I joined the Academy of Excellence several years ago, and even then I knew it was the right decision to improve my editing skills. This community didn't just improve my editing tenfold, it gave me access to like-minded editors who are always ready to help, from client calls to life advice, plus a handcrafted course from Sam himself teaching you how to go from just a video editor to a right-hand man. All of this has earned me over 15 clients, including a recent $4K-per-month position. In the years ahead, I'll be traveling the world for business opportunities, all thanks to Sam and the Academy of Excellence.

Before I found Sam, I'd quit my job with no real plan, tried a bunch of things that went nowhere, and was mostly figuring it out as I went. What got me was that he didn't sell it like a typical editing course, it wasn't "get better at editing and make more money," it was the whole picture. The lifestyle, the mindset, how to actually be a right-hand man to a client rather than just someone who does what they're told. He teaches negotiation, how to carry yourself, how to spot a good client and keep them. That stuff is genuinely rare, and it's what actually moves the needle.

 

Now I'm on a $4K/month retainer with a solid YouTube client, living in Bangkok, and pretty much everyone I know out here I met through his network. Honestly, I wouldn't be where I am without him.

Honestly, joining the academy was the best decision I've made. I can't even count how many clients I've gotten directly from the network, hit my first major income goals, and met the guys in real life. Best decision ever.

There have been two very specific things the Academy added to my life. In 2024, I was in my make-or-break season with editing, and having people around who were grinding harder than me held me accountable to my own work.

 

In 2025 and 2026, it allowed me to meet so many people in countries I otherwise would never have traveled to, it's amazing having people to meet up with in the most random places across the world.

 

There's no longer that friction of moving somewhere you know no one, now there are always people I can meet up with who introduce me to the local scene.

My experience with the Academy of Excellence has been great. Sam has always been helpful and kind when it comes to solving problems. I initially joined back when the Academy first went live in 2023. At first I wasn't sure it was going to work, since I'd never been in the video editing space before, but as I talked to other members and asked questions, I expanded my perspective and my skills, and became a better editor.

 

I also made some of my very first real connections through the academy, connections that are still there today. I still talk to a lot of the guys, I still talk to Sam, I still talk to the "day ones." People I once thought were just part of a course, I've now met in real life and become genuine friends with.

 

I'm living a life I'm genuinely happy with now, compared to when I first joined, right before university, with no clue what I was going to do with my life. I'm very grateful for Sam and for his community.

Before joining the academy, I had never edited before. Learning was made easy by Sam, and once I started improving, I was able to land multiple clients. Without a doubt, the biggest thing I've taken from the academy is the negotiation modules, they've helped me increase my rates and get paid what I'm worth with multiple clients.

I joined the academy four years ago, and it's one of the best decisions I've made in my editing career. I was making around $500 a month before I joined, and AOE opened my eyes to what's really possible in video editing.

 

I landed editing gigs with big YouTube channels like Dr. Insanity, and now I'm comfortably making $2K to $3K every month. I also love that the editors in the network are always willing to help with anything.

I joined AOE when Sam first launched it, with pretty much zero expectations, I just wanted to try something new and see where it could take me. Fast forward three years, and my life is in a place I never thought possible. I learned video editing from scratch through the course, which helped me grow my side hustle to over $50,000 in one year while working a full-time job. I even got to work with some of my dream clients.

 

The community has been a huge part of it too. I've met amazing people who I now consider lifelong friends, and thanks to video editing I've been able to travel the world to meet many of them. I've also landed opportunities I never would've had otherwise. Now I'm happy to say I do video editing full time, all because I decided to take a chance on this course.

The network here is unbeatable. Editors are constantly sending each other clients, vouching for one another, and boosting each other's platforms.

 

My biggest clients came straight from other editors in the community, and even directly from Sam.

The Right Hand Blueprint showed me how to move accordingly. Sam doesn't teach the same recycled material every other guru is selling.

