Mindy Castillo

Name: Mindy Castillo
Graduation Year: 2019
Major: Journalism
Hometown: Orange County, California

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What were your favorite positions/memories at TVTV?
I feel so incredibly lucky to have been able to host multiple shows for Trojan Vision. Each show was such a valuable learning experience for me and SO MUCH FUN! During the fall of my junior year, I got my start in TVTV by being a co-host for Delish and a red carpet correspondent for The SCoop. Then during the following semester, I tried out for the CU@USC hosting gig and got the opportunity to host the Friday night show! I absolutely fell in love with the process of producing and hosting a talk show, so I continued to host CU@USC all through my senior year and even signed on to be a co-host on The Morning Brew!

How was your transition process out of USC and into the workplace?
Literally 3 days after I graduated in May 2019, I started my first job as a production assistant at Entertainment Tonight! I thought it would be a chill transition going into work like I was starting a new semester of classes but boy oh boy was it intense. Even though it was a bit nerve-wracking to start working immediately, especially for ET’s fast-paced newsroom, I felt confident that the skills I developed from my Annenberg courses, internships, and hands-on TVTV training would help me tremendously at work. Since those past experiences helped me understand the mindset of the producers, directors, and hosts at ET, I was able to figure out how to best help them and anticipate what they were looking for in various situations.

What are you up to now?
I’m currently the executive assistant to the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Creative Officer at Mythical Entertainment, an entertainment company founded by Rhett & Link, who host Mythical’s flagship comedy talk show, Good Mythical Morning! In 2019, Mythical acquired the sketch comedy brand Smosh, creating the largest digital comedy studio in the world with a combined total of over 75 million subscribers and 25 billion views. In addition to assisting the executives with their demanding schedules, I’m also able to explore my creative interests by assisting the writers and producers with research and writing assignments and I’m also in charge of updating the company on what is trending in pop culture. Working at Entertainment Tonight was a great start for me, but when I got this opportunity to work for a company that combines my passions for talk shows, pop culture, and comedy, I couldn’t pass it up! Since I made the transition from ET to Mythical, I’ve been loving my job here ever since I started in October 2019!

How has TVTV affected your career?
It’s so hard to think of where I’d be without my involvement in TVTV! I believe the greatest thing I got from Trojan Vision is the confidence to work in the entertainment industry. Of course, I feel self-doubt creep in sometimes, but whenever I do, I just remember that TVTV has prepared me for anything! I also love the fact that I met some of my best friends at TVTV.

Where would you like to be in 5-10 years?
The ultimate goal has stayed the same since my freshman year of college: hosting a talk show! After interning for CONAN and getting the hosting experience at TVTV, especially for CU@USC, my hosting dreams have only intensified. I would absolutely love to help spread positivity in this world by sharing enriching stories that people can be inspired by and learn from while also getting to be goofy and share a lot of laughs with an audience.

** Please reach out to our Industry Relations Manager, Phoebe Lai (pelai@usc.edu) to get in touch with our Notable Alumni or be featured in our next newsletter!