Information - Alumni - Trojan Vision

Jon Kondrath

EMAIL:

CURRENT EMPLOYER AND JOB:

GSN, PlayMania - Assistant Game Researcher
Fast Shoes Productions - Producer

JOB HISTORY:

Freelancer on independent short films, commercials and music videos. Jobs ranged the gamut from grip/electric to director of photography, some paid well, some not paid at all. Also started off interning at a small production company, Fast Shoes, and am now a producer there.

GRADUATED:

2005

YEARS AT TROJAN VISION:

3 1/2

JOBS AT TROJAN VISION:

General Manager for 2 years, Personnel Manager, Executive Producer of Spirit of Troy, Brain Drain, and Audio Eclectic. And all around crew member.

WHY TROJAN VISION?

Trojan Vision is the premiere location to get hands on experience in television right out the gate. The members of Trojan Vision always welcomed new people with open arms and offered all the training necessary to get anyone from any walk of life the necessary experience to do whatever they wanted in a television environment. The programming is varied and the opportunities are endless. Working and learning at Trojan Vision is valuable, real world experience that carries over into the world after graduation (it was through my managerial experience and work on Brain Drain that I began working at GSN).

Peter Binnings
	CURRENT EMPLOYER AND JOB:	Freelance production assistant, extra in commercial shoots, substitute teacher
	JOB HISTORY:	Worked at trojan vision, now trying to get film work, doing PA work, also working with kids at school to pay bills
	GRADUATED:	2001
	YEARS AT TROJAN VISION:	1 1/2
	JOBS AT TROJAN VISION:	Operations Manager
	WHY TROJAN VISION?	Trojan vision really gave me hands on experience in production and programming. I learned how to work as a team player on a creative production. Working at USC television station also carries a lot of prestige with potential employers.

Jamin Johnson
	EMAIL:
	CURRENT EMPLOYER AND JOB:	Senior Technician / Uplink Operator - KMSP FOX-9/UPN-29, Minneapolis, MN
	JOB HISTORY:	ENG and satellite truck operator, Editor - WCCO (CBS O&O), Minneapolis, MN Freelance Photographer and Audio Operator - Minneapolis, MN and Los Angeles, CA Producer and Board Engineer - AM-1500 KSTP, Minneapolis MN Engineer and DJ - KROC-FM, KROC-AM, Y-105, Rochester, MN Photographer, Editor, Audio Operator - KTTC-TV, Rochester, MN
	GRADUATED:	2001
	YEARS AT TROJAN VISION:	4
	JOBS AT TROJAN VISION:	Production Manager, Operations Manager, Remote Operations Manager, Production Consultant
	WHY TROJAN VISION?	School can teach you about theory, but Trojan Vision teaches reality... television comes complicated with budgets, last-minute technical problems, and a thousand other obstacles. I believe the continuing television education Trojan Vision gave me is worth more than my degree. I learned how to solve problems in stressful situations, and how to take ideas and turn them into results. More importantly than anything else though, Trojan Vision taught me that the key to success is hard work. This is something I've carried with me since graduation and so far has given me more opportunities than I have had time to accept.
	URL:	www.kmsp.com, www.jaminjohnson.com

Ian Kaufman
	EMAIL:
	CURRENT EMPLOYER AND JOB:	Strand Communications, Los Angeles, CA - Production/Development Assistant
	JOB HISTORY:	AVID Digitizer/Logging - Late World, VH1 Camera Operator - Digital Planet Writer/Director - Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmakers Award Director of Photography - Blue Man Group, Behind the Scenes Associate Producer - Canadahelps.org Commercial Spot
	GRADUATED:	2001
	YEARS AT TROJAN VISION:	3 1/2
	JOBS AT TROJAN VISION:	On-Air Promotions Manager, Broadcast Producer/Director, Lighting Designer
	WHY TROJAN VISION?	My experience at Trojan Vision is the major contributing factor behind nearly every job or project I've worked on. Hands-on experience with AVID, professional cameras, and lighting units gave me the technical skills to take on jobs that most people my age couldn't do. Also, you learn what it means to be a producer or director and how to be leader. The people I worked with at Trojan Vision have collaborated with me on almost every project, some of them are the reason I got the jobs in the first place, and some are my best friends.
	URL:	www.strandcommunications.com

Chris McKinley
	EMAIL:
	CURRENT EMPLOYER AND JOB:	Online Editor, Los Angeles, CA - VH-1 "Behind the Music"
	JOB HISTORY:	Independent Feature film, television and promotional work. Past clients: LA Opera Company; Lexus; Nike Hockey.
	GRADUATED:	2001
	YEARS AT TROJAN VISION:	4
	JOBS AT TROJAN VISION:	Post-Production Coordinator, Creative Consultant
	WHY TROJAN VISION?	Trojan Vision enhanced my USC experience by 200 percent. The program, completely student run (and advised by professionals), truly embraces the idea of "learning by doing". It is, hands down, the best opportunity to work in production and post-production on campus; unencumbered by a syllabus, final exams, and teacher panel-discussions; open to all majors, and totally free of any lab fees passed on to the student.