 

Sam's blueprint gives you proper guidance. I learned how to actually carry myself with excellence and real strategy. A lot of his students carry themselves with genuine confidence, because they've realized how achievable this actually is once you know what you're doing.

I've literally gotten employed through the AOE network. Anyone who watches videos on their phone for hours a day, yet still thinks video editing is an illegitimate form of work, isn't thinking it through.

I was working a job I didn't see a future in, with severe limiting beliefs about money and what could be achieved. I'd never made money online before, so I didn't know where to start. Since joining the academy, I've been able to quit that job and pursue something I'm passionate about. In June, I earned over $2,500. My next goal is $5K, and I have no doubt I'll hit it.

Before joining, I was already an experienced video editor and motion designer with over three years of experience. I knew I was skilled, but I was definitely lacking business knowledge.

 

I come from a French/Portuguese background where you're often pressured to fit certain stereotypes, starting a business was considered unthinkable, and not having a master's degree or a stable full-time job was seen as a failure. 

 

I knew my mindset was the main thing holding me back, so I took my chances and went all in with The Academy Of Excellence.

 

AOE fixed it. It takes time and real work, but within a few months your mindset shifts so hard you'll wonder why you ever thought the way you used to. I'm now almost financially independent, making 3-4K a month working just 30 hours a week. The network was one of two things, along with the mindset shift, that I was most interested in from the start.

 

At first it felt strange, but now I'm going to be living in the same town as the rest of the Academy guys. Who would have thought?

This completely relit a fire in me. For a good few years I felt a little lost and unsure of what I was doing with my life, but doing this and finally having some direction just makes my brain click. I'm extremely grateful I took the leap, otherwise I'd still be lost trying to figure it all out.

I used the last of the money in my account to buy the academy, because I didn't know what else to do.

 

A few months later, I got a referral from one of the legends in the community, and it completely changed my income.

 

Now I'm earning 3K without having to reach out to anyone. This is an amazing community full of people on the same wavelength as you, who genuinely want to see you succeed. I'd highly recommend joining.

When I joined Sam's program, I was making $70 a month, and I used the money I got from selling my dirt bike to join the course. After joining, I was able to work with some of the biggest creators on the internet, including Fanum, Mike Thurston, DC Heat, 1stMan, and many more. Thanks to Sam, I was able to quit university and go all in on video editing, and now I'm working with my dream clients while traveling the world.

I joined about three years ago, and back then I knew literally nothing. Sam's community is what actually kickstarted my whole journey in this space. Sam personally helped me land my biggest client at the time, a creator with over 2 million subscribers, and that alone changed everything for me.

 

Fast forward to now, I'm running systems and helping with overall strategy at one of the biggest client management companies in the space, working with creators like Yonna Jay, Sketch, and Zach Justice. I genuinely don't think any of this happens without that first push. Forever grateful for it.

Since joining Sam's academy, I've completely transformed every aspect of myself and my business. 

 

Before joining, I didn't have much direction or confidence, and I felt stuck working at a golf club with no vision for the future. I'd always done video editing as a hobby as a teenager, but never really thought you could make money from it until I found Sam's academy.

 

Since pursuing mastery of the skill, I now have complete confidence in myself and in my ability to provide something genuinely valuable to the market. It's been a complete turnaround from how I felt about my life two years ago, and it's such a freeing feeling knowing I can make money from anywhere in the world. 

 

Everyone wants to make money online, but almost no one has a clear plan or structure for how to actually do it. Sam's academy gives you that plan, a tangible skill people pay good money for, and a community of people pursuing the same thing, so you never feel stuck or unsure of what to do next. There are so many great guys who are always willing to help out and give advice whenever you need it.

I've been in AOE since the early days, and looking back, the biggest value for me has been the network. It's helped me level up in countless ways, from trading feedback with other editors to the live events. If you're in the content space looking for people to actually grow with, this is the one.

So far I've really loved everything. I've been here for just under four months, and the Right Hand Blueprint saved me a huge amount of time learning the business compared to figuring it out alone. 

