Today we’d like to introduce you to Jerome Reed.
Hi Jerome, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
What’s up, y’all! I’m Jerome—born in Jamaica, Queens, NY, raised in Mount Dora, Florida (shoutout Lake County).
Life took me to Fort Myers in 2009 to pursue a Bachelor’s at Florida Gulf Coast University (where our football team is “Still Undefeated”). From there, Gainesville in 2014 for a Master’s in Telecommunications at UF. This Gainesville journey has been a hell of a ride, and I’ll always be grateful for it presenting a chance to help champion an awesome platform.
“R.A.W.E. Recruits” started as an Entrepreneurship class project in the fall of 2014. I had no idea what I was doing when I created a business plan for R.A.W.E. But with the help of my professor, she gave me the guidance necessary to feel comfortable taking it outside the classroom. It’s part of the reason why the name stands for “Reaching Athletes with Education”.
After working with local high school and AAU athletes, teams, and coaches for some time, R.A.W.E. became LLC’ed in late 2015 with a mission to help student-athletes of ALL sports earn extra collegiate exposure by way of creating skill-tapes for them, as well as a platform to be seen upon.
Present-day, R.A.W.E. is one of the top student-athletic platforms in the state of Florida, helping numerous players, coaches, and families reach that goal along the way.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely not. I’ve had deals fall through the cracks. I’ve had business partners elect to leave, altogether.
I’ve driven 100’s of miles along these Florida roads to events for absolutely ZERO compensation. I’ve quit jobs to move into doing R.A.W.E. full-time, only to end up in credit card debt along the way.
But, I rose out of ALL of that. The process, the struggle, the downs… ALL of that is necessary for earning a win in your ultimate journey. Thankful for it all, regret nothing.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
R.A.W.E.’s product/service is the art of creating highlight-reels for high school student-athletes looking to play at the collegiate level. That content is pushed through R.A.W.E.’s online & social media platforms to be seen by coaches and scouts around the state and beyond.
In addition, R.A.W.E. serves as a bonafide H.S. sports-news source for North Central Florida, issuing live coverage, game recaps, and interviews with players and coaches around the area.
But what I’m most proud of is what we’ve done on the educational front. Last year at The Rock School in Gainesville, R.A.W.E. held a two-week “Sports Journalism Seminar”, teaching close to 20 students & student-athletes the ins and outs of the field through real-world experience and guest speakers. Truly a win for the next generation.
What are your plans for the future?
The ultimate goal is to continue to build the name into a reputable source across the country, but it STARTS at home, in Florida. I’d love to see R.A.W.E. have “hubs’ in metros across the state, where we have a team dedicated to consistent high school sports coverage in not just the Gainesville/Ocala area, but Jacksonville, Orlando, Miami, and Tampa. Have to keep marching.
Pricing:
- One Game Filmed & Edited: $200
- Five Games Filmed & Edited: $875
- Seven Games Filmed & Edited: $1050
- Ten Games Filmed & Edited: $1350
Contact Info:
- Email: rawerecruits@gmail.com
- Website: www.rawerecruits.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rawerecruits/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rawerecruits/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/rawe_recruits?lang=en
