Hi there and welcome! We are current and former students of Film Connection, and we started this blog as a response to all the misleading information about so-called Film Connection scams scattered throughout the Internet. Why are people attacking the “Mentor Program” and in particular, Film Connection? The answer is simple. Over the years, Film Connection has had a great deal of success placing its students in often high profile studios, or film production houses. This is great, but herein lies the problem. You can’t expect to run a successful program without naysayers attempting to discredit you with stories of this or that Film Connection scam. Such is a fact of life.
But we cannot just sit back and allow these people to continue spreading what can only be described as utter garbage, so we started this blog to give you the real deal of what Film Connection is truly all about. Yes, Film Connection can arrange for you to meet studio execs and the like, as promised. BUT you still need to go through the experience a mentor program to benefit from and expertise that only an industry mentor can provide.
The problem is that many people have latched onto the fact that FC has a great many contacts and have joined up - or at least, attempted to join up - thinking that they will be fast tracked into a real Hollywood studio, often without doing any actual work. And when this doesn’t happen when and where they EXPECT it to happen, they attack the Film Connection’s mentor program by spreading lies about a perfectly legitimate company. But hey, we all know that we only get back what we put in. Do the work and reap the rewards.
Film Connection is a great system, but it is also just a tool to get into the industry. You must also be ambitious, conscientious, determined, and above all, hardworking. Also, it won’t do you good to fill your heads with false tales of an imagined Film Connection scam. If you really want to know the real deal about these so-called Film Connection scams and exactly what Film Connection can do for you, you’ve come to the right place.
Film Connection Scam: Know the True Story
Subscribe to the Film Connection Scam Podcast!
Film Connection Scam: Know the True Story
Subscribe to the Film Connection Scam Podcast!
Film Connection Scam: Know the True Story
Subscribe to the Film Connection Scam Podcast!
Film Connection Scam: Know the True Story
Subscribe to the Film Connection Scam Podcast!
The Film Connection Scam Rebuttal
An Entertainment Career Connection scam does not really exist, it just seems that way. In a world where receiving the career you want and the proper education to get it seems impossible, Entertainment Connection can seem like a scam.
Education was created for the purpose of teaching people a certain craft or skill that they can turn into a job. As education progressed, the way people were educated progressed as well. For certain careers, people attended schools and universities, to learn their craft. For other careers, students had to apprentice with someone in the field, and be taught that way. There is no right or wrong way to learn, but for some careers, certain methods of education are more effective.
For careers in the entertainment industry, college may not be the right way to go. The entertainment field is one place that students find their diplomas have no significance in. This is mostly because those who are in the entertainment field have figured out that college students are not who they want to hire. Oftentimes, students who have graduated college know very little about their chosen career, have never worked in it, have not learned to use the technology, and are generally less experienced and effective.
College does not do a very good job at training students for these careers. Lessons in college take place in lecture halls and classrooms, not in the studio. Many school cannot even afford the equipment needed to do well in these careers, and if a school does have the proper equipment, individual students do not usually get to use the equipment enough to learn it well. In these career fields, it is important to know the technology because there is a lot of it being used and employers really seek out those who they do not have to teach themselves. Much of the material they teach in college tends to be outdated and college graduates find it hard to update themselves once they are out in the real world.
An Entertainment Career Connection scam may not exist, but that does not mean that students can slack off in these courses. Everything takes work, and Entertainment Connection is no exception. Students are still expected to study and work hard with their mentors, complete assignments, and thoroughly learn the craft. That is why there is no Entertainment Career Connection scam, students are actually able to go out into the world and get their dream jobs. Employers appreciate students who graduate from practical programs such as Entertainment Connection because they trust they will get the job done.
Getting into the film business is not an easy prospect. There is an old saying in Hollywood, “It’s not what you know, but who you know.” Another way in is to be related to someone in the business. Nepotism does have its perks!
Some people work their way to the top from the ground up, by being an actor, or work as a crew member and work up to the head of that department. You could sell a screenplay and eventually direct your own movies. While this is possible, it is difficult.
Years ago, you would hear about people being discovered in drugstores, or on the street. While this is a remote possibility, it really doesn’t happen that much these days. It takes work, hard work to show our stuff, and get your foot in the door.
Another way in would be to go to a film school, to learn the art of making motion pictures. Many famous directors got their start this way, for example, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Oliver Stone.
Film Schools can be rather expensive if you take the courses offered by universities. Placement in the film industry is spotty at best.
That being said, there is another option. Film Connection, offers classes in Film Directing, Film Production, Film Editing, Acting, as well as other aspects of the film industry.
You see the name Film Connection and think, “I’ve heard this is a big Film Connection scam! They offer classes for less money and say they have a great placement rate! It’s too good to be true!”