 

I've landed one client so far through the network. The biggest shift has been my skill, before I joined I didn't know anything about editing, and now I've gone from zero to a hundred just from showing up every day. 

 

Everyone in the academy has been super helpful and friendly. My lack of confidence almost stopped me from joining but now I feel genuinely confident in my abilities.

The Right Hand Blueprint showed me how to be more efficient with my time, technical skills, and business knowledge. Since joining, I hit my best month yet, over $5K. The network is what I love most about AOE.

I joined the academy because I wanted to provide value to my business partners. Thanks to my video editing skills, I helped people around me get elected to the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic. The community also provides ten times the entry price in resources and advice.

The Academy gave me a community of people on the same journey and access to a valuable network. It made moving to Thailand much easier, because I already knew people living there. I can't overstate how important that decision was for my personal growth, it became the period of the fastest growth I've ever had.

Literally every single one of my clients, directly or indirectly, has come from the academy or Sam himself. I dread to think how hard it would've been to get where I am now, around $6,000 a month, without the academy. The referrals from the guys and from Sam himself are incredibly powerful, especially as a brand new editor. I live in Bangkok, Thailand, and I'm genuinely living my dream life, on track for even more, and able to take the skills I've learned in editing (sales, time management, building a reputation) into any endeavor I choose. Thank you, Sam, my brother.

The Academy of Excellence has been such a great experience for me. From a creator's perspective, I've learned a lot about editing, and more importantly, I've met incredible editors I'm still working with to this day, even years later.

 

I actually joined the Academy the exact day I started my YouTube channel, and I'm now approaching 200,000 subscribers. Beyond the technical skills, the community has an amazing mindset, everyone pushes each other to improve, and it's helped me build what's now become my full-time dream job.

Before joining, I had zero experience in video editing. I was working a full-time job and searching for ways to make money online.

 

After eight months I signed a $1.5K contract, and within 13 months I was making $2.5K consistently, and it only got better from there.

 

The biggest shift has been in mindset, learning to leverage my skillset the right way and get paid accordingly. I've also developed real friendships with other members, and meeting them in real life was an amazing experience.

Joining the academy was one of the best decisions I could have made for my editing career. After joining, I was able to link up with my biggest long-term client to this day, and we've been working together for about three years now. I've met some of my closest friends through the academy and had some of the best experiences of my life, especially at the Thailand mastermind. This academy is like home to me, and without Sam I wouldn't have gotten this far as an editor.

The biggest shift I've experienced so far is finally cracking the limiting belief that I can't make money online. I made my first £1,000 online within months of joining, and anybody else can do the same.

I joined Sam's academy right when it first launched, and it's honestly been one of the best investments I've made. The biggest thing for me was learning how to actually get clients through outreach, instead of just hoping people would find my work. 

 

Using what I learned, I landed my first clients and started building a portfolio. The Premiere Pro content also leveled up my editing massively, but one of the most valuable parts has been the community. I've met up with multiple members in real life, made some great friends, and learned a lot just from being around people who are all trying to improve.

 

Because I stayed active in the academy and kept growing my portfolio, Sam actually reached out to me with a job opportunity that suited my skills. That client has since become my main client on a consistent monthly retainer. They even flew me out to Bali, where I lived and worked with the team for four months, an incredible experience that accelerated my growth as an editor.

 

I'm back home in England now, working from my own office, and I've even been able to get my cousin a job with the same client, so we work side by side every day. Since I started working with them, the channel has grown from around 750k subscribers to almost 1 million, and I'm still working with them while continuing to grow my own business.

 

If you're willing to put in the work and actually apply what Sam teaches, there's a huge amount of value in the academy. It's opened doors for me that I genuinely don't think would've happened otherwise.

The RHB has taught me a lot. I had no idea how to use Adobe, and now I'm able to navigate it with ease. At first, I was scared to invest in myself, but it's easy to make money if you dedicate yourself to the path. Now I'm in Miami, with the skills to network with high-level creators and scale my editing business even further.

They didn't wait... So what are you waiting for?