Department: Entertainment and Media Studies

Students graduate from the Department of Entertainment & Media Studies with a deep understanding of the critical role digital communication networks play in our world and the professional skills they need to make their voices heard in the global media dialog. Whether you are interested in entertainment media or the world of news and information, our department will show you how to tell the stories that are important to you and how to share those stories with others through television, radio, film, online and mobile networks.

Jones

Mark V. Jones attended Sacramento State University and received a bachelor’s degree in film production/studies with a minor in business in 2013. After working at UC Davis and UC Merced in academic advising, he moved to Los Angeles to work in the film industry. While working in the industry, Professor Jones attended the University of Georgia’s Low-Residency MFA screenwriting program and graduated in 2018. He has film and television scripts accepted to multiple film festivals around the world.

Greene

Danyelle Greene is a scholar-practitioner whose research and teaching interests include African American cinema, documentary and aesthetics. She focuses especially on the politics of representation and re-presentation of blackness, gender, and religion in film. In addition to her written scholarship, Dr. Greene uses filmmaking as a mode of critical inquiry and exploration. Her research has appeared in journals such as Black Camera and the Journal of Popular Culture. She also co-directed an art exhibition titled In My Hands in which she presented her co-produced video installation, “Twice As Hard,” and triptych, “Always Already.”

Dr. Greene received her Ph.D. in film and media studies from the University of Kansas.

Wilson

ABOUT

Keith Wilson is a director, creative producer, and visual artist whose work has been exhibited at Sundance, Berlinale, South by Southwest, Hot Docs, the U.S. National Gallery of Art, documenta14, and the Museum of Modern Art. He is a 2021 Sundance Institute Creative Producing Fellow as the producer for the feature-length documentary “I Didn’t See You There.” For his in-progress feature film, the “Untitled Frank Moore Project,” he was a 2019 North Points Fellow and a 2018 BAVC Mediamakers Fellow. Wilson’s short documentary film “The Tree” premiered at the 2017 DOC NYC Film Festival and screened at MoMA’s 2019 Doc Fortnight program. He received his Master of Fine Arts in Film Production from the University of Texas-Austin, where he was a University and Jesse Jones Fellow.

EDUCATION

MFA, Film Production, University of Texas-Austin
BA, History and Sociology, Texas Christian University

TEACHING SPECIALTIES

Wilson teaches introduction to production and cinematography courses.

AWARDS & FELLOWSHIPS

2021 Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program Production Grant
2021 Sundance Institute Creative Producing Fellowship
2021 CNN & Points North Institute American Stories Grant
2021 Points North Institute Fellowship
2020 California Humanities Documentary Project Grant
2020 NBCUniversal Original Storytellers Fellowship
2020 Doc Society New Perspectives Fund Development Grant, Doc Society
2019 Points North Institute Fellowship
2018 Monroe Research Fellowship, New Orleans Center for the Gulf South, Tulane University
2018 National Mediamaker Fellowship, Bay Area Video Coalition
2015 Canon Filmmaker Award, Film Independent
2014 SFFILM Kennith Ranin Filmmaking Grant

Lee

About: Sanghoon Lee teaches in our MFA Film, Television and Digital Media program. When he is not teaching, he is a director, producer, writer and cinematographer for independent film projects.

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Education

MFA, Film, Video, New Media, and Animation, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
BA, Philosophy, Sogang University, Seoul, Korea

Experience

Lee has completed several award-winning dramatic features as the cinematographer and producer, including Second Moon (2007), Chicago Heights (2009) and Hogtown (2014). His credits also include feature documentaries Edit (2003), Today We Saw the Face of God (2011), and Breakfast at Ina’s (2015). In 2018 he wrote directed his first feature film, Banana Season.

Recently, Lee served as cinematographer for a variety of short films and documentaries, including Fugue (2019), What Remains: The Burning Down of Black Wall Street (2021), and The Birder (in post-production), as well as the feature film, Ghostwriter (2021).

Currently, Lee is working as a producer and the cinematographer on a feature documentary project, Art and Pep (in post-production). The documentary tells the important story of Chicago’s crucial role in America’s LGBTQ+ movement through the eyes and love of two men at the helm of the progress over the past 40+ years. The film will be completed in the spring of 2022.

Before UGA, he taught film production and studies at Governors State University, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, DePaul University and Northwestern University. He is a native of South Korea.

Tadashi

Writer and director Leandro Tadashi did his undergrad in Film and TV Production at the University of São Paulo and has been awarded several production and development grants that provided funds for his film projects. His short films have been screened in over 300 festivals worldwide, like the Festival de Cinema de Gramado (Brazil) and the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival (France).

