Coli Sylla has built his work around a simple but powerful idea — every neighborhood has a story worth telling, and the people who live there are its most authentic historians.

What began as a creative curiosity about Philadelphia’s many communities has grown into an independent, grassroots documentary-style series dubbed ‘Where I’m From,’ focused on memory, identity, and lived experience.

Sylla’s path to this project started in screenwriting in California, where he worked on ghostwritten and uncredited scripts alongside other writing projects. But when he eventually returned to his hometown of Philadelphia, the idea for ‘Where I’m From’ began to take shape during his commute on SEPTA’s regional rail.

“I would just be listening to these conversations on the train, and one morning, there was an older couple. I remember the lady saying, ‘Well, that’s Frankford for you.’ And it dawned on me — man, I know absolutely nothing about Frankford. It would be interesting to have a podcast about random neighborhoods in Philadelphia and just what it was like growing up there,” remembers Sylla.

Sylla produced the podcast by traveling through neighborhoods like North Philadelphia, Germantown, and Mount Airy, recording interviews with residents about their experiences and recollections. Although the podcast gained momentum, it was eventually paused due to illness, but Sylla continued working in media. In 2017, the creative even explored a potential adaptation of the concept through a development deal with Vin DiBona’s Fishbowl Worldwide Media (creators of ‘America’s Funniest Home Videos’).

However, the project didn’t move forward — instead, it just needed a pivot.

“In 2025, I got laid off from Comcast, and I said to myself: ‘You know what? This is a low point of my life.’ It was my second time being laid off, and I was struggling with depression. But creativity has always saved me. That creative energy has always invigorated me and guided me and motivated me,” continues Sylla. “I decided I’m going to take this idea and I’m going to resurrect ‘Where I’m From’, but I’m going to do it as a web series.”

Drawing inspiration from interview-based YouTube storytelling and reconnecting with past podcast guests, the concept was revamped. The first episode covered Mt. Airy in January, while the second focused on Broad and Olney in March.

“As a screenwriter, I wanted to tell stories and create these worlds that would inspire and motivate people. And as the creator and executive producer of ‘Where I’m From’, I’m doing exactly what I wanted to do, except I’m not following a script. I’m shaping people’s experiences and creating a story out of what they’re telling me,” explains Sylla.

When structuring the stories for the series, Sylla always leans into nostalgia. So people will hear snippets of neighborhood tales, community gems, and moments that could have only happened in that specific area.

“I’m not looking for a perfectly structured, well-crafted narrative. I’m looking for somebody to take me into a world and just guide me through it,” continues Sylla. “We’re doing North Philly, then we’re doing East Oak Lane, West Oak Lane, West Philly, and I’m probably going to call that Season 1. Then we’re going to retool and see if we can find some sponsorship or some branding or some financial support to expand for Season 2 for a greater experience.”

A key part of that vision for Season 2 includes bringing the series directly into communities through neighborhood block parties and live storytelling activations at cultural events like the Odunde Festival, setting up spaces where people can share memories in real time, either through live recordings or shorter episodes designed for online release. Beyond Philadelphia, Sylla also envisions expanding the concept into other cities in New Jersey, New York, and Atlanta.

There are some obstacles—like the growing strain on data storage resources, which has been exacerbated by the rise of AI. Increased usage has driven up the cost of SSD and HDD storage for the small team behind the production. But much like its stories, ‘Where I’m From’ plans on living on.

“My brother does real estate and we were having a conversation. He had mentioned that this is a good resource for new people coming into the city and coming into these neighborhoods, learning what it’s like or what it was like growing up in these areas. We’re housing neighborhood history and defining neighborhood culture—this is a way to preserve that, but it’s also a good resource. I’m hoping that can continue and I’m hoping to really be able to preserve the memories and give a balanced portrayal of some of these neighborhoods,” finishes Sylla.

“You look at some of the videos on YouTube of North Philadelphia [and it’s] hyperviolent, drug-ridden areas. I’m not saying those don’t exist…but within those experiences are still positive, uplifting, nostalgic and memorable experiences of the people who were living there who may have never had the chance to tell their story. That’s what this is doing—It’s just another voice, another submission to the neighborhood literary canon.” 

To learn more and catch future episodes of ‘Where I’m From’, visit their page on YouTube  (@WHRMFRM). 

MORE: Temple alum takes center stage in ‘Shucked’ Philly run

Keywords

Philadelphia,

Coli Sylla,

Where I’m From,

documentary,

neighborhoods,

culture,

storytelling,

community,

media,

local news