Pac-12 Networks Ran Pilot Program of YouTube’s VR180

The USC Trojans celebrate after beating Stanford 31-28 in the Pac-12 Football Championship Game on December 1, 2017. (Courtesy of Pac-12 Conference)After USC football won last fall’s conference championship, JuanPedro Huerta took a risk. As Pac-12 Networks’ digital video features producer, he was tasked with capturing the Trojans’ on-field celebration. Carrying an experimental 180-degree virtual reality camera from YouTube, Huerta found a spot in the end zone and defied a cameraman’s prime directive to avoid interaction. The decision paid off.

“Usually as a camera operator, you want to be a fly on the wall to capture moments without being intrusive of the student-athletes and their family…