Held down the street from USC, the 77th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards took place at the Peacock Theatre on Sunday. Many of the celebrated talents and event coordinators were USC students and alumni.
“During the production of Sunday’s show, a lot of the people I was working with were USC Alumni,” senior cinema and media studies student Ava Kelly said. “This was a wonderful way to be connected.”
Kelly has been working on the pre-production for the Emmys for the last eight weeks while interning with Jesse Collins Entertainment and the Academy.
“This internship has been the first time I have ever been around this kind of live entertainment,” Kelly said. “The 12-hour days on set are exactly what I want to be doing with my life…..For me, I think it is really special to be that person behind the scenes, because you really are telling a story when you are directing someone’s achievement.”
For Kate D’Amaro — a sophomore studying business of cinematic arts — attending the Emmys was surreal. She was able to get tickets through her father, who attends different awards ceremonies.
A moment from the evening that stood out to D’Amaro was Sydney Sweeney’s award presentation, which marked one of Sweeney’s first public appearances following her controversial American Eagle campaign that sparked outrage amongst many.
“What was noteworthy to me about her is that when she was presenting…she didn’t do any monologue before,” D’Amaro said. “I wonder if that was a choice on her end, or if they wanted her to get in and out of there.”
USC students were also among the staff who helped run the ceremony behind the scenes. Claire Slater, a junior studying communication, had the opportunity to help escort attendees off and on the red carpet.
“Everyone just looked like they knew what they were supposed to do and what they were there to do,” Slater said. “It took so much planning.”
While working on the carpet, she came into contact with Hollywood’s biggest names, including Walton Goggins, Noah Wiley and Adam Scott.
Of her experience, Slater said that she thinks she hit at least 20,000 steps “walking back and forth and talking to really famous people.”
“I kept texting my sister, being like ‘I have so much to tell you,’” Slater said. “You’re seeing them be human, which we never see.”