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Patricia
Aufderheide
Co-Director
Center director Patricia Aufderheide is University Professor in the School of Communication at American University in Washington, D.C. She is the co-author with Peter Jaszi of Reclaiming Fair Use: How to Put Balance Back in Copyright (University of Chicago Press, July 2011), and author of, among others, Documentary: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford, 2007), The Daily Planet (University of Minnesota Press, 2000), and of Communications Policy in the Public Interest (Guilford Press, 1999). She heads the Fair Use and Free Speech research project at the Center, in conjunction with Prof. Peter Jaszi in American University's Washington College of Law. She has been a Fulbright and John Simon Guggenheim fellow and has served as a juror at the Sundance Film Festival among others. She has received numerous journalism and scholarly awards, including the Preservation and Scholarship award in 2006 from the International Documentary Association, a career achievement award in 2008 from the International Digital Media and Arts Association, and the Woman of Vision Award from Women in Film and Video (DC) in 2010. Aufderheide serves on the board of directors of Kartemquin Films, a leading independent social documentary production company, and and on the editorial boards of a variety of publications, including Communication Law and Policy and In These Times newspaper. She has served on the board of directors of the Independent Television Service, which produces innovative television programming for underserved audiences under the umbrella of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and on the film advisory board of the National Gallery of Art. She received her Ph.D. in history from the University of Minnesota.
Pat can be reached at: paufder (at) american.edu
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Matthew
Nisbet
Co-Director
Matthew Nisbet is Associate Professor in the School of Communication at American University, Washington, D.C.. Nisbet’s research investigates the role the of media and communication in policymaking and public affairs, focusing on debates over science, the environment, and public health. Over the past decade, he has published more than 50 peer-reviewed studies, book chapters, and reports, which have been cited more than 800 times in the peer-reviewed literature and in more than 300 books. A 2011 editorial in the journal Nature recommended Dr. Nisbet’s research as “essential reading for anyone with a passing interest in the climate change debate,” and the New Republic highlighted his work as a “fascinating dissection of the shortcomings of climate activism.” He has been a Health Policy Investigator at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a Google Science Communication Fellow, and a Shorenstein Fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He holds an A.B. in Government from Dartmouth College, and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Communication from Cornell University.
Matthew can be reached at: nisbet (at) american.edu
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Caty
Borum Chattoo
Creative Director
Caty Borum Chattoo is a full-time professor of Public Communication and Executive in Residence in American University's School of Communication. She has multifaceted expertise in social change communication, integrated media campaigns, and documentary film and television production. Most recently, she worked as a senior vice president at a D.C. global communications agency. She also worked in Los Angeles with producer Norman Lear through both the Norman Lear Center, a multidisciplinary think tank, and as a founding director of Lear’s Declare Yourself, a national youth civic engagement campaign. Prior to this work, she served as a program officer in the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Entertainment Media & Public Health program. In addition, Borum Chattoo has produced documentary film, TV, and short-subject advocacy videos for groups including the AFL-CIO, California Nurses Association, ICLEI USA, YWCA, and others. She co-produced the investigative feature documentary film, "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price," and served as a key media spokesperson; and she served as co-producer and field producer for an investigative TV documentary series about environmental social justice, "Sierra Club Chronicles," which aired on Link TV and the Sundance Channel.
Caty Borum Chattoo can be reached at: chattoo (at) american.edu
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Angelica
Das
Associate Director
Angelica Das is the Associate Director at the Center for Social Media with a background in nonprofit management and communication. Angelica programs the Center's annual Media That Matters conference and Visiting Filmmaker agenda, as well as special projects and strategic planning. She regularly serves as a juror for local festivals including the Justice Matters award at Filmfest DC. She previously managed operations for the nonprofit Machik, whose work is incubating social innovation on the Tibetan plateau. As program officer with the National Geographic Society, she managed grants and media for premiere explorers and adventurers. She received a Master of Arts in International Media from American University, where she investigated the role of hyper-local media in information environments. Angelica holds a B.A. in History and Political Science from the University of Rochester and post-baccalaureate certificate in Polish language and culture. A true global citizen, Angelica has roots in Poland and India and continues to explore the world through documentary filmmaking.
Angelica can be reached at: das (at) american.edu
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Abigail
Maravalli
Project Coordinator
Abigail serves as the Project Coordinator at the Center for Social Media. She recently completed her master's degree in Ethics, Peace, and Global Affairs at American University while researching the capacity of media to produce social change in Iran. While living in Washington, she worked with Meridian Hill Pictures as the Production and Development Intern and at the SILVERDOCS International Documentary Film Festival as the Conference Assistant. Abigail is thrilled to join the Center with the belief that a re-energized documentary film industry and the global potential of social media are rewriting the avenues for creating social change.
