WATERBURY – When Nick Rocco Scalia was a young boy growing up in Waterbury, he greatly enjoyed movies and TV. And so, when it came time to pick a major in college, it was no surprise that he decided to study cinema and film production, completing his bachelor’s degree in those subject matters at the University of Hartford in 2004. But because he also harbored the idea of teaching, he returned to college to study English, earning a master’s degree from Trinity College in Hartford in 2011.

Now, he’s combined his passion for film and teaching as the media producer for All-Star Transportation and its sister company, The Next Street. To date he has created more than 20 videos for All-Star (plus dozens more educational and marketing videos, and commercials for The Next Street) that are shared company-wide during safety meetings, training sessions and on the company’s website.

“Film is my life,” he says. “I really developed a love for it at an early age. As an only child and not having to share the TV/VCR with any siblings, I was allowed to really indulge my specific tastes in film. Now, everything I do is related to film production, theory and criticism.”

In addition to his work for All-Star, Scalia works as a contributing writer and film critic for Film Threat, an online publication focused primarily on independent film. Recently, he was given the green light to begin writing a regular column for the publication. He is also an adjunct English instructor at Post University, where since 2013 he has taught both online and on-campus courses. Earlier, from 2011-2013, he was an adjunct English professor at Salter College in Chicopee, MA.

His other experience includes serving as the editor and post-production consultant for T-Town, a feature-length documentary film. He also was a multimedia produce for the New Haven Register from 2008-2010, and as an associate editor for the Connecticut Bar Association from 2006-2008

Because working as an adjunct is notoriously risky with no guarantee that today’s job will be available tomorrow, Scalia was looking for something more stable when he spotted All-Star’s ad seeking a media manager. It struck Scalia as curious that a school transportation company would hire such a person.

“It was a unique opportunity. It was posted in an educational section, and I wanted something more stable,” he explains. “When I came to All-Star, I asked, ‘Do you really need somebody? Is there a consistent need?’”

To his pleasant surprise, he has found that there is a steady need for instructional videos and that has allowed him to tap into his interests in film and teaching. He does the scripting, filming and editing for each video, striving to make each sound and look good. Until he joined All-Star, he had never done instructional videos, which he finds especially challenging because forgetting to mention any bit of information can be critical. So, he must be mindful of every detail.

“It’s been interesting,” he says, adding that he’s learned a lot about what it takes to be driver and a monitor. He credits Brenda Bass and other members of All-Star’s safety team for the success and quality of the videos he has created.

“Everyone knows their job really, really well. Everybody goes a step or two beyond what’s expected. Rather than just going by the book, they say, “Let’s really cover it and really show it well.’”

As for the future videos, Scalia says hoping to acquire a cutaway of a bus, which would make filming easier.

“It’s really tough to do a shoot in a bus,” he says.