Little did Patrick Sargent '10 (Salem, MA) realize that a bout with mononucleosis would become the impetus for a fledgling career as a moviemaker. He was recuperating at home when he watched the Oscar award-winning film "Good Will Hunting" and was inspired to write a screenplay. In between classes that spring, he wrote a 135-page script that got tucked away in a drawer.

When Sargent began his sophomore year, he took a film class with Communication Lecturer Tom Dooley and dedicated 50 hours to creating his first film, "Swept Under." He was hooked and decided to create a documentary about another one of his passions – entrepreneurship. After eight months of interviews and editing, he is ready to premiere "Work Your Way Up." The film will be shown on Tuesday, February 10, at 6 p.m. in Janikies Theatre.

"I think I’m just an entrepreneur at heart," says Sargent, who describes himself as a "bootstrap entrepreneur" and says he has been a businessman as far back as his childhood when he would rake leaves and shovel snow for extra cash. "I wanted to tell the story of true entrepreneurs – the process of starting with nothing and turning it into something," he says.

As he began working on the film, Sargent, a marketing concentrator, created another business – Work Your Way Up Productions.

Quiet on the set
The concept for the film came from Sargent's quest to find a film on entrepreneurship that was both educating and inspiring. "After endless searching, I realized that there wasn’t one," he says.

While cost constraints caused him to shelve his first screenplay, he felt "Work Your Way Up" was a production he could take on that would be a great learning experience. "I wanted to create something that others can benefit from," he says.

He spent about $3,500 – money he earned caddying at his hometown country club – to make the 60-minute documentary. He credits professors like Dooley and Management Lecturer Adam Rubin, for teaching him the skills to be a filmmaker and an entrepreneur.

Action!
The film features Ryan Allis, a 24-year-old entrepreneur and author who created the e-mail software company, iContact, now a $15 million company. (President Barack Obama used the software created by iContact during his presidential campaign.) Sargent met Allis through a Collegiate Entrepreneurs' Conference in 2007 and followed up with him to discuss the documentary. In the film, Sargent also interviews other entrepreneurs, as well as authors and Bryant faculty, who talk about what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur.

"The movie is through the eyes of people who have done it before," he says. "Their message is that 'you will struggle – but we have done it.' "

One of the film's central themes is the willingness to take a risk. "Often, people don't follow their dreams when they are at a crossroads of whether to pursue an idea because they have a fear of failure," says Sargent. "I learned you just have to do it."

That is a lesson this filmmaker took to heart. Sargent attempted to contact such notable businesspeople as Bill Gates, Jim Koch, and the Life is Good founders Bert and John Jacobs, and he was never discouraged when things didn't work out.

"I love making films," he says. "It is my passion, and it is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I also love being an entrepreneur, and I know I will be an entrepreneur for the rest of my life as well."

Sargent has big plans for future films, and his goal is to see his credits roll one day at the Sundance Film Festival – the pinnacle of independent films.

"You've got to dream big," he says.