Abigail can be reached at: acm (at) american.edu
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Laura
DeNardis
Associate Professor
Laura DeNardis is an Associate Professor of Communication Studies at American University. She is a globally recognized Internet governance scholar whose research addresses Internet policy and technical design issues related to communication rights and freedom of expression online. Before joining American University, she served as the Executive Director of the Yale Information Society Project. Her books include Opening Standards: The Global Politics of Interoperability (MIT Press 2011); Protocol Politics: The Globalization of Internet Governance (MIT Press 2009); Information Technology in Theory (Thompson 2007 with Pelin Aksoy); and a forthcoming Yale University Press book on Global Internet Governance. DeNardis earned a PhD in Science and Technology Studies from Virginia Tech, an MEng from Cornell University, an AB in Engineering Science from Dartmouth College, and was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from Yale Law School.
Laura DeNardis can be reached at denardis (at) american.edu
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Felicia
Pride
Media Fellow
Felicia Pride is a writer, content producer, and educator with more than ten years experience working in media. She’s the founder and chief content officer of Pride Collaborative, which recently co-developed media-based educational materials for the PBS documentary Slavery by Another Name. Their latest project is StoriesLead, a catalyst for great storytelling that looks to nurture a community of storytellers in Washington, D.C., and beyond. Additionally, she is the founder of The Create Daily, which matches talented content creators and media makers with career-advancing opportunities. Felicia is the author of seven books, including the essay collection The Message: Life Lessons from Hip-Hop’s Greatest Songs, published by NBC Universal, which has been used in educational institutions around the country. Her latest book, To Create is a collection of interviews with black storytellers and media makers. Felicia has riffed on media, youth media storytelling, and entrepreneurship at schools, institutions, and events around the country. She has also been highlighted by the Maynard Institute as a Woman of Color in Digital Spaces. She holds an M.A. in writing and publishing from Emerson College. Visit her online at www.feliciapride.com.
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Tony
Azios
Graduate Fellow
Tony Azios is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and journalist, currently based in Washington, D.C. He has filmed and/or reported in Ecuador, the Federated States of Micronesia, Mexico, South Korea, and the United States. Tony's professional media products span a wide variety of platforms, from print and radio to video and photography. He has produced media for PBS FRONTLINE, Link TV, The Christian Science Monitor, PRI's The World, Maryland Public Television, The Investigative Reporting Workshop, Agenda Magazine, and others. His films have screened at a variety of festivals, including the Alexandria Film Festival, BLUE Ocean Film Festival, The Environmental Film Festival, and VISIONS. Tony graduated cum laud from Manhattan College with a BA in International Studies and History. He is currently pursuing an MFA in Documentary Film Production at American University.
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Bryan
Bello
Graduate Fellow
Bryan Bello begins the second year of his M.F.A studies in film and electronic media at American University as a graduate fellow at the Center for Social Media. Bryan graduated from the University of Montana, Missoula in 2011 with a B.A. in English Literature with an emphasis in film studies and theory. His graduating thesis project explored the concept of memory and self-narrative in documentary through the creation of an experimental doc. Bryan’s graduate studies continue to explore these themes, studying documentary and theory with the goal of pursuing a Ph.D. in communications. In Montana he was a volunteer at the Women’s Resource Center, the college radio station (KBGA), and currently, in D.C., is affiliated with the Center for Environmental Filmmaking and is a volunteer at the Environmental Film Workshop. Bryan enjoys creating music is his free time, going to concerts, and watching films.
Bryan can be reached at bb4805a (at) american.edu
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Angeli
Gabriel
Graduate Fellow
Angeli Gabriel is a graduate fellow at the Center for Social Media and an M.A. candidate in American University’s Film and Video program. In 2008, she graduated from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville with a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology. Her program involved the study of human evolution, prehistoric and historical archaeology, and cultural anthropology. Being a native of the Philippines, she became particularly interested in the social politics of immigration and transnationalism. With her video production experience and anthropology background, she hopes to one day create documentary television shows that highlight the many dimensions of the human condition. She believes that media can be a powerful agent for change, and she wants to apply her skills to help promote such civic engagement through the Center. In her free time, she enjoys hip-hop and break- dancing, watching sci-fi shows, dabbling in history and economics, and spending time with family and friends.
Angeli can be reached at angeli.gabriel (at) american.edu
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