EIV Celebrates Turning 50

For 50 years, Emerson Independent Video has served as a training ground for students to learn the ins and outs of television, preparing them for future careers in the entertainment industry.

On December 4, EIV celebrated its 50th anniversary the best way it knew how: by broadcasting a live anniversary special from the Di Bona Family Television Studio in the Tufte Performance and Production Center.

“EIV is all about collaboration,” said Gianna Ballin ’26, EIV’S Deputy General Manager. “It’s an organization that’s run by students and works for students. It’s all about learning how to work as a team.”

Founded in 1975, EIV is a student organization that produces scripted and unscripted content, including comedy shows, news broadcasts, movies, films, and anything else that gets approved by EIV’s student-run board. 

Ballin explained how an EIV show gets made: At the end of each semester EIV holds a pitch weekend, which will determine the following semester’s productions. Just as a show creator would do if they were pitching to Netflix or NBC, students provide a pitch packet before presenting their idea in a live meeting with the board. Ballin said EIV received about 30 pitches last semester. 

“We talk about which pitches would students be interested in participating in. Are the logistics doable? Is their budget doable? And whether they need EIV,” said Ballin. “We ask [students pitching] why is EIV important to them. What is EIV going to do for your project?”

Then the board votes. This semester, the Board chose 14 productions, including the 50th anniversary special.

“EIV is a learning organization,” said Tallulah Schorvitz ’27, a School of Film, Television & Media Arts major and EIV’s Head of Scripted Content. “Everyone is focused on collaboration and on learning from each other. It’s a place that makes me feel valued, and makes me feel as though my talents are celebrated.”

For some students like EIV camera operator Nathan Gonzalez ’29, being part of EIV reaffirms what he wants to do for a career.

“This team makes me feel like this is where I want to be,” said Gonzalez.

“It’s a wonderful gateway into studio production,” said Tyson Driver ’28, an EIV audio assistant.

“I like working with EIV because it allows me to garner as much lighting experience as I can,” said Shiven Juneja ’29, a Media Arts Production student and lighting director for the anniversary special. “The team is great, and we work together great.”

From the control room, Technical Associate Producer and Media Arts Production major Remie Cibanoff ’28 lauded the organization’s professional and educational approach that encourages adaptability and growth, as students explore different areas of production like the control room, lighting, audio, and other industry careers. 

“I love being in an environment where I’m comfortable enough to be flexible,” said Cibanoff. “The work we do here is as close to professional standards as it gets.”

Let’s Get to the Show

The anniversary special, hosted by Noah Berkowitz ’26, included an interview with Sid Levin ’79, a co-founder of EIV. In a recorded segment, Levin sat on one of Emerson’s old Beacon Street brownstone buildings and spoke to current EIVers Adelaide Brown ’26 and Lia Klug ’27. 

Levin talked about how EIV gained its independence, and what he learned from founding the organization.

“I think the big lesson I learned was diligence,” said Levin, reminiscing on the trials and tribulations his group faced when establishing the organization. “Because when you are forming a new entity within the confines of a school… you have to almost fight for everything that you want… We were challenged every step of the way, but I think with the help of the other members of the EIV team and student government, we got it done.”

From inside the studio, Berkowitz spoke with Bob Grove ’78, another EIV co-founder. Like Levin, Grove emphasized the effort and persistence necessary to make their dreams of a completely student-run, professionally-equipped production studio into a reality.   

“We needed to expand EIV to do more things for the students. The industry was changing: we were seeing things move out of the studio and into the field, we were seeing the rise of new things like comedy programming and things like that, and we wanted to embrace some of that and give it to the students,” said Grove. 

Along with an introspective look at the EVVYs, which were created with EIV’s assistance, the special aired a reel of footage from past productions through the years, and also paid homage to former faculty member Pete Chvany, who was the faculty advisor to EIV and the EVVYs from 1992 to 2007. 

School of Communication Technology Director Jonathan Satriale ’94, MA ’09, ’14, said that Chvany influenced any student who worked on EIV and the EVVYs during his time. For Satriale, Chvany was a mentor, soccer coach, friend, and had a flair for the dramatic. 

“He would rip the sleeves off his leather jacket, or let students cut his ponytail when some big event happened like a big soccer win, or at the end of the EVVYs,” said Satriale.

Stephen Scaia ’98, creator of the CBS show Blood & Treasure, reminisced about the first time he met Chvany at an EIV meeting.

“At that meeting, he pulled an Emmy out of a cardboard box and shook it at us,” said Scaia.

That kind of fun attitude continued to permeate EIV after Chvany, too.

Kevin Cochran ’12, now a Senior Broadcast Architect for Walt Disney Studios, participated in EIV for his entire Emerson experience. 

“I made some of my best friends in EIV, and I did a lot of work I’m really proud of that ultimately let me get a career in news,” said Cochran.