>> My name is Kiana [phonetic] Harper.
I'm a 2013 graduate from USC and currently I work at a cable network in television research.
Normally, sending out ratings in come capacity whether
or not it's a foreign network or maybe for competitors.
But, you know, we also assist on the programming department, marketing, and ad sales department.
So, sometimes they are doing various projects and they need our assistance.
So, we get ad hoc requests all the time.
So, one day I can be working on something for programming or another day I might be working
on helping marketing with one of their projects as well.
I just think it's really fascinating.
It's kind of a weird part of the industry that people don't necessarily think of
but it's really important, you know.
Shows can live or die based on who's watching, how many people are watching.
And, you know, somebody has to be the bearer of good news
or bad news and I kind of like doing that.
It's also, I think, just fascinating to be able to know what's going on all
over the television landscape because, you know, yeah, we're just one network but I need
to know what our competitors are doing, what, like, everyone is doing.
So, I think that's fascinating -- knowing what is going on all over television.
I love my program because we were unique in that we did have those business classes
and we have those cinema courses as well.
And you can do, you know, business major and a cinema minor.
But with this -- with the BCA, program there's a cohort of you
of 50 people or maybe a little less.
And then you all take the same classes together so you're building up that network already
and that's so important in the entertainment industry.
I went to this beautiful school -- the University of Southern California.
Graduated in 2013.
I studied business with an emphasis in cinematic arts.
It's a joint program between the Marshall School of Business and the School of Cinematic Arts.
So, overall, it is a business degree.
You'll get a bachelors in business.
But instead of taking your emphasis courses in, like, accounting or marketing,
our emphasis courses were in cinema.
So, I took various film and marketing -- film, sorry, and television classes.
Enjoy college.
It's amazing.
You never get it back.
You never get this experience back.
I'm only two years out but every time I step
onto campus it's crazy how things look exactly the same but everything is so different.
So, enjoy it while you're here and take advantage of every opportunity.
Like, when you're a college student, people want to talk to you.
They want to help you.
They want you to come ask them for advice.
Like, do it.
You can do that when you're in college 'cause you want to learn.
Just be a sponge and, like, just squeeze up like everything you possibly can.
Because, you know, when you're out in the world and you're working full time,
you don't have time to go on informational interviews
and go to networking events all the time, you know, and just go meeting different people.
But when you're a college student, even something as simple as, you know,
you've met someone you like, stay in touch with people.
Just make sure that you're building a foundation for your career right now.