares. I do think he wants to stay. I hope he makes the right decision, and I hope the rest of the NFL respects it.
Anything else readers should know about the video?
The readers should know how much work I put into this video. I slaved over it for months, and I don’t want my efforts to go to waste. Please share the video and please help support the cause!