Jake Milstein
	EMAIL:
	CURRENT EMPLOYER AND JOB:	KNTV (NBC Affiliate), San Francisco, CA - Producer
	JOB HISTORY:	I graduated, was hired as a writer, became a producer a month later. Have been a producer ever since.
	GRADUATED:	2000
	YEARS AT TROJAN VISION:	4
	JOBS AT TROJAN VISION:	News Operations Manager, News Executive Producer, Photog, Editor
	WHY TROJAN VISION?	Trojan Vision gave me the opportunity to learn and develop my skills on the technical side of producing for TV (editing, shooting, directing, and the like). It also gave me the chance to be evaluated by my peers, learn from professionals, and become critical of my own TV work. It also allowed me to try out various kinds of TV and Media. In the end, I guess I chose news.

John Peck
	EMAIL:
	CURRENT EMPLOYER AND JOB:	KNTV (NBC O&O), San Jose - San Francisco - Oakland, Producer
	JOB HISTORY:	Hired right after graduation at KOIN-TV (CBS) in Portland, OR. I produced a two hour morning show until April 2003, when KNTV hired me... Now, I'm working besides the infamous Jake Milstein once again.
	GRADUATED:	2001
	YEARS AT TROJAN VISION:	4
	JOBS AT TROJAN VISION:	Personnel Manager, General Manager, News Executive Producer
	WHY TROJAN VISION?	Trojan Vision prepared me for work in television production more than any other experience at USC. The creative freedom combined with amazing technical resources provided an amazing learning opportunity with no limits. Trojan Vision allowed me to experience every aspect of television production; ranging from producing & directing a live game show (yee ha!) to going out in the field and doing entire remote productions of USC sporting events. Oh, and then there's the management experience. Working side-by-side with paid managers, volunteers, and faculty members taught me more about motivating and managing different personalities and priorities than any other experience in my life.
	URL:	www.johnwhpeck.com/resume.html

Dawn Sebock
	CURRENT EMPLOYER AND JOB:	Producer - The J. Keith van Straaten Show, Los Angeles, CA
	JOBS AT TROJAN VISION:	General Manager
	URL:	www.jkeith.net

Eve Troeh
	EMAIL:
	CURRENT EMPLOYER AND JOB:	Editor - American Routes Radio, New Orleans, LA
	JOB HISTORY:	After graduating from USC with a double major in anthropology and journalism, I had an internship at National Public Radio in Washington, D.C., then moved to New Orleans for a boyfriend and started working as a production assistant for this syndicated radio show. The guy is long gone, but my job is great. I write script, pick music, edit audio interviews with musicians on a digital editing bay and come up with cool show ideas. I started as a part-time production assistant and within a year I was re-titled as the Editor of the show.
	GRADUATED:	2000
	YEARS AT TROJAN VISION:	2
	JOBS AT TROJAN VISION:	Traffic Manager, Promotions Manager
	WHY TROJAN VISION?	I think the most valuable thing I learned at Trojan Vision is how much cooperation is needed to pull off any professional media project. An individual creative vision is important, but for television, film, or radio you can't do it all alone. At Trojan Vision there was a dynamic group of talented people who were willing to work hard and make it happen for each other -- and we did. Something big was created where there was nothing before. In my job now I use that sense of judgment and compromise to help put together a great 2-hour pre-produced weekly radio show, using the individual strengths of all (just five) of the people who work here. I'm the youngest person here by 5 years, but I don't at all feel inexperienced. And I can throw around a lot of cool words like B-Roll and Tape Sheet.
	URL:	www.americanroutes.org

Scott Zabielski
	EMAIL:
	CURRENT EMPLOYER AND JOB:	Freelance Film and Video Producer
	JOB HISTORY:	After graduating, I directed The Doritos Sessions, a live music performance/interview show with bands like Eve 6, Vertical Horizon, and Eagle Eye Cherry. VH-1 "Late World"
	GRADUATED:	2001
	YEARS AT TROJAN VISION:	4
	JOBS AT TROJAN VISION:	Assistant General Manger, Production Manager
	WHY TROJAN VISION?	Film school is okay, but Trojan Vision is where I learned everything that I really needed to know to get a good job. I got to direct The Doritos Sessions because I had hundreds of hours of live directing experience at Trojan Vision. It's also where I learned Avid and got lots of experience shooting DV, making dubs, producing shows, etc. When I got into the "real world" people were amazed to know how much I could do -- even though I just graduated from school. If I hadn't worked at Trojan Vision, I'd be getting people's lunch for them every day, but instead I'm shooting and editing.
	URL:	www.scottzabielski.com