In 2022, Nobert Otieno scrolled through TikTok and saw a video of Jackson Van Horn showing his life at USC. Since USC was one of his dream schools, Otieno contacted Horn for guidance on his college application. Today, Otieno walks on university grounds as a Trojan freshman majoring in film and television production.

Contributing to Otieno’s success is what inspired Van Horn, a junior studying film and television production, to launch the Film School Mentorship Program under his company Vanmoto Media this past summer. This initiative strives to help high school seniors navigate their film school application journey by  providing students with feedback on their essays and helping applicants develop a voice and persona through their writing. 

“Otieno really inspired me to realize how much we can help other students in different areas,” Van Horn said. “There’s so much about the college admissions process at film schools that is so secretive, meticulous and difficult. I thought it would be a good idea to found this mentorship program that helps these students get into their top film schools.”

Vanmoto Media is a full production company launched in 2022 working with development, production logistics and distribution of projects. The company also produces its own short films and podcasts. Van Horn is in the process of recruiting applicants for the Film School Mentorship Program.

“The biggest challenge is getting the word out about the program and getting high school seniors to apply for the mentorship,” Van Horn said. “It’s a completely free process. We are going to accept between one to two applicants who we will mentor.”

When starting the program, it was important for Van Horn to help students who don’t have as many resources to learn about film or receive outside help. 

“I went to a very underfunded public school in the Bronx in New York. There was no film program, and when I was working on my application to go to USC, I realized how valuable mentorship and feedback was. I feel like I learned so much throughout the process,” Van Horn said. “I wanted to share that information to students like myself who grew up without an easy way in.”

Otieno, who will be joining Van Horn in guiding students’ applications, agreed that universities have many hidden rules behind essay writing which students may overlook. He believes Van Horn’s guidance was a key determinant behind Otieno’s acceptance to USC. 

“The first time [Horn] saw my essay, he gave me about two pages of notes about everything I needed to do to improve my essay, and without those notes, I wouldn’t have gotten in,” Otieno said.

Holly Hodges, a junior majoring in film and television production, is a mentor in Horn’s program. When asked about the most appealing aspect of the program, Hodges said the guidance is a unique opportunity for students to get fresh insight in a comfortable environment.

“[Van Horn’s] mentorship program allows you to have insight and talk to people who are going through film school and can answer questions in real time,” Hodges said. “As things are changing, they can give updates to students. This just gives students options of not just one, but multiple different sources.”

In the end, both Van Horn and Hodges concluded that the most valuable element behind college applications is the ability to build a story.

“Everyone has a story,” Van Horn said. “We have to think about our childhoods, how we grew up, what events led us to be the people who we are today and really sort of psychoanalyzing ourselves. Get to know yourself first. And once you do that, the admissions officers will get to know you.”

Although Van Horn’s program is independent of the School of Cinematic Arts and does not guarantee admission into the university, Van Horn hopes to expand the mentorship program by potentially working with the University to mentor students, especially since the University’s current summer course offerings can be hard for underprivileged students to access.

“Many people who attend the film and television production summer course in high school are accepted to USC, but the program doesn’t offer financial aid. Students who are attending can afford to pay the credits for the class and the housing,” Van Horn said. “I knew we needed something to counteract that to be more equitable. So, I hope we can work with the school in some way to mentor students, or at least provide financial aid for their summer program.”