Croom believes that early separation from his family unknowingly prepared him for a defining moment in his life.
At 16, he accepted a full scholarship to a military boarding school in rural Virginia, leaving behind his family, friends and everything familiar. The experience, he says, changed his life’s trajectory by expanding his worldview and introducing him to opportunities he never imagined.
The documentary follows that transformation across the places that shaped him. Cameras travel from Harlem and the legendary Rucker Park basketball courts to Virginia, where basketball became a pathway to higher education, and finally to California, where Croom built a career helping students discover their potential.
“Bigger Than Me” doesn’t shy away from hardship. The documentary includes vulnerable moments of Croom reflecting on the loss of loved ones, including friends killed by gun violence, and how those experiences shaped him. Rather than dwelling on tragedy, he hopes the film encourages viewers, especially young Black men, to embrace vulnerability and allow pain to become a catalyst for growth.
“Your circumstances don’t define your ceiling. Your mindset does,” Croom says, describing the message he hopes audiences take from the documentary. “No matter where your starting point is, you can create the life that you’ve always dreamed of, but it’s going to take hard work, dedication, community and faith.”
Croom says the film represents the people, values and faith that carried him through every stage of his journey. The phrase “Bigger Than Me” also has an unexpected origin. Years before the documentary, he wrote an unreleased song with the same title. The track now appears in the film, bridging two creative chapters of his life.
Although the documentary spans several states, Croom chose Sacramento for its premiere because of the role the city played in his story. After moving to California in 2017, he built lasting relationships through his work in higher education and became deeply connected to Sacramento’s Black community.