By: Deborah Johnson Wood
The Hollywood film industry already knows about Grand Rapids-based Compass Film Academy and its skilled and motivated film school graduates. That’s because several of the industry’s top talents—Ralph Winter (X-Men, Fantastic Four), David N. Weiss (Shrek 2), and directors and producers from Monk and House—are on the academy’s board of advisors.
The academy, 560 Fifth Street NW, has trained over 500 college students in visual art media: story, screenwriting, production design, producing, directing, cinematography, lighting, and more. So far, 35 of those students are working in Hollywood on such shows as Medium, Prison Break, and CSI.
What sets the academy apart from the competition is that they are a faith-based school.
“We not only educate students in the art of filmmaking, we educate them in the vocation of filmmaking,” said David Michael Phelps, director of development. “We believe certain people are wired to create. We’re excited that there’s no other school that undertakes educating them as filmmakers and also giving them a spiritual education. It’s because of this they can be who they are called to be.”
The academy is pursuing an ambitious growth initiative. Over the next five years they will be expanding their capabilities as an educational institution with the goal of becoming one of the country’s great film programs. And they expect to have an impact on the economy.
Academy board member Bill Huizenga introduced The Michigan Film Production Incentive bill, which offers financial incentives to filmmakers for making films in Michigan. That bill will have a direct affect on the academy and their plans to produce small budget feature films.
“Our students in L.A. and the ones here are always looking for ways to produce in West Michigan, “ Phelps said. “We have the economic base, the talent base, locations, opportunities, and it’s economically viable to produce here.”
Source: David Michael Phelps, Compass Film Academy
Deborah Johnson Wood is Development News Editor for Rapid Growth. She can be reached at [email protected].
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