Philadelphia-based ScreenPlay isn't a traditional IT trainer.
Rather than making students conform to a class lesson, the company
provides specialized training to each client in their own home or
workplace. Co-owner Maria Criniti talked about the
company.
How and why did ScreenPlay get started?
About seven years ago my business partner and I were employed by
the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, in the MIS Department. One
of the many hats we wore at that time was training coordinators. We were
creating course materials and designing training programs for the
Courts' computer users.
The program was so well received that we
decided to take our talents to market. It was at lunch one afternoon
while my partner and I were reflecting on the success of the Courts
program, that we first talked about starting our own company and hence,
ScreenPlay was born.
What got you personally interested in
doing this work?
I think the fact that because my partner and I
were of the generation that grew up without computers, we experienced
firsthand the angst that sometimes comes with having to integrate
technology into our lives. Kids today are using computers in the very
early grades. That was not the case with adults of our generation. It
was all very new and sometimes frightening. We were on a mission to make
that transition a smooth one for others.
Why do you feel
there's a need for what you provide?
That is a very easy question
to answer. Change is the only constant in this business and there will
ALWAYS be a need for training. Employees are most productive when they
are well trained and that translates into profits.
What
makes ScreenPlay unique?
We have been working with the disabled
community for a few years now, which is very gratifying for us. We are
very proud of that. In addition, we are a Christian-owned business as
well as a women-owned business.
What kind
of challenges does ScreenPlay face?
Our biggest challenge, as I
see it, is to live up to our motto of "customized" training and
consulting. If the service does not meet the need, everyone is wasting
time and money. If the service is truly "customized" then our clients
have a program that is designed specifically for their individual needs.
Every job we do is unique because there are different dynamics at work
in each client's business.
For example, we have a children's
after-school program that we run for inner-city children. That project
took a lot of planning and we had to design a program unlike any other
we offered previously. But the challenge of putting it altogether was
pure enjoyment.
Where do you want to build the company
from here?
One of the things that I would like to see happen for
our clients is to avail themselves of some of the grant money that is
out there for technology training. ScreenPlay has partnered in the past
with the State of Pennsylvania in identifying companies that are
eligible for technology training dollars. It is an underutilized
resource and one that is especially beneficial to small businesses who
may not be able to budget for technology training.
Many
businesses are totally unaware of the assistance that is available to
them. In addition, we have spent the last year solidifying
relationships with companies that offer other kinds of training, such as
lean manufacturing and soft skills training, so that we can offer a more
comprehensive training package for our clients. We have always been a
company with "broad horizons." We go wherever our clients' needs take
us.
What do you like best about what you do?
Hands
down, what we like best here at ScreenPlay is the fact that our business
is not really about technology or training, it's about people. Whether
we are working with the disabled community or small businesses or large
corporations, the common denominator is that we are working with people.
Do you know a Delaware Valley company we
should cover? Let us know about it. Send your local profile candidates
to dan@computeruser.com.
