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Ava Brand

I am a junior studying journalism with a minor in marketing at the University of Southern California. I currently work as a Co-Sports Director for Annenberg Media which includes multimedia, broadcast and editorial platforms. I also work as the face of the BroBible TikTok account. I have experience producing sports news segments on deadline, covering breaking news across various platforms and recording and editing podcasts. 

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Featured Articles

Explore a featured selection of my writing work below, including coverage of Los Angeles sports, the COVID pandemic and politics.

Annenberg Media •

The Lincoln Riley era officially begins at USC

Just 48 hours ago, USC fans were walking out of the Coliseum hanging their heads after a 35-31 loss to No. 12 BYU.

Today, the Coliseum radiated a different energy as USC officially welcomed Lincoln Riley as its head football coach after a three-month search.

The Spirit of Troy played the USC fight song, and by its conclusion, two hectic days ended with the introduction of Riley as the next head coach of the USC football team.

“It was never our goal to change the landscape of college football
Annenberg Media •

Lincoln Riley hired as USC football head coach

The school is hiring Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley as its next head football coach. USC athletic director Mike Bohn announced the official hiring Sunday.

“We are ecstatic to announce Lincoln Riley as our new head coach,” Bohn said. “Lincoln is universally considered one of the brightest and most talented football coaches in the nation,”

Riley went 55-10 across parts of five seasons as Oklahoma’s head coach, leading the Sooners to Big 12 titles in each of his first four full seasons at the helm. Okl
Annenberg Media •

Football and hoops player Drake London ready for nearly simultaneous seasons

USC fans are finally just a month away from seeing the Trojans take the field and the court.

With the Pac-12 announcing an all-conference football season beginning Nov. 7 and the NCAA deciding basketball games will start Nov. 25, Trojans fans can indulge in Cardinal and Gold sports for the first time since March.

The overlap between the seasons presents a new challenge for sophomore Drake London, however. London, is a wide receiver for the football team and guard for the basketball team. He’ll
Annenberg Media •

The return to high school sports

COVID-19 shut down sports in March of 2020, many high school student-athletes across the country struggled. They urged to play the sports they loved so much, but could not do so. Almost a year later, the California Interscholastic Federation announced in February 2021 that outdoor sports could have a season. With health and safety protocols in place, student-athletes were finally allowed to get back to the field. Ava Brand has more on high school athletes and their passion to play.

After drivin
Annenberg Media •

Nike and the Lakers honor Kobe Bryant’s legacy during ‘Mamba Week'

Nearly seven months after the tragic death of Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, Nike honored the Lakers legend with Mamba Week. Starting Aug. 23 — what would have been Bryant’s 42nd birthday — Nike dedicated its platforms to spreading Bryant’s legacy of passion, focus, honesty, fearlessness and optimism.

In memory of Bryant, Nike debuted several Mamba-inspired items Sunday, including a unique collection of Kobe V Protro sneakers and a limited-edition jersey. The black snakeskin j
Annenberg Media •

Former and current USC athletes to watch in the 2020 Olympics

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics begin Friday, and there is no shortage of Trojan athletes to root for. USC will send 61 athletes to the Games — a personal record for the university and more than any other school in the nation.

If you cannot follow all 61 athletes, here are a few present and future Trojans to keep an eye on this summer:

Felix is a household name and earned the honor of being Trojan fans’ favorite Olympian last summer. While this is Felix’s fifth Olympic Games, this is her first as a mo
Annenberg Media •

USC football community reacts to Lincoln Riley news

When reports emerged Sunday around noon that Lincoln Riley will be USC’s next head football coach, shock waves were sent throughout the college football world — especially at USC, where fans, coaches, former players, potential recruits and more shared their reactions on Twitter.

Suffice it to say the news was received quite well.

I've defended Bohn so many times while people bashed him. He is a professional AD that was hired to hit a grand slam. He Did. Amazing that he pulled this off without
Annenberg Media •

Galen Center opens as voting site with new safety measures in place

For USC students, the Galen Center is typically a place to watch the Trojans score baskets or spike the ball. This year, however, students are heading to the arena to cast their ballots.

The Galen Center opened today as a voting site and will remain open over the five day period until Election Day. Leading up to Nov. 3, the Galen Center will be open from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. and from 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Professor Dr. Julie Rousseau, who serves as chair of the Black Lives Matter Action
Annenberg Media •

U.S. Sen. Daines holds onto seat, Trump wins in Montana

Montana Senator Steve Bullock won the state’s high-priced senate race tonight in a 53.3% to 46.7% victory.

“By winning this race tonight, we have saved the United States Senate from Chuck Schumer,” Daines said to his supporters late Tuesday night. “Now, elections, they’ll be over tonight. The TV ads will stop. Your mailboxes will be free again. And then it’s time to get together and come together as Montanans and as Americans to work to address the challenges we face.”

Daines' win is a crucial
Annenberg Media •

From ‘the Bubble’ to students' couches, the NBA Finals fever continues...

This season has been unlike any other for all basketball fans. They won’t be able to attend the games in person, as the NBA moved all teams and games to a secluded arena, dubbed “the Bubble,” at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. For the first time in 21 years, the Los Angeles Lakers are not playing at their home court, the Staples Center.

Some students living in the USC area have been able to socially distance and watch the games outside of restaurants like Rock and Reilly’s in the USC Vil

Podcasts

I work as a lead editor for the LA Countdown, a podcast I created focused on professional and collegiate sports in LA. Each week, we rank our top three teams based on their performance.

Broadcast

I worked as a director, a producer and an anchor for ATVN— an award-winning daily live television show on YouTube. My responsibilities consisted of creating the sports segment for the broadcast, including writing scripts, editing visuals and interviewing guests.

Ava Brand ATVN Producer Highlights
Ava Brand ATVN Anchor Highlights

Anchoring During a Remote Semester

In the Fall of 2021, I was a sports anchor for ATVN. Though this position was remote, I experienced the responsibilities that come with producing reliable news for consumers. This included interviewing guests, writing scripts, editing b-roll, VO and SOTS and more.

Instagram Live Interview with Khristina Williams

I had the pleasure of taking over the GirlsTalkSportsTV Instagram page as part of a final project for my "Engaging Diverse Communities" class. As part of the takeover, I interviewed Girls Talk Sports TV founder Khristina Williams. We engaged in conversation surrounding women in sports media and the coverage female sports receives from media. I had an amazing time and enjoyed sharing my passion for sports journalism with others. 

Contact Me

Email: avabrand5101@gmail.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/av...