Often this is the case when something seems too good to be true, it often is. There is no Film Connection scam, however.
When you are accepted into one of the programs at Film Connection, you are matched with a mentor n the field you are training for. If you wish to learn Film Editing, you will be paired with a Film Editor working in the business. You will learn at this persons elbow, and learn the correct way, not from a book. In other words, you will get practical hands on experience in film editing.
All of the other classes at Film Connection is done the same way. You will make valuable contacts within the industry, which will get your foot in the door to help you to jumpstart your career.
This is real, this is no Film Connection scam. Feel free to check out the website, which has links to students who have graduated and are working in the business.
Your choice: Spend thousands at a “Film School” at a University, or spend less and get real world experience, and contacts.
Many times, when you are a revolutionary in your particular field, there are those that do not like upset the status quo. And when you are Jimi Petulla, the mastermind behind the Film Connection, you are assaulted on all sides because you dared to upset the educational applecart.
There are many areas on the internet where you might see Jimi’s name associated with Film Connection scam. This is an unfortunate part of being a successful trailblazer. Those that believe you are throwing darts at the traditional educational system will rise up and call an educational institution that has been successful for nearly 30 years, a scam. Unfortunately, with the information highway the way it is today, anyone can say anything, and there will always be those that choose to believe them.
Movie Maker Magazine recently did an interview with Jimi Petulla to get his opinion on exactly what his courses consist of and how they differ than conventional education. Realizing that this Film Connection scam can grow like a cancer, Jimi explains thoroughly about his school and how it can be the best choice for anyone involved in the film industry.
Jennifer M. Wood, the interviewer, realizes that the Film Connection and its related schools are “throwbacks to the Renaissance period” where you paid your dues, were mentored and then earned a position with those that taught you. It’s a concept that worked then, and with the success of the Film Connection and its students, is still working today.
Jimi explained, even amongst the Film Connection scam being perpetrated, that the Film Connection, a division of Career Connection, is nothing more than a vehicle to connect film production companies with aspiring apprentices. He further testifies that thousands of beginners have found positions in film, radio and TV companies and stations worldwide.
The interviewer, Jennifer Wood, soon learned that history has shown that most people who are very successful in the entertainment industry, did not come out of colleges with degrees. Most of them started at the bottom of production and worked their way up the ladder until they were now living their dream.
The old adage, “Those who can do; those who can’t teach” is very true in this situation. Students are learning from those who live their career choice every day. Students are taught by working professionals who have agreed to mentor one of Film Connection’s students. They aren’t just teaching but also “showing” students exactly what to do on the working equipment in a real working environment. Those that call this situation a Film Connection scam are obviously frauds themselves and don’t have any understanding of true learning and mentorship.
If you are considering working with Film Connection to find a mentor and make your way into the Film industry, then you may have read some type of warning regarding a “Film Connection scam”. You should, of course, be careful in choosing what type of education you will receive. However, this caution should regard choosing the school that is right for you based upon what the school can offer you and not some vague claims of some type of scam perpetrated by such schools. The unfortunate reality is that sometimes people are not satisfied with a service, for a variety of reasons, and rather than accept that fact they would rather slander the name of the group that provided that service.
Film Connection provides a service to people interested in breaking into the film industry. By pairing you up with a knowledgeable, experienced mentor who works within the industry, Film Connection gives you a chance to get your foot in the door and learn on the job. If you are expecting to be directing a big budget blockbuster two weeks after beginning your work with a mentor, however, you may be sorely disappointed. The film industry is just like any other business, and you will have to pay your dues and impress those in charge to be given a real opportunity to shine.
The idea of a “Film Connection scam” typically comes from those who had expectations that were too high or those who would not work with the program, and then were displeased with the results. If you begin working with a mentor through Film Connection thinking that you will become the next Steven Spielberg, then you may be disappointed. On the other hand, you could become the next great filmmaker, but you will have to work your way up to that, it will not simply be handed to you by your mentor.
“Work” is the key word regarding making your apprenticeship a truly useful experience that can help you build your future. You will have to work, and you may have to go beyond what is expected of you to truly shine. That is true of college classrooms and workplace apprenticeships alike. Those few people who complain about Film Connection typically were unable or unwilling to do the work required of them to thrive and find success. Film Connection will give you the tools you need to build your future, but you have to put them to use. There is no “Film Connection scam”; there is only an opportunity for you to succeed as long as you are willing to put forth the effort to make it a reality.
