The Synthesis Creator Lab
EELC Creator Lab · Jacox Elementary

They write it. Then they film it.

In the Creator Lab, students turn one big idea into a story, a poem, or a rap, then into a finished video with their own voice, their own sound, and a little help from AI. The work on this page was made by kids.

Bring the Creator Lab to your school
▶Student film
NikkoCharacter study by a Creator Lab student
▶Student film
Happiness vs. Green GirlHero and villain, written and directed by a student
28Week journey
15Creator units
2Phases: write, then film
1Showcase and certificate
The program

Same big idea. New body. More people.

Every student starts with something they care about. They shape it into writing first, then adapt it to video. By the end they own a finished piece, a video ready for TikTok, Reels, or YouTube Shorts, and a QR code that puts it in front of their family.

1. Insight

Find the idea that has energy and say it in one sentence.

2. Manuscript

Build it into a story, poem, or rap in the student's own voice.

3. Visual story

Storyboard it, add sound, shoot it, and premiere it.

Phase 1: The Literary Build

Weeks 1 to 18

Turn your ideas into a story, poem, or rap.

  • 1

    Spark Hunt

    Find three ideas that have energy.

    Weeks 1 to 2 · Badge: Spark Hunter
  • 2

    Big Idea Forge

    Turn a spark into a one-sentence Big Idea.

    Weeks 3 to 4 · Badge: Big Idea Builder
  • 3

    The Journey Map

    Map how the reader feels from start to finish.

    Weeks 5 to 6 · Badge: Journey Mapper
  • 4

    The Blueprint

    Turn the journey into a plan: story, poem, or rap.

    Weeks 7 to 8 · Badge: Blueprint Maker
  • 5

    Story Beams

    Add the details that hold the piece up.

    Weeks 9 to 10 · Badge: Beam Builder
  • 6

    Voice and Rhythm

    Make it sound like you.

    Weeks 11 to 12 · Badge: Voice Finder
  • 7

    First Build

    Write the whole thing without stopping.

    Weeks 13 to 14 · Badge: First Builder
  • 8

    Rest and Kind Feedback

    Take a break, then get one kind, helpful response.

    Weeks 15 · Badge: Kind Listener
  • 9

    Second Build

    Make it better.

    Weeks 16 to 17 · Badge: Rebuilder
  • 10

    Polish and Launch

    Make it performable, then share it.

    Weeks 18 · Badge: Author

Phase 2: The Adaptation Lab

Weeks 19 to 28

Turn your Big Idea into a video.

  • 11

    Visual Big Idea

    Turn your Big Idea into a picture.

    Weeks 19 to 20 · Badge: Visual Thinker
  • 12

    Storyboard

    Draw the video, panel by panel.

    Weeks 21 to 22 · Badge: Storyboard Artist
  • 13

    Words and Sound

    Add narration, captions, and sound.

    Weeks 23 to 24 · Badge: Sound Designer
  • 14

    Build and Test

    Make the video and show it to friends.

    Weeks 25 to 26 · Badge: Video Maker
  • 15

    Polish and Premiere

    Finish it and share it with an audience.

    Weeks 27 to 28 · Badge: Premier
What every student leaves with

A finished piece, and the proof they can finish things.

  • An original story, poem collection, rap, or screen video
  • A video file formatted for TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts
  • A QR code that links to their video for a printed display
  • An engineering journal of their 28-week journey
  • Goal setting, time management, and communication skills
  • A certificate and an invitation to the public showcase
AI, used the right way

Five Creator Rules

  1. AI helps us think. We do the writing.
  2. We never share private things.
  3. We check if AI is right. It guesses.
  4. We say when we used AI.
  5. We keep our own weird, wonderful voice.
AI ThinkerTruth CheckerPrompt HelperHonest Creator
Two methods, one pipeline

Where the solitary work becomes the shared journey.

Thesis Translation Method logo Phase 1 · Weeks 1 to 18

The Author's Thesis Engineering Method

A step-by-step system for taking one salient insight and building it into a finished manuscript. Created by Tony L. Williams.

Organic Gorilla Filmmaking logo Phase 2 · Weeks 19 to 28

Organic Gorilla Filmmaking

A practical method for turning a manuscript into a film, a short-form YouTube video, or a TikTok. Real tools, real stories, real people. Created by James Person.

About The Synthesis

Three business owners. One banner.

We are not a single organization. We are three people with different businesses who came together because the kids deserve all three skill sets in one room: the thinking, the filmmaking, and the technology.

Tony L. Williams
Lead · Curriculum and student wellness

Tony L. Williams

Owner and CEO of DYNOX LLC, a community and behavioral health agency licensed by the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and serving the Newport News community since 2011.

Tony holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Christopher Newport University (1999) and a master's degree from Old Dominion University (2004). He is a Certified Life Coach with the World Coach Institute and a Certified Substance Abuse Counselor. He opened Beechmont Beauty & Barber in 2009, has been a Kiwanis International member for more than 15 years, and wrote The Author's Thesis Engineering Method, the backbone of the Creator Lab.

[email protected]

DYNOX LLCDYNOX LLC Beechmont Beauty and BarberBeechmont Thesis Translation MethodThesis Method
James Person
Filmmaking and storytelling

James Person

Founder of Full Access Films (2013) and producer of independent features including Crawford Road, Ten Doors, Blood of Saltville, and Lost Causes. The Owners is in pre-production.

Under the Organic Gorilla brand, James teaches workshops in basic production, basic and advanced writing, and the craft of dialogue. He is an equity owner in SolidiFly Productions, and in 2026 he launched Instantly Better, a deck of storytelling cards that helps people talk with more spontaneity and tell their stories with confidence.

Next up: the Arena sound stage in Kings Mill, Williamsburg, opening in 2027, with a focus on AI and practical filmmaking.

[email protected]

Full Access FilmsFull Access Films Organic GorillaOrganic Gorilla SolidiFlySolidiFly Instantly BetterInstantly Better
Sergio Hayes
AI digital filmmaking and technology

Sergio Emanuel Hayes

Entrepreneur · Digital Innovator · Peer Recovery Specialist · Community Advocate

Founder and CEO of Segue7 LLC, where he helps businesses use artificial intelligence, digital marketing, content creation, and automation to build sustainable systems. In the Creator Lab, Sergio teaches the AI digital filmmaking that carries each student's story from page to screen.

He is also the founder of The Segue Initiative, a community initiative that empowers justice-impacted individuals through education, mentorship, peer recovery support, and life skills development, building pathways toward successful reintegration and lasting independence.

Guided by his philosophy, "I AM THE EVIDENCE," Sergio combines lived experience, technology, and purpose-driven leadership to show that transformation is possible, and that success is not defined by where we begin, but by what we choose to become.

[email protected]

Segue7 LLCSegue7 LLC The Segue InitiativeThe Segue Initiative
The Synthesis

Bring the Creator Lab to your school.

Schools, families, sponsors, and community partners: tell us what you would like to see and we will take it from there.

Contact The Synthesis
Tony Williams · [email protected]
James Person · [email protected]
Sergio Hayes · [email protected]
© 2026 The Synthesis · The Creator Lab is an after-school program at Jacox Elementary School.