William Crouse knows a good story when he sees one.
As a documentary filmmaker, William Crouse centers his work on finding people, ideas, and moments worth exploring. But long before he worked behind the camera, William was a student at ODA, one of four Crouse brothers to attend ODA and the only “true lifer” in the family, spending his entire educational journey from Pre-K through 12th grade at the school.
For William, ODA was more than just where he went to school. It was a place that encouraged him to think creatively, take risks, and explore ideas without being afraid of getting things wrong.
“One of the things that I really appreciated about ODA was the focus on creative problem-solving,” William said, “Thinking of out-of-the-box solutions for everyday problems. That’s a really helpful north star for any problem that you might face.”
That mindset has stayed with him throughout his career.
William first discovered his interest in the entertainment industry through ODA’s theater program. He became heavily involved in theater beginning in eighth grade and throughout high school, an experience he describes as uniquely supportive and centered around the students themselves.
“It felt like a space where we could be excited about failing in big ways and succeeding in big ways,” He said.
While he ultimately decided not to pursue acting, that experience planted an early seed for the creative career that would follow.
Today, William works as a documentary filmmaker, telling stories that explore people, communities, and the ideas that connect them. His most recent project, Murder 101, offered an unexpected opportunity to reflect on his own educational experience.
The documentary follows a teacher at Elizabethton High School in Tennessee who uses project-based learning to engage students in sociology. Through the lens of criminal profiling and true crime, students learn how to analyze behavior, think critically, and engage deeply with the subject matter.
But what struck William most was the larger philosophy behind the classroom.
As he watched students take on complex projects, solve problems, and engage with their community, he found himself thinking about ODA.
“Working on this project, I had this incredible reflective moment where I realized that at ODA, we don’t just have one educator thinking this way, we have dozens and dozens of educators who are thinking on a similar level every day, “William said, “What a gift it is for students to experience that not just in one individual classroom, but across the entire curriculum.”
That connection between his work and his time at ODA feels especially fitting. William credits ODA with helping prepare him to pursue a career path that didn’t necessarily come with a traditional roadmap.
“Starting from a young age, learning to think boldly and do something slightly different than what everyone else is doing really prepared me to venture into a professional career path that wasn’t already laid out,” He said.
For current students and young alumni, his advice is simple: work hard, be kind, and focus on the people around you.
William believes success is rarely as straightforward as it may appear. Missed opportunities, uncomfortable conversations, and failures can all become part of the larger story.
“Failing and succeeding isn’t binary,” He said, “I’ve learned so much from missed opportunities and uncomfortable responses from weird questions that I’ve asked.”
Instead of avoiding those moments, he encourages students to embrace them, to take risks, meet people, ask questions, and remain open to unexpected opportunities.
“The stronger your team is, the stronger you are,” He said.
That focus on people is central to both William’s work and his life. Many of the creative collaborators he works with today are people he has known for years, relationships built through authentic connections rather than simply networking for the sake of getting ahead.
“Everyone has a story to tell, and everyone has value in our ecosystem.”
Now, William is continuing to build on those relationships and develop new projects. He is currently working on a series with Hulu and developing additional projects with his directing partner, Stacy Lee.
As his career continues to evolve, one thing remains clear: the curiosity, creativity, and willingness to take risks that began during his years at ODA are still shaping the stories he chooses to tell.
And perhaps that is the lesson he hopes others will carry with them, too: there is value in staying curious, taking the chance, asking the unusual question, and seeing the people around you for who they are.
Sometimes, the most meaningful stories begin there.