It’s understandable to wonder if there’s a Film Connection scam going on. Those who hear about the program may initially think that the school is too good to be true, and couldn’t possibly live up to its promises. But the reality is that the Film Connection is a legitimate, well-respected program with a high rate of success among its graduates. It’s an attractive alternative to traditional film schools for a number of reasons. First, it costs a fraction of what you’d pay for other film programs. Secondly, it requires a much shorter time commitment, providing students with an intensive, highly focused education in the area of the film industry that interests them most.
Most importantly, the program provides each student with an internship at a film production company, working one-on-one with a personal mentor. This mentorship relationship is crucial in helping aspiring directors, actors, screenwriters–and many other film professionals–develop their craft, set goals, and embark upon their career. Unlike students who leave traditional film school with increasingly useless degrees and countless hours spent in a classroom, Film Connection graduates are already industry “insiders,” with the real-world experience and professional connections to prove it. That’s not a Film Connection scam–that’s a shrewd business model, with demonstrable success.
It’s a fact of life that in Hollywood, it’s all about “who you know.” Millions of hopefuls flock to Los Angeles and New York in the hopes of making it, but without the right connections, it can be nearly impossible to even get your foot in the door. (Whether this is good or bad is debatable. We can thank nepotism for giving us Sofia Coppola, Angelina Jolie, and Ben Stiller…And also Miley Cyrus, Carnie Wilson, and Tori Spelling.) By putting you in a film production company, working with industry professionals day in and day out, the Film Connection puts you on the “inside,” giving you the chance to impress the people who do the actual hiring. When you’ve completed the program and are ready to get a paying job, these are the people who can give you the hook up–or even hire you themselves.
Another advantage of Film Connection over traditional film schools is that you can learn right where you live. Students needn’t move to another city and pay for relocating and room and board. Since films are produced and shot nearly everywhere in the country, there are valuable internships to be found virtually anywhere. Each internship is custom-designed for each student, with flexible schedules that allow students to continue with other schooling and/or their “day” job. For those wise enough to distinguish between a great opportunity and a Film Connection “scam,” the program can be a life-changing experience.
The Film Connection is a career education program that places students in apprenticeships at film production companies. The program is most similar to an internship. However while many internships involve making coffee, organizing files or doing similarly mundane work in exchange for college credit, Film Connection is about learning to make films.
Participants in Film Connection internships get invaluable first hand experience observing, participating and contributing to the filmmaking process. They work with writers, producers, directors and editors to learn the intricacies of creating a motion picture.
Equally important, are the professional contacts and connections students can make while participating in a Film Connection mentorship program.
Not everyone who embarks on a career in the movie business is going to be the next Steven Spielberg. Many people who want to be directors will not even succeed in that. Not because they aren’t talented, but simply because there really only is a limited demand for television and film directors.
However many who embark upon a film career with the goal of becoming a director will discover another job in the industry that fulfills them financially and allows them to be a part of the movie-making process.
Film Connection offers no guarantee of success to anyone. Nor for that matter do the film schools at NYU or UCLA. Succeeding in the movie business takes talent, ambition and sometimes luck. If you have those traits and apply them, you may already be on your way to success. But even if you do have the talent, drive and ambition to make it in the movie business, Film Connection can certainly help you find a faster, more direct route to success.
Many of those who talk about a “Film Connection scam,” have perhaps signed up for the program with unrealistic expectations about what it could or would do for them. Others are likely misinformed about the nature of the program, while others may simply be bitter about their own lack of success in general.
But to label Film Connection a scam because you’re having a hard time in the business is tantamount to an unemployed lawyer saying law school was a scam. Success is down to the individual. Film Connection, or for that matter, any other kind of school or job training program cannot guarantee anyone of success. But what it can do is provide the tools, training and connections that will make success more likely to arrive. Where is the Film Connection scam in that?
Many successful filmmakers will tell you that film school is a scam, and even of the Film Connection Scam. Many of them are also likely to tell you that the money it costs to attend film school would be better spent on making your first feature film. In many ways, they may be right.
There are of course very fine film schools that produce top level talents that do go on to succeed. So while film school is a scam, it’s definitely not for everyone.
Film Connection is not a scam either. Nor is it a film school. Film Connection is an apprenticeship program that places students in internship-like situations. Film Connection participants work in film production houses under the tutelage of professional filmmakers.
They learn first hand about writing, directing, shooting, producing and editing film. Film Connection offers no ironclad guarantee of success, but what film school does? If a program did offer such a guarantee than you’d know that was a scam, which means the Film Connection scam has no basis.
Obviously not everyone who attends film school becomes Robert Zemeckis or Quentin Tarantino. Nor does everyone who attends Film Connection. However many people who participate in Film Connection apprenticeships go on to enjoy professional careers working in the film and television industry.
Nearly everyone who embarks on a career in film starts out wanting to be a director. The fact is there just isn’t that much demand for directors. Only the very good, the very lucky or the well connected will succeed.