In 2015, Tadashi finished his MFA in Film & TV Production at the School of Cinematic Arts at USC. In Los Angeles, he directed the short “Tomorrow” (2014), and co-directed the feature “Actors Anonymous” (2017). The feature was produced by Elysium Bandini Studios and was based on the book written by James Franco, who also acted in the film.

Landau

About: Neil Landau is an award-winning screenwriter, producer, author and screenwriting professor.

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Education

Master of Fine Arts, Screenwriting, University of Georgia
Bachelor of Arts, Film/Television, University of California, Los Angeles

Teaching Specialties

Landau served as an assistant dean at UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television and co-director of UCLA’s MFA Screenwriting Program for many years. This Fall, he’ll be the founding Director of Screenwriting in the new MFA Film & Television Program at the University of Georgia.

Experience

Landau’s screen credits include the cult teen comedy Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead; Melrose Place, The Magnificent Seven, Doogie Howser, M.D., The Secret World of Alex Mack, Twice in a Lifetime, MTV’s Undressed. His animated movie projects include Tad: The Lost Explorer (aka Las Adventuras de Tadeo Jones) for which he earned a Spanish Academy “Goya” Award and Cinema Writers’ Circle Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (2014); Tad2 (Tadeo Jones and the Secret of King Midas), from Paramount, premiered in August, 2017 (once again to record box office). Neil is working on the Tad #3 for a 2022 release by Paramount. He also co-wrote the animated feature Capture the Flag (also for Paramount); and the animated movie, Sheep & Wolves, for Wizart Animation (The Snow Queen), 2017 release. He’s currently Head Writer and Co-Executive Producer on the new animated feature film Finnick for Riki Animation Studios, and serving as Co-EP and Executive Script Consultant on Mummies for 4 Cats Pictures and Warner Bros. Both are currently in production for 2022 release. Neil’s new projects include Strings (for Warner Bros.), the live action miniseries for Amediateka/HBO Europe entitled Patient Zero and a remake of Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead slated for remake in 2021.

Neil is author of five books, including the bestselling 101 Things I Learned in Film School (Grand Central Publishing, 2010, reissue by Random House/Crown in early 2021; and The TV Showrunner’s Roadmap (Focal Press, 2014; second edition to be published in 2021).

Neil served for several years as executive script consultant in the international divisions of Sony Pictures Television and Columbia Pictures. He gives lectures, keynotes, and hosts workshops around the world on the art and craft of screenwriting, including keynotes in Milan, Rome, Seoul, and Sochi. He’s lectured at USC School of Cinematic Arts, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, La Femis in Paris, Met Film School in London, University of the Andes in Santiago, Alexander Mitta Film School in Moscow, Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Shanghai Film Art Academy, Starlight Media in Kiev, and Accademia Nazionale del Cinema in Bologna, Italy. He’s a member of the WGA west, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, PEN west, and is on the Board of Directors for OUTFEST.

Mohammed

About:

Dr. Mohammed teaches courses in global media industries and entertainment. Her research focuses on Global South media industries, feminisms, broadcast media, and development communication.

Personal website: wunpini.com

Other Affiliations: African Studies Institute

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Education

Ph.D., Mass Communications, the Pennsylvania State University
M.Sc., Rhetoric & Technical Communication, Michigan Technological University
B.A., English and Spanish, University of Ghana
Diploma, Spanish, la Universidad de Cienfuegos “Carlos Rafael Rodriguez,” Cuba

Research Interests and Activities

Dr. Mohammed teaches courses in global media industries and entertainment studies.

Her research employs qualitative methodologies by way of ethnography, interviews, focus groups, textual analysis etc. to interrogate and challenge power politics in media production, distribution and reception. Her research and teaching converge in ways that enable her to guide her students towards employing empathetic and ethical approaches to their work in media.

Dr. Mohammed has presented her work at national and international conferences such as the International Communication Association (ICA), the International Public Relations Research Conference (IPRRC), the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), the National Communication Association (NCA) conference, the National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA) Conference and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Conference (AEJMC).

She has worked as a radio journalist in Ghana for several years and has done some public scholarship on Al Jazeera, DW, The Guardian, Dazed, The Financial Times, Global Voices, Okay Africa, and several Ghanaian media platforms including the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation.

Her research is published in peer reviewed journals such as African Journalism Studies, Journal of Radio and Audio Media and Ada: A Journal of Gender, New Media, and Technology. She has won top paper awards at the International Communication Association (ICA), the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) and other academic conferences.

