Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Crawley.
Scott, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
After teaching at a few well known film schools in the LA area, I started to feel guilty about how much the students were paying for tuition in order to get a degree that isn’t really necessary for success in the entertainment industry. I myself have been paying back over $700/month in student loans for almost a decade now, so I decided to carve out my own “greatest hits” program, and open an affordable film school bootcamp that doesn’t waste any time or money.
Has it been a smooth road?
Although it has been a rewarding experience, it has not been a smooth road to say the least. The process of getting accredited is painstakingly difficult and time-consuming, which means that my students must pay for tuition out of pocket, rather than take out private and government loans with high interest rates. Luckily, SFMA’s tuition is purposefully inexpensive, therefore it’s still a viable option for most people who would like to enroll.
I’d say that gaining exposure to our target audience has been an uphill battle as well.
Most large film schools are able to dump hundreds of thousands of dollars into marketing and advertising every year, but as a small and relatively unknown startup in an oversaturated market, we had to rely on organic reach through social media and referrals from satisfied graduates. We tried online advertising for a while, but the conversion analytics didn’t seem to add up in our favor, whereas the dozens of unanimous 5-Star reviews definitely helped strengthen our reputation over time.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Sharp Focus Media Academy story. Tell us more about the business.
Sharp Focus Media Academy is a fast-paced, hands-on, film school intensive that’s designed to help students figure out what talents they possess, and how to utilize those skills to gain and maintain future employment. The great thing about our program is that we teach all aspects of the filmmaking process, from Development, to Pre-Production, to Principle Photography, all the way through Post-Production. This challenges student to become more proactive, and to discover potential opportunities that they might not ever known existed.
And to top it all off, our students’ in-class experience can be listed on a professional resume, because each session actually produces a real project for a real client.
Aside from running SFMA, I also own CRAWLEYWOOD Productions LLC, which is a boutique digital media services company that creates all types of content for all types of clients (e.g. commercials, music videos, live events, etc). The great thing about operating both companies, is that they allow me to vet potential SFMA students to join the crews on paid CRAWLEYWOOD gigs after graduation. Of course, we don’t absolutely guarantee employment to anyone after completing the program (no school truly can), but it gives us the ability to know who would be a good fit for certain departments, and whether or not they’re reliable enough to hire and/or recommend them to our professional network.
One of the things that we’re most proud of at SFMA is the quality of our program. At the risk of sounding braggadocious, our students retain more relevant information after our 12-WEEK intensive than most graduates coming out of the 12-MONTH programs at other expensive “degree mills”. There’s no wasted time or money, and we don’t sugar-coat anything.
It’s our duty to tell people what they need to hear, which is often times not necessarily what they want to hear. Otherwise, we would be doing a terrible disservice to our students, and ourselves as well.
It’s not about paying for an expensive piece of paper to frame and hang on a wall. If someone doesn’t do their fair share of work in class, then they definitely don’t have what it takes to get a job in the real world. We’ve had students begrudgingly admit that they struggled with their grades in high school, but then they end up passing our program with flying colors by simply showing up on time, paying full attention to every subject, and not being afraid to learn new things. SFMA’s teaching methods are like nothing I’ve ever seen before. I think that’s what separates us from the competition.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
It’s really tough to gauge which direction that postsecondary education is heading. I think everyone is well aware of the massive student loan bubble that’s ready to burst any day now, due to the constantly rising tuition costs over the past couple of decades.
Although SFMA is technically classified as a “for-profit” school in terms of how we filed with the Secretary of State, but our business model is specifically designed to help students avoid getting themselves into crippling debt. Aside from the online tutorial method of learning (which doesn’t really provide any individual attention or hands-on experience), I can’t think of any other institute that has explored this avenue of filmmaking education. I guess the problem with being a “diamond in the rough” is there’s quite a bit of rough to sift through.
I once fell for the very same trap that I’m currently trying to navigate around. I moved out to LA from the Midwest in 2009, and was immediately hypnotized by the huge pillars and flashy curb appeal of the major “Big Box” film schools. After signing on the dotted line, it didn’t take long for me to realize that I was reeled in with the traditional hook, line, and sinker. There are literally busloads of prospective students flowing into open house tours every single day at these ultra-profitable mega schools, and their marketing formula is clearly working well for them. Regardless of how cautious people are becoming these days, I’m quite certain that this cycle will continue for many years to come, if not for the simple fact that most people are unaware of how the entertainment industry works until they observe it with their own hindsight.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.SharpFocus.com
- Phone: (323) 363-o345
- Email: info@SharpFocusMediaAcademy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharpfocusmediaacademy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sharpfocusmediaacademy/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SFMA_Glendale
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sharp-focus-media-academy-glendale
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