Spotlights
Spotlight on Creativity
November 2007
November's Spotlight on Creativity is local, young professional entrepreneur Janine Spruill. A Temple University alumni and photographer, Janine owns her own production company and teaches children how to make movies. An avid movie lover since the young age of 11, Janine sacrificed a cushy nine-to-five job to follow her dream of building a business, J9 Filmworks.
Janine was part of the group of West Philadelphia sixth graders, the Belmont 112, who in 1987 received an extraordinary gift from philanthropists George and Diane Weiss, millionaires who promised they would pay for the students' college educations. Janine earned her film degree and decided that she wanted young children, interested in the filmmaking industry, to have opportunities that she didn’t have when she was a child. So she created a program that did just that. Still a student at Temple, Janine went back to Belmont Elementary and volunteered her time, lugging heavy equipment to teach third and fourth graders about filmmaking. As interest grew, so did the program, evolving into Lil Filmmakers™.
Your name:
Janine Spruill
Current Location:
Philadelphia, PA
Hometown:
Philadelphia, PA
Firm/company:
J9 Filmworks
Occupation:
filmmaker, educator
Favorite Philadelphia neighborhood:
West Philadelphia (University City)
Best advice you've ever been given:
"You have to believe it to see it."
Your favorite thing about living in the Philadelphia Region:
I was born and raised here so I know of the unique and artsy spots.
Your favorite thing about working in the Philadelphia Region:
Philly is rich with resources and very talented and creative people. Philadelphia has a flavor of its own.
J9 Filmworks is a media and creative arts production company specializing in video and high definition filming. J9 Filmworks creates independent movie projects and currently offers an interactive movie production workshop of young people ages 8 to 18 called Lil' Filmmakers. Lil' Filmmakers workshops are four to eight weeks of hands-on, step-by-step tutorials where young individuals are taught basic concepts in filmmaking such as screenwriting, set production, acting, producing and directing.
Learn more about Janine and her work in the Region: www.j9filmworks.com