As principles of the Recording, Radio and Film Connection, James Petulla and Brian Kraft have taken the Mentor-Apprentice method of education and transformed it into a juggernaut that it is currently breaking over 3,000 students per year into careers in the music recording, radio broadcasting, filmmaking and now culinary industries.
Founded by Petulla in 1983, this unique one-on-one approach to learning is currently being heralded as the sensible alternative to the current worldwide student debt crisis and as the logical way to break hardworking students into careers that are very difficult to access.
Brian and Jimi partner with legendary film composer Hans Zimmer!
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Grammy nominated Hip Hop star, Warren G. enrolls in our Apprenticeship Program!
"I went to a good film school, but the day I graduated I had no idea what to do. No one wanted to hand me thousands of dollars to direct or produce anything so I had to figure it out on my own. The Film Connection does the figuring out for you. Learn while you network, I don't understand why more film schools don't adopt this type of program. It makes a ton of sense."
- Evan Astrowsky, Producer of Cabin Fever, FanBoys, ZomBeavers
"The Film Connection apprenticeship program is a very smart approach to breaking into the film business. I endorse this school."
- Hans Zimmer, Grammy Award winning Composer for films including The Lion King, Madagascar, Inception,
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Pearl Harbor, Gladiator, Batman Begins,
The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises.
Building on the success of their previous two films, Reversal and The Fall of America, Jimi and Brian are in production on a very ambitious documentary film that asserts that the world we live in is a prison system that holds us in a form of captivity that we think is freedom.
A non-fiction take on the themes explored in The Matrix and in Plato's The Cave, The Prisoner's Guide to Freedom features some of the biggest names in Science, Economics, Spirituality, Politics, and Sociology.....
"I am very impressed with the way Recording Connection trains students in real recording studios and how hard they work for their students. This is a special program run by visionaries."
- Dave Pensado, Grammy Award Winner, mixer for Beyoncé, Pink, Michael Jackson.
"The Recording Connection puts students into a real-world work place. Students learn first-hand what it means to be in a recording session with producers, engineers, musicians and songwriters, it's on the job career training! You learn the practical, technical and people skills that cannot be found in any classroom. I highly recommend the Recording Connection."
- Warren Huart, producer for Better Than Ezra, The Killers
"One of the many reasons that I endorse The Recording Connection Audio Institute is because they put you inside a real recording studio to apprentice under a real producer. I am generally not a supporter of many of the 'traditional' audio schools because in my experience they don’t teach the things you really need, and they don’t connect you into the business. The Recording Connection does."
- Tim Palmer, producer for U2, The Cure, Pearl Jam
Rapper & Community Activist Common invites Brian & Jimi to speak at his foundation.
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Russell Simmons sends one of his kids to Brian and Jimi to get him trained in audio!
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"I think it is about time that this approach to culinary education came to the United States. I started in an apprenticeship in France when I was 14 years old. I had no formal culinary school training. Apprenticeship programs were the only thing offered and I feel that they’re the best way to go."
- Chef Maurice Brazier
"When I heard about CASA’s approach to culinary education I was blown away. I just wished that this sort of thing was available before I spent $50,000 or culinary school! They promised me a management position as soon as I graduated. I found out that that was a lie. On-the-job experience is the only way to go. The use of the culinary techniques and cooking methods day in and day out, from one scenario to the next is the best way to learn. Doing one recipe a day and paying over $200 a day is bull…"
- Chef Troy Artis, Owner/ Operator of Chef Troy Personal Chef and Catering Services, Los Angeles, CA
Brian and Jimi get one of their students a job with Aerosmith!!!
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Recording Connection apprentice Chris Biggin becomes Chief Engineer!
Thousands of students placed in real jobs by Brian and Jimi!
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They [Film Connection] use the expression "you get out of the program what you put into it" to describe Film Connection. And that is totally true. I have worked alongside other students who were not motivated, or who thought film was an easy thing that you can just plop into by paying a tuition, or who are so fixated on the idea of future stardom that they lose sight of the stepping stones to reach that goal. So, the main thing to keep in mind is that this is an experience that is going to be enhanced or diminished by your dedication to the program and by your own ambition.
My second mentor was a single cinematographer in Allston, MA. It was the opposite in many ways. He was a type B personality, and he and I were essentially the entire company. Which was great. I was doing a ton of editing. I was second camera, sound, light, grip, administration, assistant director, and whatever else was needed. In many ways, it was the "guerrilla filmmaking" experience, which was so valuable to take part in. By the end, after having earned his respect, I became more of a creative development assistant, and we worked together on a TV pilot and a web series. But, again, my success with this mentor was because I had an open mind and, when I was there, I dedicated myself fully to the experience.
Now that I am out here, through Film Connection I have been introduced to 3 producers, 2 screenwriters, and 2 directors with an opportunity to pitch my script to all of them. Keep in mind, that this is not the ordinary experience. If you are a student that floats along the surface hoping for things to fall into your lap, you are going to get the traditional pitch experience. If you are someone that is determined to forge a destiny in the industry, your energy will feed into the Film Connection, and they will bend over backwards to make your success as possible as they can. Keep in mind, that I am still in the preliminary stages out here - I have not sold the script yet, but Film Connection has opened doors to me that would definitely not have been there on my own.
In terms of concrete jobs, I got a job doing script coverage for United Talent Agency. This is a symptom of my own Film Connection journey. I am a writer, that is where I put my own personal emphasis. If I had wanted to, I could have mastered any aspect of filmmaking I wanted. But I achieved what I wanted, a strong understanding of the basics of the entire profession, while focusing on my own passion. They have offered me editing gigs here, offered to hook me up with a director to shoot a feature in Oregon.
