WVU engineering student discovers hidden talent behind the camera

Engineering student Trevor Gromen works as a part-time cameraman for WVU Athletics.

At West Virginia University sports are serious business and making sure that fans don’t miss a minute of the action is a top priority for WVU Athletics. The department relies on a team of dedicated student workers to capture the live action that appears on the video boards during home games. While most of these students come from the Reed College of Media, one particularly talented cameraman happens to be from the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources .

Trevor Gromen, a mechanical and aerospace engineering dual major from Crofton, Maryland, was introduced to videography through a friend in 2015, and quickly discovered that he had a knack for working a camera. Although he had no previous experience, he thought that being a cameraman for sports sounded interesting so he decided to give it a try and has been working for WVU Athletics ever since.

Gromen films content for the video boards at all sporting events that take place at the WVU Coliseum, including basketball, volleyball, gymnastics and wrestling. He also covers games at the Monongalia County Ballpark for both WVU baseball and the West Virginia Black Bears and is one of the few students hired to work football games at WVU’s Milan Puskar Stadium.

Unlike other sporting events, WVU Athletics does not handle the production of football games in house. Instead, they lease a professional television truck to run production and hire professional crew members to work the event at a premium rate.

During each football game a few elite students, like Gromen, are selected to work alongside the professionals.

“Trevor runs camera at football game’s among professional freelancers who make a living as camera operators,” said Chris Ostien, senior producer for WVU Athletics. “It is unheard of for an undergrad student not majoring in media to be hired for this task but his work is phenomenal.”

Gromen’s natural talent for camera work combined with his skills in engineering make him one of Ostien’s most reliable workers.

“Being a camera operator requires patience, concentration and critical thinking skills, which are all strong qualities possessed by engineering majors,” said Ostien. “I rely on Trevor to solve most, if not all, of the technical problems we encounter at events. I honestly have no idea how he does the balancing act of working so many events and the demands of an incomprehensible academic work load but I do know that his work ethic is flawless.”

Having a job during college can prove to be extremely challenging for some students. For Gromen, working behind the camera allows him to apply his engineering course work outside of the classroom and provides him with an outlet to decompress from his studies.

“There is a lot of problem solving that goes on before, during and after a show that allows me to put my engineering degree to good use,” said Gromen. “However, the thing I like the most about filming is that it allows me to enter a meditative state which is a great way to relax and take my mind off classes for a while.”

While it is fun being a cameraman, it is certainly no easy job. Throughout the academic year there are more than 100 sporting events on campus in which Gromen is responsible for the setup and teardown of his camera, as well as providing technical support to his team members.

“The hours are long and the events are many but Trevor is always happy to be here,” said Ostien. “Most days he arrives early and stays late, but he always does it with a positive attitude.”

Although Gromen excels as a cameraman he surprisingly has no intentions of pursuing the profession after graduation. Instead he has his sights set on the stars.

“One of the great things about working jobs in different industries is that it has allowed me to see other people’s point of views and to gain valuable life experience,” said Gromen. “After graduation my goal is to take the knowledge and experience that I have gained at the Statler College and the additional teamwork skills that I have gained from filming and use it to lead a research design team for interplanetary travel to learn more about our solar system and the universe.”

---