Trojan connection drives grad from music sector to USC Marshall

By the time Grant Bozigian enrolled at the USC Marshall School of Business in August 2023, he already possessed nearly a decade of experience in the music sector. While many of his USC peers were beginning high school, Bozigian was orchestrating a music festival. As they prepared for prom, he was collaborating with some of the leading figures in the industry.

“I applied to USC Marshall because I realized I had devoted all this time refining my tech expertise and engaging with music, so why not explore something I hadn’t really practiced,” he remarked.

USC represented a fresh chance for Bozigian. Emerging from high school in nearby Rolling Hills Estates in 2013, he wasn’t initially admitted to his preferred institutions: USC, UCLA, and the University of California, Berkeley. Nonetheless, he was accepted into Chapman University in Orange, where he remained for two years. Having nurtured a passion and aptitude for audio and video production, he confesses that he didn’t possess the same enthusiasm for college education at that time.

“I didn’t truly grasp what I was accomplishing at school — why I was present,” said Bozigian, now 30.

Thanks to a family connection, he was referred to USC alum, music producer, and industry expert KamranV, who facilitated Bozigian’s entry into the music industry, leading him on a journey across the country and placing him in contact with renowned artists like FINNEAS and Benny Blanco.

“Ideal opportunities coincided perfectly at the right moments,” Bozigian reminisced. “I do believe that your aspirations and thoughts shape your eventual path.”

Even though Bozigian enjoyed the perfect role for a young music enthusiast, USC remained a postponed dream for several years into his profession. Therefore, with a revitalized academic ambition — and a bit of encouragement from a USC alum — Bozigian resolved to give USC another shot.

Now, as the anticipation of his USC Marshall graduation diminishes, Bozigian contemplates the ways his previous work experience has shaped his academic career, and how this academic career will subsequently influence his future in the music industry.

“USC was the evident selection for me,” he expressed. “I wouldn’t have encountered any of those music opportunities without that connection to USC in the first place.”

Reassessment and initial opportunities

Bozigian noted that a deficiency in direction during his studies influenced his choice to leave Chapman. Initially a business major, Bozigian switched his major several times throughout his two years there. He began acquiring audio and video production and editing skills in high school and continued refining those abilities while at Chapman. Following his departure from the university, the right individuals recognized those talents, including USC alum KamranV.

A graduate in 2000 from the USC Thornton School of Music, KamranV had experience at Interscope Records before establishing his ventures in the music business, and has produced for

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creators such as Nine Inch Nails, Sting, and Beck.

“I was instantly impressed by the range of [Bozigian’s] pursuits,” KamranV stated. “He infused an artistic perspective into everything he engaged with, possessing an extraordinary attention to detail.”

KamranV extended an offer to Bozigian to join Bedrock.LA, a music venue the producer co-established in Echo Park. Soon after, KamranV inquired if Bozigian could assist in managing the audio and video production team at a music and technology festival he had taken over a few years earlier named Moogfest, backed by the synthesizer manufacturer Moog. Ultimately, Bozigian became the full-time coordinator for the festival.

“It was the most incredible opportunity for me, as it revolved around experimental music and technology, along with various forms of media in general,” Bozigian remarked.

For KamranV, it wasn’t solely Bozigian’s enthusiasm for music that was remarkable; his calm presence and skill in managing multiple projects concurrently made him the perfect collaborator. He quickly offered Bozigian a position with his Echo Park-based production firm, CyKiK.

Journey to USC and extraordinary experiences

For Bozigian, USC had always been on his radar: His father, Greg Bozigian, had been with USC for more than a decade. Grant Bozigian understood that he would need to enhance his academic performance before reapplying — particularly following a five-year hiatus. To facilitate this, Bozigian enrolled at El Camino College in Torrance in 2022 before transferring to USC the subsequent year, a transition that particularly thrilled his mentor.

“I was ecstatic to find out that Grant chose to attend USC to finish his education,” KamranV expressed. “Not only due to my own favorable experience there, but also because I acknowledge the tremendous value of a USC education and realized it would be an ideal fit for his varied interests.”

Before his tenure at El Camino, Bozigian freelanced and undertook additional projects for KamranV, which led to his involvement with a music education initiative called Mix with the Masters. This video series features top music producers in the industry today, offering tutorials on the art and science of record-making.

“The Mix with the Masters role is undoubtedly the most amazing opportunity I’ve had,” Bozigian noted. “I feel my entire career has directed me to this point where I’m equipped to step into these high-profile studios with prominent artists and producers.”

Through his four years at Mix with the Masters, Bozigian has collaborated with leading producers like Dan Nigro and Stargate, as well as award-winning composers such as Hans Zimmer and Ludwig Göransson — the latter being a fellow USC alumnus.

“I had no idea he attended USC until perhaps a couple of days before the shoot,” Bozigian chuckled. “I chatted with him briefly and mentioned that I was a fellow Trojan, and he expressed his love for USC, so it was definitely a cool connection.”

Full circle

A decade after concluding that college wasn’t the right path for him, Bozigian emerged from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum last month as an official graduate of USC Marshall. It’s a feat he admitted his younger self would have never envisioned as feasible.

“You must trust that when the moment is right, you will be entirely capable of achieving it,” Bozigian commented. “Things unfold at your own rhythm — the journey isn’t always straightforward.”