African Women in Digital Spaces: Redefining Social Movements on the Continent and in the Diaspora Wunpini Fatimata Mohammed

Wunpini Fatimata Mohammed “African Women in Digital Spaces: Redefining Social Movements on the Continent and in the Diaspora,” Invited Keynote Speaker, University of Bayreuth (Germany), hosted by the Africa Multiple […]

2022 Paula Kantor Award for Excellence in Field Research Wunpini Fatimata Mohammed

Wunpini Fatimata Mohammed was named winner of the 2022 Paula Kantor Award for Excellence in Field Research by the International Center for Research on Women. She received $2500 for the […]

Why we need intersectionality in Ghanaian feminist politics and discourses Wunpini Fatimata Mohammed

Wunpini Fatimata Mohammed, “Why we need intersectionality in Ghanaian feminist politics and discourses.” Feminist Media Studies, doi: 10.1080/14680777.2022.2098798 Abstract: Although there is some scholarship on intersectionality focusing on African feminist movements, more work needs […]

Feminist accountability: deconstructing feminist praxes, solidarities and LGBTQI+ activisms in Ghana Wunpini Fatimata Mohammed

Wunpini Fatimata Mohammed, “Feminist accountability: deconstructing feminist praxes, solidarities and LGBTQI+ activisms in Ghana.” Communication, Culture & Critique, doi: 10.1093/ccc/tcac031 Abstract: This article examines how mainstream Ghanaian feminist organizations worked to support LGBTQI+ communities […]

University of Georgia Sarah H. Moss Fellowship Wunpini Fatimata Mohammed

Wunpini Fatimata Mohammed was selected as a University of Georgia Sarah H. Moss Fellowship recipient. She received a $10,000 award for her research project: “Media and Decolonization: Re-righting the Subaltern […]

Dismantling the Western Canon in Media Studies Wunpini Fatimata Mohammed

Abstract: Although there have been extensive discussions on decolonizing the field of media and communication(s), not much attention has been paid to the way that curricula reproduce colonialism, imperialism and racism […]

Communication in Context: How Culture, Structure and Agency Shape Health and Risk Communication about COVID-19 in Ghana Wunpini Fatimata Mohammed

Abstract: Despite impressive strides toward proper health education about the pandemic, in resource-limited contexts, health information dissemination occurs within a structural context that restricts the enactment of agency and leads to […]

Bilchiinsi Philosophy: Decolonizing Methodologies in Media Studies Wunpini Fatimata Mohammed

Abstract: Despite recent calls for decolonization in academia as a whole and the fields of communication studies and media studies in particular—with a focus on narratives such as #CommunicationSoWhite and […]

Decolonizing the Curriculum in Media Studies Wunpini Fatimata Mohammed

Baansi ni Yila: A critical study of the music industry in Northern Ghana Wunpini Fatimata Mohammed

Abstract: This study examines the intricacies of the expanding music industry in Northern Ghana, focusing on the perspectives of artistes. The contemporary popular musicians of Tamale, one of Ghana’s biggest […]

Bilchiinsi Philosophy: Decolonizing Methodologies in Media Studies Wunpini Fatimata Mohammed

Abstract: In recent times, there have been calls for decolonization in academia as a whole and the field of communication and media studies with particular focus on narratives such as […]

Why we need intersectionality in Ghanaian feminist politics and discourses Wunpini Fatimata Mohammed

Wunpini Fatimata Mohammed, Honorable Mention in the 2021 Stuart Hall Award at the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) Conference. “Why we need intersectionality in Ghanaian feminist politics and discourses” […]

Decolonizing African Media Studies Wunpini Fatimata Mohammed

This paper won First Place in the Faculty Paper Awards also known as the Robert L. Stevenson Open Paper Competition. It also won Best Paper in African Journalism Studies Award. Abstract: Drawing […]

Why we need intersectionality in Ghanaian feminist politics and discourses Wunpini Fatimata Mohammed

Abstract: Several African scholars have theorized about the evolution of feminist movements on the continent but there has been little focus on the importance of employing an intersectional feminist framework […]

Baansi ni Yila: A critical history of the music industry in Northern Ghana Wunpini Fatimata Mohammed

Abstract: This study examines the intricacies of the expanding music industry in Northern Ghana, centering the perspectives of artistes. We examine how artistes create and produce music, how they market […]

Decolonizing African Media Studies Wunpini Fatimata Mohammed

Abstract: African Media Studies which is marginalized in the Global North academy lacks not only representation from African students/scholars but is also under-theorized. Employing a decolonial approach, this article presents […]

Community Radio in Contemporary South Africa – Deconstructing Complexities in Demarginalization Wunpini Fatimata Mohammed

Abstract: We used on-site interviews and roundtable conversations with practitioners to uncover original evidence of ways in which two variant South African communities activated citizens’ involvement in radio co-production of […]

Teaching Specialties

In addition to teaching classes in global and international media, Dr. Mohammed has taught classes in qualitative research methods, public relations and feminist studies. Her teaching philosophy is creating excitement in the classroom and equipping students with the tools to succeed in their careers and to bring positive change to their communities.

