Today we’d like to introduce you to Phil Ebiner.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Phil. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
In 2012, I had just graduated from Loyola Marymount University’s film school. I was working full time as a video producer and photographer for a small college in Irvine where I was researching online education. Udemy.com popped up as a start-up with a really cool interface – where anyone could teach a course! As someone who was always looking for more ways to make some extra money (to pay down a mountain of over $100,000 in student loan debt), I thought – hey, I’ll make a course!
I made some extra ‘beer’ money from that first course the first month it was published in October 2012. Since then, I’ve gone on to produce over 100 courses in 10+ languages taken by over 2 million students around the world. We teach all kinds of things like photography, video production, design, art and business. It’s been a wild adventure of sharing my passion and knowledge with the world that has turned into a full-time job.
Has it been a smooth road?
I was never a teacher professionally. So learning how to create an engaging online course wasn’t easy in the beginning. Now, I look back at those first courses and cringe because I look so young and a bit nervous. But over time, I’ve gotten more comfortable in front of the camera.
During those first few years, I was building Video School Online while working full-time jobs. So every night and weekend, I was filming and editing courses. At the time, I didn’t really have much of a life outside of this, but it has paid off in the end because now my business gives me a lot of freedom to work on what I want to when I want to.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Video School – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Video School Online aims to create beginner-friendly courses on a range of creative skills. Our primary goal is to create great beginner courses for anyone just getting into a topic. While we have more advanced topics, I think our bread and butter are our courses tailored to anyone brand new to a hobby or skill.
Over the past 8+ years, I’ve heard countless stories from people who have taken our courses and went on to either get a new job, get a promotion, or start their own business doing what they love. To me, this is super exciting – that someone can actually use our courses not only for fun but to also financially better themselves.
What sets us apart from others is the incredible amount of content and support you get for a low price. Typically our courses sell for under $50. For that low price, you can get courses that sometimes have 20+ hours of video lessons, downloadable workbooks, access to a private student Facebook group, instructor feedback and support, and much more. It’s the deal of a lifetime for the cost of a few coffees.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love Los Angeles for its diversity and progressiveness. We’re always on the cutting edge of new ideas and trends. Growing up here, I was always aware of the vast cultures and beautiful diversity we have in the world, which not everyone has. I love that you can live in Los Angeles your entire life and find something new and exciting in another neighborhood (even yours!).
Hmmm… what do I like least about our city? That’s tough. I don’t know if this is a fair critique because Los Angeles is so big. On one hand, I just said I love that it’s so big and diverse. On the other hand, it can feel too big and sprawling at times. I personally enjoy traveling to smaller towns and cities that have a more community-centric and close vibe. One of my favorite places that I’ve ever traveled is Switzerland (where my great grandfather was born). I go to some of those old European villages and dream of that more ‘simple’ lifestyle.
Part of being an Angeleno is always trying to progress, make change, be better. That’s a blessing and a curse when it creates people so stressed about their work and everything else going on in their lives.
Pricing:
- Our Photography Masterclass is the best way to jump into photography for beginners. Snag it for $49 here – https://courses.videoschoolonline.com/p/photography-masterclass
- Our Video Production Bootcamp is the best way to jump into making videos. Snag it for $49 here – https://courses.videoschoolonline.com/p/video-production-bootcamp
Contact Info:
- Website: VideoSchool.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philebiner/
- Other: https://photographyandfriends.com/
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