During her freshman year at USC, Jasmine Moore noticed that existing USC clubs relating to cinematic arts often focused on the physical production of films, lacking collaboration across the creative, business and strategic sides of filmmaking. 

Moore, a junior majoring in business of cinematic arts, decided to take matters into her own hands and founded Greenlight Studios, which started up roughly one month ago. Open to students of all majors and experience levels, the unaffiliated student-run entertainment studio prioritizes accessibility over a selective application process common among many USC organizations. 

So far, Moore said, 30 people have demonstrated interest in contributing to Greenlight Studios.

“It feels validating to know that people are seeing the same lack of [cross-disciplinary opportunities] at the school,” Moore said.

Despite growing interest, Moore said she has encountered challenges in spreading awareness of the organization and encouraging students to take a chance on joining a club still in its early stages. 

However, Moore said she plans to support members who may have little experience in certain areas, such as drafting contracts for a film, by researching each department’s responsibilities and providing guidelines for the steps they need to take. 

Jade Pablo, a junior majoring in legal studies and head of festivals and distribution for the club, is interested in screenwriting and entertainment law. She said she chose to join Greenlight Studios because she can fulfill her creative interests while applying concepts from her coursework, such as licensing and intellectual property, to decisions surrounding the film’s festival submissions and distribution. 

“This is my first experience with filmmaking,” Pablo said. “I’ve never actually worked on a project like this.” 

The club is made up of five departments: development, business affairs, production, post-production, and marketing and distribution. In addition to working with the business affairs department to budget for festival planning, Pablo added that her department will be working closely with the marketing department.

“We would have to communicate what the film’s theme or plot is to craft what is most appealing to audiences or how we want them to perceive this film,” Pablo said.

The team of students aim to develop, finance, produce, market and distribute one original short film this year. To select Greenlight Studios’ first film, Moore said they will hold a mock pitch competition at their first meeting, where screenwriters will have the opportunity to present a short film that they’ve written. 

“There is so much that goes into film and TV that’s more than just the production side, and I think it’s important to give a chance for that to be spotlighted and for people to get a chance to work on it,” Moore said.

For students interested in fields such as finance or law, Moore hopes Greenlight Studios can provide opportunities to apply those skills within the entertainment industry. 

That was the case for Chloe Wang, a sophomore majoring in business of cinematic arts and head of business affairs for Greenlight Studios. Wang’s department will work alongside legal affairs and production to develop the film’s budget and lead fundraising efforts through alumni outreach, sponsorships, grants and campaigns. 

“Especially since I want to lean more into the finance side within entertainment, it’s the perfect way for me to hone my skills and learn a bit more about how film financing works,” Wang said.

Wang said she is excited to meet new people and improve on being more decisive and assertive. 

Moore said she sees value in gaining experience through collaboration in a studio setting, as it benefits students by being able to differentiate themselves as they enter the professional world. 

“[It’s a] great point of being able to say, if you’re in an interview, ‘I’ve done the job on this project’ … and being able to bring that further to push you forward in the job market.”

In addition to creating a short film this year, Greenlight Studios plans to host three panels where they will bring in industry professionals and hear about their experiences, correlating to the stage of the filmmaking process they’re in. That way, students can apply what they learn from the industry professionals directly to the film as it progresses through each stage of production. 

Most importantly, Moore said, is that by the end of Spring 2027 she hopes everyone in Greenlight Studios builds personal rapport and has a better understanding of the industry.

“I think it’s great, just honing in on the Trojan Network while you’re still at school instead of waiting years later,” Moore said. “It gives a stronger network and stronger connection that you can build with people that have some actual established groundwork.”