Yellow Jacket Television
Promotional Poster for my season (Season 5) of Yellow Jacket Television
Yellow Jacket Television: Where My Filmmaking Journey Took Off
During my senior year of high school, I had the privilege of joining the cast and crew of Season 5 of my school’s television program, “Yellow Jacket Television” (YJTV). I served as the lead editor. This role meant I was often the last person to touch each episode before it aired, and I helped edit various random segments. YJTV was a year-long, student-run course that operated like a real production studio. And undoubtedly, the show is still thriving today, now in its 12th season in 2026.
Being part of the YJTV crew was like holding a badge of honor. Everyone knew who you were and what you created. Students would watch us film in the hallways, cover sports games, or shoot skits after school, always curious and excited to see how those moments would transform into the final episode. My favorite part was the reaction from the student body. Seeing students light up and holler when they recognized themselves or their friends on the big screen.
What made YJTV truly unique was our ambition. Every month, we produced a full 45-minute episode for the entire school to watch together in the auditorium. For a team of high school students, that challenge was massive. This pushed us to think bigger, plan better, and create with intention.
The creative freedom was unmatched. If you had an idea, you had the support to make it happen. During my season, our content ranged from sports features and comedy sketches to music parodies, competitions, and student interviews. No idea was too odd or too ambitious. We simply found a way to create it. Thanks to the help of our teacher advisor.
I contributed to countless segments: filming, editing, and sometimes even hosting. I created skits, show intros, segment transitions, and visual moments that still stick with me today. Each project taught me something new about storytelling, pacing, camera work, collaboration, and research.
I’ve highlighted a few of my favorite segments on this site. These projects have helped shape my passion for film and videography, and that still inspires the work I do now.
Notable Work
Spirit Week 2018
I agreed to be the crew member to tackle the Spirit Week segment. I knew the student body loves being in the YJTV segments —but I won’t lie, I was so nervous when I started filming. Holding the camera on that first day felt like a lot of pressure. But with each passing day, and with every bit of positive feedback and energy while being filmed. I grew more comfortable and confident.
Tie-Dye Day kicked off the week with bright colors everywhere. I was nervous that the students would not want to be on camera and turn me down. So I didn’t stray from 1 filming location. I knew if students didn’t want to participate on Day 1, this segment would flop, and I would lose confidence in my capabilities. I tried to film more candid shots rather than staged shots.
On Twin Day, students were approaching me and asking me to film them and their best friend. This consisted of holding poses and doing fun dance moves. This gesture made it easier to relax and realize that students WANT to be on camera.
Decade Day was when I finally got the courage to ask students on camera, even if they were not comfortable with their outfits. My job was to hype them up. I had 2 days and footage, and was almost halfway through the week.
On Jersey Day, my nerves were pretty much gone, and the school spirit made filming effortless. Fellow students were coming to me asking to be on camera as they represented their team —whether to create controversy or true fan spirit, I’ll never know.
By the time we reached Class Colors Day, I felt fully in my element, capturing the energy and pride of every grade, even walking into their homerooms and telling everyone to get in the shot.
During the Pep Rally, almost 90% of the school saw me filming throughout the halls and homeroom during the week. Most students came to the conclusion that I was creating a segment for YJTV. This allowed my confidence to SOAR! I was out of the stands and on the gym floor filming the Varsity teams performing their dance routines. (With help from my teacher advisor)
Looking back, the Spirit Week segment didn’t just bring the school together. It helped me grow behind the camera more than I realized. I started nervously but finished confidently, and I’m proud of the story I got to tell through my lens.
Drake & Josh Theme Intro
I recreated the iconic opening from Drake & Josh using footage we had already filmed. I studied the original intro’s timing and style, then searched through our clips to find moments that matched its energy. I found a template online of the original show and added the footage and the crew members’ names.
At first, I wasn’t sure we had enough usable footage, but everything started coming together as I reviewed more clips. I synced shots of the crew laughing and posing to the beat of the theme song, and some clips fit so perfectly that it felt like they had been filmed for this exact project.
After adding a few edits, the final result ended up feeling like a fun mix of nostalgia and school spirit. It was a rewarding project that proved how much you can create with footage you already have.
Pi Week Competitions
For 3/14, I created a segment covering Pi Week after our advisor reminded us that our school focused too much on sports and needed to highlight other areas. The Math Honor Society hosted a full week of competitions, including a math quiz, a pie-baking contest, a pie-eating contest, penny wars, and a challenge to recite the most digits of pi.
Each event brought out different students, giving me fun and unique moments to film. From messy pie-eating chaos to hearing the same digits of pi recited over and over. The winners earned a pizza party, which kept everyone motivated.
Filming Pi Week showed me how many great stories happen outside of athletics, and how important it is for us to capture them. Representation matters.
Senioritis
Senioritis is the name of my first comedy skit that I ever wrote. In the video, the school nurse is trying to figure out why all the seniors were acting strangely. Until she finally realized they were suffering from a classic case of senioritis.
After the reveal, the skit shifted into a parody infomercial inspired by the emotional style of ASPCA commercials, complete with emotional music playing in the background. The dramatic tone perfectly contrasted the ridiculous “symptoms,” making the joke land even better.
Creating this project was a big milestone for me. It was the first time I fully wrote, filmed, and executed a skit from start to finish. Seeing it all come together was incredibly rewarding.