Experience

Prior to pursuing a PhD, Dr. Mohammed worked as a radio journalist for 5 years. She later worked in digital media writing where her work has been published on various Ghanaian and international media platforms such as Al Jazeera and Global Voices. She brings these industry experiences to enrich her teaching in the classroom.

Awards and Fellowships

Awards

First Place in the Faculty Paper Awards also known as the Robert L. Stevenson Open Paper Competition in the International Communication Division at AEJMC (2021)
Best Paper Award for African Journalism Studies, in the International Communication Division at AEJMC (2021)
Honorable Mention in the 2021 Stuart Hall Award at the International Association for Media and Communication Research – IAMCR – (2021)
Best Paper Award for African Journalism Studies, Global Communication and Social Change Division, ICA (2019)
2nd Prize Winner, Student Paper Award for Ethnicity and Race in Communication Division, ICA (2019)
Pansy E. Jacobs Jackson Top Student Paper Award (2018)
Djung Yune Tchoi Memorial Excellence in Teaching Award, Penn State (2019)

Fellowships

Lilly Teaching Fellow, 2021-2023, University of Georgia
Kopenhaver Fellow, 2021: Sponsored by the AEJMC Commission on the Status of Women, the Lillian Lodge Kopenhaver Center for the Advancement of Women in Communication.
Media & Islam in Africa Fellow, University of Florida’s Center for African Studies, the Center for Global Islamic Studies and the Department of Religion (Postponed due to COVID-19, 2020).
PhDigital Bootcamp 2019 Fellow, a John S. and James L. Knight Foundation funded fellowship, Texas State University (2019)

Bernabo

About: Dr. Bernabo teaches undergrad courses in global and domestic media industries and representations. Her primary research focus is global television flows, with an emphasis on translation.

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Education

Ph.D., Communication Studies, University of Iowa
M.A., Communication Studies, University of Iowa

B.A., Gender & Women’s Studies and Economics, University of Illinois

Research Interests and Activities

Dr. Bernabo researches the Spanish-language translation of popular U.S. television programs for Hispanic audiences, as well as other international programs like “Squid Game.” Her approach to this research considers translation as both a process — a professional activity governed by industrial norms and constraints — and the text produced by that process. She has spent time at dubbing studios in Mexico City and Miami, FL in order to observe the translation process and interview Spanish-language script writers, directors, and dubbing actors. Her focus on translation as texts emphasizes the construction of gender, race, sexuality, and other forms of identity. When she is not traveling for research, Dr. Bernabo’s secondary area of scholarship considers the construction of these identities in U.S. programs.

Dr. Bernabo has presented her work at national and international conferences including Console-ing Passions, OSCLG, IAMCR, and ICA. Her research is published in peer-reviewed journals such as Critical Studies in Media Communication and Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media.

So You Think You Can Parent: Dual-Screen Responses to Single Fathers Tropes in Single Parents Laurena Bernabo

Bernabo, Laurena, and Jennifer Turchi. “So You Think You Can Parent: Dual-Screen Responses to Single Fathers Tropes in Single Parents.” Men & Masculinities. Abstract: As the U.S. single-father population expands, we explore how […]

Copaganda and Post-Floyd TVPD: Broadcast Television’s Response to Policing in 2020 Laurena Bernabo

Laurena Bernabo, “Copaganda and Post-Floyd TVPD: Broadcast Television’s Response to Policing in 2020.” Journal of Communication 72 (4):488-496. Abstract: After George Floyd was murdered in 2020, U.S. police procedurals faced increased scrutiny […]

“(De/Re)Constructing LGBT Characters in Latin America: The Implications of Mexican Dubbing for Translating Marginalized Identities.” Laurena Bernabo

Abstract: This article responds to calls for more detailed analyses of localization around the world (E. Castelló, 2009; E. Levine, 2009; S. Waisbord & S. Jalfin, 2009) by examining a Mexican dubbing […]

Media Imports and the One-Inch Barrier: Translation Debates in the Pose-Parasite Era Laurena Bernabo

