Janine Spruill
Lil' Filmmakers
Philadelphia, PA USA
"At the end of the day, if no one is offering you the opportunity, you have to create the opportunity for yourself."
Career Roadmap
Janine's work combines: Film, Entrepreneurship, and Teaching / Mentoring
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
Society will tell you that you have to get a nine to five job to make money and support yourself. We're fed this idea that the most important thing is money. You need to get a nine to five to feed yourself and buy a house. However, my fulfillment doesn't come from that. I get so much joy from helping these children. All they need is opportunity and they'll succeed—and I can provide that. That's my "why."
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Film and Media Arts
Temple University
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
I developed an interest and passion for film at a young age.
2.
By the time I got to college, I had already spent a lot of time reading about film and media.
3.
I went to Temple University for my degree in film and media arts.
4.
While in college, I earned extra money through video production—I’d get hired to film weddings, birthday parties, special events, and conferences.
5.
As I got close to graduating, I saw that there weren’t many opportunities for someone with a film major, so I continued to earn money and build my portfolio through freelancing.
6.
During my senior year of college, I decided to volunteer at my former elementary school and teach the kids how to use my video camera, write scripts, and perform.
7.
As more people learned about what I was doing, I got offers to bring my program to other schools and summer camps—I invested the money I earned back into the business.
8.
I turned the program into a nonprofit organization, Lil’ Filmmakers, and have been teaching kids to tell their stories through film and media for 20 years now!
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
You need to get a real job. Get a nine to five. That's the path to success.
How I responded:
Society will tell you that you have to get a nine to five job to make money and support yourself. We're fed this idea that the most important thing is money. You need to get a nine to five to feed yourself and buy a house. However, my fulfillment doesn't come from that. I get so much joy from helping these children. All they need is opportunity and they'll succeed—and I can provide that. That's my "why."