According to emails sent to the Occidental student body, there have been two professional productions on campus since the beginning of the Fall 2026 semester. The college is no stranger to filming, given its extensive track record of credits in the past hundred years. Occidental has been featured in films and television including “Clueless” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” as well as recent streaming series such as “Rooster” and “The Shards.”
Chief Operating Officer Amos Himmelstein is in charge of the Finance, Planning and Operations Division, which oversees many offices, including Hospitality Services. Filming at Occidental is managed under Hospitality Services. Himmelstein said the college aims to maximize revenue from filming while minimizing disruptions: avoiding midterms and finals seasons, for example.
“We still usually try to get [filming] done during breaks or on weekends,” Himmelstein said. “There are opportunities that we reject, and it really depends on what makes sense for us to accept. Timing has something to do with it.”
Elizabeth Heitman (sophomore) said parking during filming times has been an issue. According to Heitman, the Bioscience building was surrounded by trucks two weeks ago. Heitman said parking near Bell-Young, the softball field, the Tiger Cooler and visitor parking on the hill may all be affected depending on the filming production.
“It is annoying how they take up all the parking spots,” Heitman said.
Alexandra Jones (sophomore) said she felt film crews have encroached upon students’ space.
“When they were [at] Chilcott last year, they overtook our patio and would get mad at you for just trying to walk out of your dorm,” Jones said.
Dalia Gutierrez (sophomore) said she thought filming on campus was disruptive.
“One time I had my earbuds in last year, and I was walking to class from Bell-Young because that’s where I used to live,” Gutierrez said. “I walked onto set, and then everyone started yelling at me, and I didn’t hear.”
Angie Ortiz (senior) said filming seems to be shrouded in secrecy.
“If we are paying for this campus, I would like to know what it is you are filming,” Ortiz said.
Grace Allen (sophomore) said she was interested in watching the film crew work because the production was a mystery.
“It’s kind of exciting to try and figure out what they’re filming,” Allen said. “[But] it makes me worried that our school has no money.”
According to Himmelstein, filming at Occidental has been a significant source of revenue for the college and can bring in extra funds for the operating budget.
“[Filming] is significant additional revenue that we receive,” Himmelstein said. “It ranges from year to year, so it could be as much as $300,000 to $1 million.”
Allen said she enjoyed being able to see actors all dressed up and felt a sense of pride walking around the campus, knowing that it is the backdrop for many productions. Allen said Target recently filmed a Christmas commercial on campus, which she said was fun to spectate.
“We liked all the Target actors,” Allen said. “I keep my family updated. I’m like, ‘Guess what’s going on today?’”
Miles Manigault (senior) said they used to be an actor and still felt filming on campus was obstructive.
“I went to go handle some business in Swan, and they’re like, ‘No, you can’t be here right now,’” Manigault said. “As someone who has done these things, it sucks — they don’t even name [the actors] in the commercial. We can’t have these 7-year-olds in full lambskin jackets on the Quad.”
Himmelstein said that while an additional source of revenue is the main benefit, there are auxiliary benefits. Himmelstein said students have been able to get hands-on experience or participate as extras, though not all filming projects permit student involvement.
“Even people who have just stood by and watched have said they enjoyed and liked having the filming on campus,” Himmelstein said. “They sometimes get to see stars.”
Manigault said they enjoyed seeing some actors at Occidental.
“It was cool when Steve Carell was here for two days [for Rooster],” Manigault said. “That was cool, but this can never happen again.”
Morgan Soltes (junior) said she was thrilled by unexpected actors.
“I liked when they had the cow with the beret,” Soltes said. “As long as [the film crew] are not sassy and I can walk past them to class, it’s not a problem.”
Himmelstein said filming at Occidental helps to raise the visibility of the college.
“Sometimes you’re watching TV, and you see a commercial come on, and you’ll be like, ‘Hey, that’s Fowler Hall,’” Himmelstein said. “I’ve seen a commercial that I didn’t even know what it was a commercial for, but I could recognize that it was [filmed at] Occidental.”
Contact Vivian Pei at vpei@oxy.edu
