Alonzo Van Wilson- Founder

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My career journey began in 1983 in Wilmington, North Carolina, my hometown. I was 18, a senior in high school, an aspiring journalist. During this time an Italian filmmaker, Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis, built a film studio in my hometown. Mr. Dino, as we called him, brought along his Italian crew and some American crew (department heads) whose tasks were to run the studio and make films, but also to TEACH the locals the skills needed to become the crew for the productions. 

  The rest, as they say, is history.  You may call it fate,  I call it OPPORTUNITY.

The majority of our participants are alumni of other great programs that don't create productions. SMP Rise produces micro-productions as a way of providing opportunity. It is the goal of SMP Rise to be the bridge to continued training in symphony with other organizations.  SMP Rise addresses a gap in foundation skills and the "next level" skills to RISE in the industry.

HOW SMP RISE provides solutions to the challenges of those we serve:

1. BARRIERS TO OPPORTUNITY - non-union/entry level crew and creatives confront barriers in networking with union professionals for an opportunity to grow and learn.

•  SOLUTION -  we create opportunity for one-on-one mentor/apprentice engagement and interaction through seminars and by producing micro-productions where the mentor can teach the apprentice the skills and offer hands-on training.

2. FINANCIAL BURDEN - entry level positions are low-paying, but any source of income is crucial to survival. Our participants can't afford film school and they can't afford to pass on even a low-paying gig to attend classes and seminars to learn for free. 99% will always choose the paycheck for survival over growth.

• SOLUTION - we have a learn & earn model adding the financial incentive to learn. We provide a stipend to make the decision to rise in the industry easier. You can think of this as a scholarship of sorts our donors provide with their *tax deductible support. (*based on tax laws related to 501(c) 3 donations)

3. LACK OF CREDITS TO BUILD RESUME - many participants choose the "guerrilla filmmaking"  approach, where you work on a friends short film for a chance to experience a new area of production or attempt to hone a current skill. Most of these projects never make it to screen or festivals and they don't have professional mentors on the project.

• SOLUTION - Our productions  will reach the screen for public viewings, film festivals, and the like, which will provide screen credit in tandem with the skill endorsement from our professional mentors as well as a solid work credit on their resume.

4. PATH TO UNION ELIGIBILITY -  finding a path to union eligibilIty and status is a long journey without the opportunity to connect with those who can open the union door.

• SOLUTION - This is where the mentors are key. If the apprentice shows promise the mentor has the ability to invite the apprentice to work on a union production when the opportunity presents itself. This is when the apprentice can begin acquiring "union days" that credit towards receiving the required number of union days to become eligible for the union.  *(eligibility rules vary by union)

    These efforts combined provide a path from generational poverty.