Monroe County's Best-Kept Secret Decided to Stop Keeping Quiet
Client
Monroe Career & Technical Institute (MCTI)
Location
Bartonsville, PA
Deliverables
Documentary, Brand Video, 6 Success Stories
Outcome
Low Enrollment to Waitlists
The Situation
Monroe Career & Technical Institute had a reputation problem. People called it "the best-kept secret in Monroe County." MCTI Director Dennis Virga hated that phrase. A school doing this much good for the community shouldn't be a secret.
Beyond the messaging problem, the school physically outgrew itself. With over 1,200 students, there was no assembly space, the cafeteria was too small, and students were forced to wait outside for buses. They needed to expand, and they needed the community to understand why.
The Expansion
The solution was a 9,000 square foot multi-purpose room and a new secure entrance. The expansion allowed MCTI to add three new programs: an expanded Automotive Technology program, a new Sports Medicine & Physical Therapy program, and an upcoming First Responder program with EMT certification.
The funding story was massive: $3.5 million in grants combined with funding from four sending school districts meant zero debt. No bond was taken out.
Even better, MCTI carpentry co-op students—including student Bennett Crouthamel—worked alongside the CMG construction crew during the expansion. They framed walls and laid flooring for the very building they attended.
What We Produced
We built a three-part video strategy to solve both the communication and enrollment challenges.
- Expansion Documentary: A 3-5 minute film detailing the build, the debt-free funding, and the co-op student involvement. It highlighted a critical stat: while 36% of US jobs require a 4-year degree, 56% require technical training. MCTI serves that 56%.
- Brand Showcase Video: A 1-2 minute high-energy piece for the website showing prospective students all 24 programs across 5 career clusters.
- Six Graduate Success Stories: Deep dives into specific programs to drive enrollment.
The Graduate Success Stories
To tackle enrollment directly, we produced six individual success stories featuring recent graduates thriving in their fields:
Akeem Glasglow
Masonry
Sebastian Babon
Computer Tech & Networking
Brian Rogers
Precision Machining
Samantha Dominguez
Horticulture
Paul Warnick
Welding
Zach Beyer
Electrical
The Result
The impact was specific and measurable. Every single program featured in the graduate success story videos went from experiencing low enrollment to having an active waitlist. MCTI stopped being a secret and started being a destination.
"Since producing the videos and releasing them, we have seen a rise in our enrollment as well as our waitlist. Overall, the experience with Seymour Mac Productions was amazing. From the very beginning, I didn't have to do as much as I thought I would have to do. I just basically gave an idea of what I had and what the goal for the videos would be, and he took it from there. He made the process seamless, easy to follow. He was very attentive, flexible. It was outstanding. We would recommend this company to anyone who has a similar goal in mind. And if you had to rate it, definitely five stars."
Amy Thomas
Supervisor of Student Services, Monroe Career & Technical Institute