Story Tech: Power, Storytelling, and Social Change Advocacy (University of Michigan Press) will be out on February 25, 2025

Filippo also did a live interview with the Qatari news network Al-Araby TV about next week’s election and the decision of the Washington Post and LA Times owners to block the papers’ presidential endorsements.

We're thrilled to share our latest Media in the Mix episode featuring Erin McGoff (SOC, '17)! Erin is an award-winning documentary filmmaker known for her impactful storytelling, including her powerful debut This Little Land of Mines, which earned international distribution and critical acclaim. In our conversation, Erin shared insights into her journey from AUSOC to building a dedicated online community of over 5 million followers on TikTok, where she offers career advice and media industry insights. She also gave us a behind-the-scenes look at her latest projects and her experiences working with brands like Google, Microsoft, and National Geographic.

Tune in to hear about Erin's inspiring career and how she continues to make waves in the industry. This is an episode you won't want to miss!

November is the month to celebrate photography in the District of Columbia. Leena Jayaswal cordially invites you to two photography exhibitions this month:

“Symphony of Selves: The 13thAnnual Student Photography Exhibition”

This juried exhibition is the 13th collaboration of the University of the District of Columbia and American University. The exhibit features the schools’ best student photography and creates a platform for students to explore identity, diversity, cultural exchange and educational experiences. 15 AU (both grad and undergrad) students will be displaying their work done in Intermediate Fine Arts Photography with Leena Jayaswal and Principles of Photography with Iwan Bagus. Shaun Scroth helped extensively with the exhibit.  

Opening Reception: Wednesday, November 6th, 2024, from 6:30 – 8:00 PM

At Gallery 42, building 42 Suite A14, 4200 Connecticut Avenue, NW, WDC 20008.

The exhibit runs from November 6th - November 27th, 2024.

Annual Photography Exhibition at Studio Gallery in Dupont Circle. Each artist used different approaches to the theme “Something Old, Something New: Adventures in and out of Our Comfort Zones.There are fifteen Studio Gallery members participating in the exhibition including adjunct professor and alum Iwan Bagus. 

First Friday reception: November 1st, 2024. From 6-8 PM

Artist Reception: Saturday, November 9th, 2024. From 4-6 PM.

The exhibit runs from October 30th - November 23rd, 2024.

Address: 2108 R St NW, Washington, DC 20008. www.studiogallerydc.com

Brigid Maher and Sarah Menke-Fish proudly represented American University at the Cilect Congress 2024. As a Cilect Board Member, Brigid participated in a panel on AI in Film Education, where she discussed how film programs can use AI to improve accessibility for ESL and disabled students while enhancing pre-production and technical quality, all within a storytelling framework. Meanwhile, Sarah initiated discussions with the Communication University of China (CUC) to create a summer animation studies exchange program for AU students.

Brigid Maher speaking at the 2024 Cilect panel on AI in Film Education

Brigid Maher and Cilect colleagues during a special tour of the Beijing Film Academy

Joe Campbell was a guest Sunday morning on C-SPAN's "Washington Journal" program, during which he was interviewed about pre-election polls and polling failure -- subjects of his latest book, Lost in a Gallup (University of California Press, expanded edition, 2024).

Joe also wrote a commentary for Fortune about the little-recognized entertainment value of election polls.

Additionally, Joe wrote an op-ed for the Hill, discussing the prospect that this year's presidential election might be akin to that of 1980. That was when polls signaled a close race until the end of the campaign between Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter, only to miss Reagan's near-landslide victory. In another recent op-ed for the Hill, Joe discussed what to look for in the closing days of this year's presidential campaign. 

Also, in an essay for the Conversation, reposted by Nieman Lab, Joe revisited the New York Times' experiment in "shoe-leather reporting" in the 1956 presidential election -- an experiment that was no rousing success. The essay drew upon a research paper Joe presented in early October at the convention in Pittsburgh of the American Journalism Historians Association.

Finally, Joe was interviewed by a reporter for the Brazilian news outlet Estadao for an article about polls and polling. And his work was extensively quoted in this French-language article that discussed why pre-election polls "are not necessarily reliable."

Joe Cambpell on C-SPAN's Washington Journal last Sunday

Kylos Brannon's work as video designer for Sleeping Giant has been mentioned in favorable reviews from Washington City Paper and DC Theatre Arts. Kylos designs have been described as "colorful and sometimes unsettling animated interstitials in between scenes, but his final digital flourish is an animation that homages one of the more horrific sequences of panels from Grant Morrison and Richard Case’s iconic run on the Doom Patrol comic book." and as "hypnotic projections (that) betray the horrors to come"

The show closes this weekend on November 3. Let Kylos know if you'd like discount codes for tickets.

Kylos is also a 24/25 Humanities Truck Fellow and on Oct 16, brought the truck to a lunch time event with the Golden Triangle Business Group last week, to promote the truck's upcoming collaboration with Rorschach Theatre's Psychogeographies Season 5: Vox Populi. 

Rorschach Theatre Co-Artistic Directors Randy Baker and Jenny McConnell Frederick with Kylos Brannon with the Humanities Truck at Golden Triangle

Last week, the AU Honors Program featured Kylos in their weekly newsletter to promote his Honors 400 Documentary Smartphone Filmmaking course, about to run for its 3rd semester. The course has seen significant success with interest from the Honors students and yielding some quality work. There is talk of planning a screening of the projects in early 2025, and adapting the course to AU Core and/or an online iteration for students who are studying abroad. Click here and scroll to the end and learn about Kylos' choice in dinner guests (dead or alive), an ideal DC day, and other facts.

Jane Hall's American Forum with political journalist (and SOC alum) Tara Palmeri began airing on the streaming channel NBC4 Washington News on Wednesday, Oct. 30 and will continue in multiple airings from Friday, Nov.1 through Sunday, Nov. 4. These are the rest of the airdates: Fri, 11/1: 10pm ET; Sat, 11/2: 12pm, 3pm, 6pm, 10pm, 1am ET and Sun, 11/3: 12pm, 3pm, 6:30pm, 10pm, 1am ET.  The NBC4 News streaming channel is available on major free streaming services including The Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus, Xumo Play and Pluto TV. You can also watch on the NBC4 app.  And you can go to nbcwashingon.com to access the streaming channel. Here are our posts: we are sharing on our IG stories on the evening of the streaming times on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X. 

Jane was also interviewed live on KNX radio in LA on the night the news broke about the disastrous decision by Jeff Bezos not to have the Washington Post endorse for president. In remarks that were repeated on radio the next day, Jane discussed this terrible decision - echoed by another billionaire owner, at the LA Times - in its political and media-ownership context, as well as the impact on journalism and young journalists. She was also interviewed by Agence France Press on the same subject.