Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Florida Video Production Company Keeps Cameras Rolling for Community Amid
Pandemic

Chris Simkins

   FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA - Videographer John Oliva is used to shutting
   down his video production company at a moment's notice. It's usually
   when a hurricane is about to slam the South Florida coast. But in
   March, his business was hit with a different disaster: the coronavirus
   pandemic.

   "Everybody was pretty much ordered to stop operating, stay home. It was
   devastating," said Oliva, owner of Digital Cut Productions in Fort
   Lauderdale. Almost overnight, he didn't have new business coming in,
   his projects were canceled, and he worried about the future of the
   17-year-old company.

   "We weren't very prepared to be operating one day, shut down the next
   because of the coronavirus," the 55-year-old Oliva told VOA.

   After the initial shock, he and his wife, Lauri, decided they couldn't
   sit around as people suffered from isolation and mounting economic
   hardship.

   "Even if we weren't making money, we wanted to do what we could to help
   our community. So we said, 'Why don't we use our talents and find a way
   to do some good?'" said the veteran videographer.

.