Isaac Harvey of iNeedCoolVids is a Pond5 Exclusive artist, award-winning video editor, and President of Wheels and Wheelchairs, among many other incredible things. He was born in East London with limb pelvic hypo aplasia, which means no arms and short legs, but he still overcomes obstacles with “This Ability.” His indomitable spirit has propelled him into a life of adventure while spreading authenticity and a vital dose of infectious optimism and hope.
“I am not here to change the world. I’m here to change people’s worlds.”—Isaac Harvey.
After spotting Isaac’s fantastic LinkedIn post for Pride Month, we were inspired by his message of inclusivity and representation and how it extends to Pride Month, celebrating love in all its forms. We reached out to Isaac to get more of his sunny, determined perspective on representation and pride:
Man In Electric Wheelchair In Stylish Hat Taking Part In Pride In London Parade by iNeedCoolVids
Pond5: What does representation mean to you? You provide a lot of content about your disability on your Pond5 storefront and YouTube channel – why do you feel that’s important to share?
Isaac Harvey: Representation reflects our world by showing a mixture of people in advertising, social media content, and b-roll. It’s so important for people to get this right when you know that we live in a world of different cultures, disabilities, races, backgrounds, and more. Why wouldn’t you want to represent the diverse community we live in?
Pond5: That’s a great question. What inspires your creative process?
Isaac Harvey: I have been quite lucky to have a creative mind and could express this through YouTube. I created vlogs of my different adventures doing activities that, for the most part not knowing were possible with a disability. From skiing, skydiving, and even tall-ship sailing, if it was there to be done, then why not do it? Disability was never the focus. I just loved creating videos. However, friends and family kept telling me the impact I could be making if I did include it. So, I slowly implemented this into my videos, where people appreciated it and helped change their perspectives on disability. I began to see firsthand the impact I was making, so I continued.
Behind Sit Ski Downhill Adaptive Skiing On Colorado Mountain Fresh Powder by iNeedCoolVids
Pond5: How did you choose the content you feature on Pond5?
Isaac Harvey: I have been filming for over ten years, sharing varying journeys that I have been on. All these videos I had stored on a hard drive where most of the footage was just catching dust. It’s not like me to waste any footage if I don’t have to.
In 20218 I used Pond5 to find footage to help me create short promotional videos for a friend with a record label. I ended up becoming quite intrigued to see if there was any sort of disability content available for purchase. There was some very interesting footage but I did not see the unique footage I have on the platform. So I thought sharing it with the broader community opens an opportunity allowing it to represent people with different abilities. This is why I always try to avoid anything generic and bring something new when choosing what I would like to create.
Pond5: What kinds of messages or stories do you hope your content will help tell?
Isaac Harvey: That even with a disability, life still goes on and can be fulfilling. Also, to show others what can be done with technological advancement and new ideas enabling people with disabilities to do what may have been seen as impossible at one point. I’m also hoping that with my Pride collection, for example, people can use the unique footage in any story or documentary piece if it fits the vision.
Crowds Of People Celebrating Annual Lgbtq Gay Pride In London Parade by iNeedCoolVids
Pond5: We first connected via your amazing LinkedIn post highlighting your Pride content. Can you tell us more about why that event was so special to you?
Isaac Harvey: It was the second time that I had gone to celebrate London Pride back in 2017. I aimed to create a documentary ‘vlog’ capturing the atmosphere and people of the community. I never ended up finishing the video due to commitments. Still, I had a lot of unique footage from that day, showing the spirit of pride parades, intimate moments of togetherness, and beautiful instances of everyday life. I wanted to use it in some capacity and decided to get it onto Pond5.
Going over all the footage five years later brought back so many great memories and a lot of smiles from the people who had attended. And now, being able to pass it on to those who can create their own stories is something I find to be very special. I have been fortunate to share different representation resources and discuss their importance in businesses or individual projects. I am happy that I can bring something to the table that contributes to the ever-growing visuals helping diversity and inclusivity, especially as we celebrate the LGBTQ community.
Share the Love
We at Pond5 are happy about that too. And like Isaac says: “This Pride Month, let’s #ShareTheLove with every story we tell. 🌈” When it comes to representation and pride, we couldn’t say it any better. Have a look at Isaac’s work on his Pond5 storefront, and follow his adventures on Youtube, featuring outstanding videos made using his feet.