LA JOLLA, Calif. –  Lights. Camera. Live sports. UC San Diego senior Elisha Chu has been a part of the UC San Diego Athletics broadcast team since her freshman year. When the UC San Diego sports teams moved up in Division I, Chu's role grew with them.
 
Chu became interested in broadcast journalism at El Dorado High School. She assisted with filming high school sports games and participated in short film competitions.
 
"In high school, they introduced us to a bunch of types of films. I was really drawn to storytelling. Even with sports, you can always tell a story beyond the game," Chu said.
 
As a freshman at UC San Diego, Chu's resident assistant (RA) encouraged her and her roommates to attend a basketball game. Chu was impressed with the camerawork and her RA introduced her to the broadcasting staff.
 
Chu began working as a camerawoman for UC San Diego athletics during the winter of her freshman year. She assisted with filming and audio at winter and spring competitions.
 
"From the beginning, everyone [in the crew] was so positive. Even when I'm just doing camera and audio, we're all friends and it's such a great environment to grow in and learn more about the industry," Chu said.
 
As a sophomore, Chu continued to do camerawork. However, the production value and level of equipment began to improve with the help of Assistant Athletic Director of Video Production Steven Calista.
 
"Before Steven came in, our team was really small for each game," Chu said. "Now we have at least 4 cameras per game which allows us to capture more of the game from different angles and create a greater viewing experiences for the fans"
 
Chu's experiences during her junior year were limited by the coronavirus. This year, as a senior, Chu stepped into a producing role.
 
"As the transition to Division I demanded not only more productions, but more quality productions, UC San Diego invested in our transition onto the ESPN platform," Calista said. "Elisha is one of those students who took the increased responsibility and began producing her own games for ESPN+ this year. As a producer you must know all of the roles of the production, and guide them to tell your vision of the production. It is the highest position we have, and Elisha is a true success story in every area she has mastered."
 
In her current producing role, Chu researches potential story elements and prepares graphics that aid those elements before each game. During the game she communicates with announcers, the broadcast crew, as well as the ESPN Network to ensure the broadcast is happening on time and up to ESPN standards. 
 
"I was nervous at first but I'd seen it done so many times that it's engrained in my head," Chu said. "It's fun being more involved. This year we want to do more storylines about the team, about the players in the game, instead of just announcing."
 
Chu plans to move to Los Angeles after graduating from UC San Diego in the spring of 2022. She hopes to find a job in the film industry and eventually become a producer for a television show.
 
Students interested in video production or broadcast production with ESPN+ can email Calista, scalista@ucsd.edu, to find out about the available opportunities.
 
"My goal is to tell the story of UC San Diego Athletics and its Scholar-Athletes through professional and industry standard visual mediums," Calista said. "Our ESPN crew is always hiring and always happy to bring on new students who want to gain more experience in a professional industry standard television crew."



About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.