Abstract: This chapter aims to explore popular discourses surrounding Parasite and other media imports in the U.S. vis-à-vis translation practices like dubbing and subtitling. I use Parasite as an entry point to critically examine […]

(De/Re)Constructing LGBT Characters in Latin America: The Implications of Mexican Dubbing for Translating Marginalized Identities Laurena Bernabo

Abstract: This article responds to calls for more detailed analyses of localization around the world (Castelló, 2009; Levine, 2009) by examining a Mexican dubbing company and its translation of LGBT […]

Whitewashing Diverse Voices: (De)Constructing Race and Ethnicity in Spanish-Language Television Dubbing Laurena Bernabo

Abstract: When television programs are translated for global audiences, languages are changed, but so too are constructions of diverse identities. Characters who are Black, Indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC) […]

Whitewashing Diverse Voices: (De)Constructing Race and Ethnicity in Spanish-Language Television Dubbing Laurena Bernabo

Whitewashing diverse voices: (De)constructing race and ethnicity in Spanish-language television dubbing Laurena Bernabo

Teaching Specialties

Dr. Bernabo’s teaching specialties include global media flows, productions and industries; U.S. media industries; and mediated representations of gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity and other forms of identity.

Awards and Fellowships

Anita Taylor Outstanding Published Article Award, 2020
Cheris Kramerae Outstanding Dissertation Award, 2018
Ballad & Seashore Fellowship, University of Iowa, 2017
ICA’s Top Paper Award for Media Industry Studies Division, 2016

Evans

About: Matthew Nolte Evans is an award-winning writer and Assistant Professor of Screenwriting in the Department of Entertainment and Media Studies at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Originally from Denver, Evans moved to Los Angeles in 2011 where he sold a feature screenplay to HBO Films and was inducted into the Writers Guild of America, West (WGA). Since then, he has written or developed film and television projects for numerous directors and producers, including Thomas Carter, Michelle Manning, Daniel Ragussis, and Eric Christian Olsen at CBSTV.

Education

MFA, Film Production-Screenwriting, Columbia University, New York City
BFA, Film Production, University of Colorado, Boulder
BA, Film Studies, University of Colorado, Boulder
BA, English-Creative Writing, University of Colorado, Boulder

Experience

Prior to joining Grady College in 2019, Evans taught undergraduate and graduate screenwriting courses at California State University, Fullerton (CSUF); Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD); and New York Film Academy, Los Angeles (NYFA). He also previously worked as a Reader/Story Analyst for Pressman Films, The Tribeca Film Institute, Alcon Entertainment, and Amazon Studios.

Teaching Specialties

Evans specializes in genre writing, adaptation, and leading screenwriting workshops for feature, short film, and television writing. Previously, he oversaw MFA thesis screenplays at both CSUF and NYFA. In 2020, Evans created and taught the first undergraduate Writing for Television course offered at Grady College.

Awards and Fellowships

2012-present: Writers Guild of America, West
2021: Stowe Story Lab, Sidewalk Narrative Lab—Selected Project
2021: Fantasy/Sci-Fi Screenplay Festival—Winner
2020: Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition—Semifinalist
2020: CineStory Feature Retreat—Selected Project
2020: ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship—Semifinalist
2016: Columbia Blue List, Hosted by The Black List—Winner
2012: Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting—Semifinalist
2011: Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting—Semifinalist
2009: Alfred P. Sloan Feature Screenwriting Award—Winner

Mattison

About

Booker T. Mattison teaches screen writing and video production courses, in addition to creative jobs as an author and filmmaker.

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Education

Master of Fine Arts, Film and Television, New York University
B.A., Mass Communication, Norfolk State University

Experience

Professor Mattison’s most recent work is writer and director of “The Sound of Christmas,” premiering on all BET platforms late 2022. The film is an adaptation of Tiffany L. Warren’s novel The Replacement Wife and stars R&B recording artist Ne-Yo and Serayah (“Kingdom Business,” “Empire.”)

Mattison was the screenwriter and director for the film adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston’s story “The Gilded Six Bits,” which aired on Showtime. He is currently writing a thriller for MarVista Entertainment that he will direct. The film will stream on Tubi. Principal photography is scheduled to begin late 2022.

In 2011, he released his second novel, “Snitch,” which received a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly. Mattison’s debut novel “Unsigned Hype” was nominated for a South Carolina Book Award in the Young Adult Category.

Prior to Grady College, Mattison taught at the College of New Rochelle, Brooklyn College and Regent and Hampton Universities.