Shared Vision / Vision House

Honorable Mention Award at the 11th Annual DifferenceMaker $50,000 Idea Challenge

Sammy Santana, Architectural Studies and Writing student, also known as Team Shared Vision / Vision House pitched his innovative idea surrounding education in the film industry at the 2023 DifferenceMaker Idea Challenge!

Sammy explained to the judges that there is a large gap of people who do not have access to learn about film since it can be very costly. He noted that film hubs like Los Angeles, Miami, and New York pull a lot of creative talent away from the New England area with their long-lasting influence in the film industry. Students feel pressured to move away to these locations to have any chance of landing a role in film or production. This often causes students to struggle financially while attending school but also leaves them to fend for themselves as they are far from home. As a film student himself, Sammy noticed that the opportunities in New England are not nearly as prominent as they are in other places. Not to mention, the level of education in other parts of the country in this industry is much stronger. To provide real-world experience as well as professional, resume-level opportunities for people would change the game.

Sammy proposed to start a company, Shared Vision. Essentially this would be an educational program which can provide a hands-on education to individuals who are looking to get into the film industry. Shared Vision was created to empower the filmmakers of tomorrow by educating them through real-world experiences. It would provide opportunities for hands-on technical training, educational courses to improve media literacy skills, and digital resources to help develop creative potential. Shared Vision will have a for-profit LLC subsidiary titled, Vision House. Shared Vision would be in conjunction with Vision House, a film business. Vision House was a proposed production company that offered over 100 different roles within multiple fields of production including feature and short films, television, commercial, and agency (or client) production, as well as talent management, and post-production services. Shared Vision and Vision House would serve the community as a nonprofit bridging the gap between film industry professionals and individuals interested in film careers with hands-on training. This solution deviates from the idea of sending students to film school to obtain a degree by allowing them to apply, intern, and participate in real production projects that will give them hands-on training in production. The main goal of Vision House was to educate by creating a pool of knowledge from professionals in the area and producing projects to allow classrooms to be out in the field rather than in a lecture hall. As students gain experience and expertise, they can benefit from career opportunities by becoming mentors and paying forward what they’ve learned. Essentially, Vision House aims to be an East Coast Hollywood without the controversy and exclusivity by putting student knowledge ahead of financial gain.

Team Share Vision/Vision House won $2,000 Honorable Mention Award at the 11th Annual DifferenceMaker $50,000 Idea Challenge. The team will use these funds to invest in digital media equipment and social outreach.