All around the Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts, Trojan Vision students can be seen operating broadcast cameras, anchoring on screen, and even recording TikToks and Instagram Reels to promote their shows, going beyond conventional expectations of classwork. 

Students enrolled in “Practicum in Television Production” and “Practicum in Podcast Production” run Trojan Vision’s student-produced programming — from planning and directing to live broadcasting. To many, Trojan Vision may seem like a club because the students dedicate hours far beyond what is required of them on paper. 

“I’m always blown away every semester at the amount of students that kind of almost take this on as a club [that] they get really invested in,” said Adam Everist, the program director. “You’re not shocked when they’re like, ‘Oh, I’m the assistant to the director of the Grammys.’”

Being involved in Trojan Vision allows students from any major to immerse themselves in television broadcasting through hands-on experience instead of a traditional lecture setting.

“You’re able to sit down with the equipment and creatively figure out what the story you’re trying to tell is, instead of having [a School of Cinematic Arts] class that is production oriented,” said Ava Kelly, a senior studying cinema and media studies and the student director of Trojan Vision’s “Morning Brew.” “You get to be as creative as you want from the beginning while also learning the equipment that is then used in professional settings.”

“Morning Brew” — a morning talk show similar to “The View” — is one of four shows that Trojan Vision produces every semester, and one of two which are broadcast live. “The Water Cooler,” a sports talk show, is the other live broadcast at Trojan Vision. The four student-led shows reach roughly 700,000 homes in Los Angeles over the airwaves, according to Trojan Vision’s website. 

The shows focus on entertainment programming, placing emphasis on host personalities and production value, according to Kelly. Leah Lenhardt, a freshman majoring in public relations and advertising, who joined Trojan Vision this year, recently hosted her first-ever segment of Morning Brew.

“It emulates exactly what it would be like to work in a production company or to work at a live television station,” Lenhardt said. “The more you want to involve yourself, the more impact you will have on the show, and it’s really amazing to have people that are super talented. … Everyone is so willing to help.”

Through Trojan Vision, students work with professionals who have worked in the industry and teach them from their own personal experiences and successes. Kelly credited the level of professional experience and expertise she gets from the program with helping her further her career.

“I ended up applying for the live television production internship at Television Academy, where I’m now a junior member,” Kelly said. “All of that is because of my experience directing, that charge of ambition. There’s no doubt in my mind that I would not be in this position if I wouldn’t have been able to have this experience here.”

Unlike Kelly, Kayden-Harmony Greenstein, a junior majoring in media arts and practice, was not originally planning on pursuing a path in television production, but said the experience she’s had being part of Trojan Vision changed her goals and vision for the future. 

“I found that I was getting really bored by my actual film classes, so I felt like I had made the wrong choice coming to USC. But once I fell into Trojan Vision, I just took it and ran and it became my passion and my career goal,” said Greenstein, the student general manager of Trojan Vision.

For Kelly, working on Trojan Vision was more than a class; it ended up being a place where she made connections that she’ll bring with her for the rest of her professional life.

“I know that I’ll work with these people 20 years from now. There’s no doubt in my mind that I will,” Kelly said. “Trojan Vision is a family and a community of people that are wanting to create with each other now, in the sense of being in school, but also post-graduation.”

Disclaimer: Kayden-Harmony Greenstein formerly served as a staff photographer at the Daily Trojan in Fall 2024. Greenstein is no longer affiliated with this paper.