Many, many others discover another job in the business that suits them along the way.
Film Connection is a great program for someone who wants to find themselves in the film business. No, it can’t turn you into Jim Jarmusch or George Lucas. But if you’ve got talent, drive and ambition, it can help you learn the skills you need to make films. Beyond that it can also help you meet the people you need to meet to find work.
Some of the people who talk about the Film Connection scam had very unrealistic expectations about what the program could do for them in the first place. To succeed in any level of the film business takes talent and drive. If you lack those vital traits perhaps you ought to consider a different career path.
However taking the blame out on an apprenticeship program like Film Connection is a waste of time and energy. For those with talent and an eye for opportunity, Film Connection represents a golden opportunity. It is only the bitter, the naïve or the uninformed who would make up stories about a Film Connection scam.
Imagine if, as a student of filmmaking, you were scoping out film schools, observing the sometimes-astounding cost of tuition for those schools, and then you noticed another program claiming to give you a similar quality education (possibly even better) for a tiny fraction of the cost of the other film schools. Would you think it was a Film Connection scam—that it was too good to be true?
The Film Connection just happens to be in that predicament. Although they are a fully-accredited school, they offer a program that at first glance might seem too good to be true—leaving some people wondering if they are a scam.
However, there’s actually a very reasonable explanation as to why The Film Connection can charge this little and make these claims about their program. It has very little to do with the quality of the content, and almost everything to do with the method by which the student receives the education.
The Film Connection has recognized that filmmaking is part art form and part trade, and that both art and trade are essentially learned by doing. Through the centuries, both artists and artisans have learned their crafts not through formal education, but through mentorship and apprenticeship—by consistent hands-on experience under the tutelage of a professional who took the apprentice under his/her wing. The Film Connection has taken this ancient mentor-apprentice approach and built their entire educational program around it. Rather than remove the students into a separated school environment to learn the curriculum, they have taken their curriculum into the real-world environment, paying seasoned working professionals to mentor students through the curriculum. As you can imagine, this greatly reduces the cost of the education, all the while helping students learn filmmaking in the best way possible: by actually doing it.
It seems too good to be true, simply because it is a completely different approach than competing schools are using. However, it’s difficult to take a time-tested, ancient approach to learning, and label it a Film Connection scam.
If the proof of the pudding is in the eating, then the real test of whether The Film Connection works is in the many students who have come through the program. One film student says this: “A week after I joined the program, I was working on a famous music video which was a great experience. It was my first opportunity with the program and the week following that I was working on a Roger Corman movie which had a budget of about $200,000, and by the time that film was over, I was the second assistant director.”
The mentorship-apprentice approach has been used for centuries for this very reason: it works. If The Film Connection uses this approach so effectively for a fraction of the cost of other film schools, is it really too good to be true? Is it a Film Connection scam? That’s difficult to imagine.
The proper way to go about starting a career in the entertainment field, such as music production or film editing, is to have talent, good work ethic, hands-on experience, and connections. Four-year colleges do not prepare students with these skills that are needed to start their careers. The Entertainment Career Connection scam is that Entertainment Connection is not a scam at all, but probably the most worthwhile education to pursue for those looking to go into the entertainment field.
Many grow up wanted to work in the music field as a producer, technician, or even radio disk jockey. Others grow up wanting to become movie directors, film editors, and producers. The promise of your name in lights and life in Hollywood has been a tempting one, for more than half a century. In modern times, as those fields offer more fame and more money, a vast quantity of people have also decided to go into this career field.
However, this is not an easy career field. It is very competitive, and most places will not hire someone unless those people already know what they are doing, are experienced in the field, used to working with the various equipment, and come highly recommended. For this reason, four-year colleges are useless to those who wish to work in this field.
The Entertainment Career Connection scam is that Entertainment Connection allows students to learn from teachers who are actually professionals in the field. This is one of the best benefits of the program. The mentor-apprentice program pairs students with a professional who works in the field, and the students will learn the field from them. The ‘mentor’ will take the students under his or her wing, take them to work, introduce them to people, teach them to work with equipment, and show them what the career is really like, once the student starts working.
This is what makes the education at Entertainment Connection superior to a college education. In college, most professors and teachers students will be receiving instruction from have never worked in the field, or else worked in the field in the past. Most professors do not know what the field is like, and cannot adequately teach their students about what to expect or prepare for in the future.
The Entertainment Career Connection scam is not a scam at all, the program pays those in the field to take on students to mentor. Plus, unlike other internships that most college students receive, they will not just be fetching coffee and taking out the trash. Instead, students have a set course, assignments, and a real class that takes place in the recording studio.
