Business Profile: Athleteography, Somers
When Somers resident Scott Irwin speaks of the success of Athleteography, he can relate it from personal experience.
Videos of Irwin’s son, Spencer, playing soccer at Somers High School convinced the coaches at University Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts to have him play on the varsity team and helped him receive academic scholarship money from the NCAA Division IIII School, which are not allowed to provide athletic scholarships.
“I just got very involved,” Irwin said last week. “My background is in video editing and production. My son was trying to play college soccer.”
Irwin has been videotaping athletes at several local high schools for the past two years. The tapes are provided to college coaches and are available on his website, Athleteography.net. The tapes are also used by high school coaches to prepare their teams for games
“I really enjoy working with local athletes,” Irwin said. “I know their coaches.”
Irwin shoots and edits the videos and creates the DVDs. The tapes can show highlights of an athlete’s performances or present entire games.
“I know what college coaches are looking for,” Irwin said.
Athleteography specializes in soccer, lacrosse, volleyball and basketball. Lacrosse videos are his largest business, because of the many “great lacrosse players,” in the area, he said.
The cost of Irwin’s services range from $175 to videotape one game to $745 for a package that includes full games and game highlights.
He has worked with athletes at several local schools, including Somers High School, Yorktown High School, John Jay High School and Fox Lane High School.
Irwin, who is the executive producer of his company, has been operating the business out of his home. Previously, he was a producer and editor who worked with CBS Sports, ESPN, MSG Varsity, and MTV.
His video services are especially useful for high school athletes who may not have the ability to play at top sports colleges in Division One, but want to play at the lower NCAA sports divisions, Irwin said. “They can’t give athletic scholarships, but they can give academic scholarships,” he said.
Irwin said he wants to continue his business in his current form, limited to himself and his staff of a few freelancers. “It really doesn’t have to get much bigger,” he said.
