Alan Goldsher is helping to jumpstart businesses around the city using his iPhone.

"The businesses need the community's support in the worst way,” he said.


What You Need To Know

  • Alan Goldsher has produced 240 promotional videos for businesses in New York City and his native Connecticut during the pandemic

  • He hails from the production and sales business, but says he was never the cameraman until last year

  • Goldsher would like to recruit more videographers to help even more small businesses

Goldsher comes from the world of sales and TV production. The Bronx resident put together award-winning nonprofit and community spotlights with his own company before the pandemic. But he didn't learn to work his own camera, or in this case, his iPhone, until about 14 months ago.

"I couldn't deal with being idle for the pandemic,” Goldsher said. “I needed to find something to engage myself and make my time purposeful."

Goldsher has produced 240  promotional videos in the city and in his native Connecticut during the pandemic. He gives them to the businesses to use as they please, mostly to post on social media. He admits the early ones weren't his best, but he's better now.

"I have a lot more confidence, but I also have to go in and make sure to dot my I's and cross my T's," he said.

And while he doesn’t do it often, sometimes that means Goldsher has to make sure he's sufficiently informed about the food he's spotlighting.

"The things I suffer for my art, having to eat delicious food.” he said, while digging into a dish at El Gauchito restaurant and butcher shop in Elmhurst. 

The businesses he profiles say they appreciate the help.

"We were impacted pretty hard. We were closed for 40 days,” said Marcello Civelli, the manager at El Gauchito. "Free advertising doesn't hurt. It doesn't hurt at all,” he added.

"Something like this you always want to do as a business owner, but then you don't know how or you just don't have time to do it," said Magdalena Levy from La Catrina Flower Studio in DUMBO.

Goldsher is a one man show. But now he wants to add more people to his crew so he can promote even more mom and pop shops.

"I think it's important to have these stories told," he said.

For sharpening his focus and putting the focus back on small businesses post-pandemic, Alan Goldsher is our New Yorker of the Week.