On one of Hollywood’s biggest nights, CSUN students took the stage as trophy presenters at the 82nd Annual Golden Globes this past weekend.
Film students Nikolet Ocampo, a junior, and Albert Rutledge, a sophomore, spent their Sunday night surrounded by Hollywood’s biggest names as the Matadors handed off trophies to celebrity presenters and escorted winners off stage. The ceremony took place Jan. 5 at the Beverly Hilton.

During a Jan. 4 rehearsal, Ocampo and Rutledge witnessed the magic up close, practicing alongside renowned stars and watching the event come to life.
“I shared a moment with Sharon Stone backstage. She was so down-to-earth and willing to give me advice on how to stay calm during the show,” Rutledge said. On show day, Stone recognized him and they snapped a selfie to commemorate the film student’s unforgettable night.
Other Cinema and Television Arts students assisted at the show as externs, and social media and fashion specialists; those working behind the scenes included Eliya Brennan, Devyn Hunter, Robert Kutruf, Rebecca Okonek and Henry Parker. All are students in the university’s top-ranked Department of Cinema and Television Arts, in the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication.
The Golden Globes has reached out to professor Nate Thomas, head of CSUN’s film option, annually since 2017 to recruit externs and for the last 2 years he has spearheaded the selection process for the on-stage student presenters. Once Ocampo and Rutledge were vetted in late 2024, the excitement kicked into high gear. The two students quickly immersed themselves in preparations, starting on New Year’s Eve with wardrobe fittings at the NBC Universal Studios lot.
“We met for the first time at our fitting. I had not seen [Rutledge] on campus before, so I was really excited to meet him,” Ocampo said.
She tried on a selection of dresses as Rutledge tested out tuxedos — and both got to take home their red carpet-worthy outfits. Rehearsals followed on Jan. 3 and 4.
“It was so fun to talk to everyone that’s involved, to see how everything is made behind the scenes — from the prop managers, the writers and stage managers, to the producers,” Ocampo said. “Everyone that we talked to and worked with was so nice and so willing to teach us about the industry.”
Now back to their everyday routines and preparing for the spring semester, Ocampo and Rutledge are reflecting on the surreal and life-changing night.
“[The experience] gave me the confidence to keep pursuing this passion of mine [directing and producing]. Getting to be there solidified my love for this and how I want to be involved in every aspect of entertainment,” Ocampo said. “I feel so lucky to be a film student at CSUN.”
CSUN’s Department of Film and Television Arts in the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication has a longstanding relationship with the Golden Globe Awards, a relationship that’s continuing under the Golden Globe Foundation.
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