FMS Newsletter

Fall 2017/Winter 2018

Director's Letter by Malcolm Turvey, FMS Director

This fall, the Film and Media Studies (FMS) Program expanded in an exciting new direction with the arrival of Tasha Oren,

Tufts' first professor of Television Studies. Tasha taught a class called "Television in the Age of Change," which you can read In this Issue about in this newsletter. She also participated in extra-curricular activities Director's Letter such as an interview with Michael Dobbs, arranged by Julie Dobrow, about the Student Animation adaptation to television of Dobbs' book, Experimenting with Film House of Cards. This February 5th, Tasha has arranged a talk by Professor John Upcoming Events Caldwell, distinguished television scholar Media Internships and filmmaker from UCLA, about on-line "maker" culture, to which you are all invited Expanding Television Studies (see below for details). We are delighted Alumni Profile: Brian Agler Tasha is here, and she is already having a big impact on film and media studies at Alumni News Tufts.

How to Get Involved

This fall also saw the arrival of Courtney McDermott, our new Program Administrator. An accomplished writer with a long list of publications including a book of short stories (How They Spend Their Sundays [Whitepoint Press, 2013]), Courtney has already made many welcome improvements to the running of the FMS program, including this redesigned, user- friendlier newsletter, which includes a section containing recent alumni news. Alumni, please be in touch with her about what you've been up to: [email protected]. Below, you can also find a profile by Courtney of Brian Agler (A11), director of West Wing Writers and former on-site speechwriter at the 2016 National Democratic Convention.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of our Internship Coordinator, Leslie Goldberg, FMS continues to provide our students with many wonderful internship and other professional opportunities in the film and media industries. In this newsletter, you will find testimonies from our current students about their recent internship experiences. This January we are once again running our Winternship program, which enables students to intern for a week over the Winter break at a film or media company in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, and elsewhere. The Winternship program would be impossible without the support of our generous alumni, and we are very grateful to those of you who are hosting students this year. The program is a competitive one, with well over a hundred applicants for around twenty spots, so we are always looking to add positions. Please be in touch with Leslie if you would like to participate next year or if you have other opportunities for our students: [email protected]. (On March 9th, we are collaborating with the Career Center on a major event, a Film and Media Career Forum that will bring alumni working in film and media back to campus to impart their wisdom to our students. Stay tuned for further details!)

The integration of the many wonderful courses on experimental film and media at The School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) into our curriculum continues apace. In this newsletter is an account by Hunter Silvestri, an FMS major and Tufts junior, of how a course he took on animation at the SMFA prompted him to go beyond conventional narrative filmmaking when taking Khary Jones's "Advanced Filmmaking" course this fall. Among other events, FMS also sponsored a night of experimental film organized by our Technical Specialist, Natalie Minik, which you can also read about in this newsletter.

I look forward to being in touch again at the end of the spring semester with more exciting news about the growth of FMS. Until then, I wish you a very happy new year.

Student Animation

by Hunter Silvestri, A19

This semester, I wanted to make a short film with sets ranging in size from 2 centimeters to 91 billion light-years. For characters, I wanted an invisible cynical God, a shelled gastropod, and a birdsong. It was, in essence, a film more abstract in story and style than anything I’d hitherto done in my filmmaking courses or rightly knew how to capture on a GH4 camera—it was a film that could only be executed as an animation.

I knew the technical basics of animation from an SMFA class I took last spring, but there was a lot I had to trial and learn before I could export my own animated short. My film easily could have died at that limit, an idea faltered without a structure or production. It’s a testament to the FMS department that it didn’t; I just took "Advanced Filmmaking."

It was a genuinely great course. It belonged to me. I had a full semester to think about nothing but this one project, to expand upon nothing except this one idea, and I had the level-head of Professor Khary Jones to keep my goals realistic and my story compelling. Without the course I never would have had the energy or compulsion to make this art, and without Khary the pace would have been honestly awful. Instead, I leave this semester with hundreds of line drawings, dozens of After Effects compositions, and one film I’m really, really proud of. It’s called Escar-Gogh. It’s about a snail that paints. You can watch it below.

Escar-Gogh by Hunter Silvestri, A19

Experimenting with Film

by Natalie Minik, Technical Support Specialist

On November 8, 2017, Film and Media Studies hosted the event, Experimenting with Film: a night with AgX Film Collective. The AgX Film Collective is an artist-run film lab and collective for moving image artists in the Boston area. FMS invited eight filmmakers whose work considers the expressive qualities of film and video. These experimental films gave the Tufts community a chance to reflect on work that looks beyond the narrative potential

of moving-image and, instead, engages

with the interpretive abilities of the mode. This program meditated on the physicality of filmmaking. Whether it is 16mm’s ability to interpret the quality of a fall day or the way in which we can manipulate a digital image to expose the digital distortions we’ve become numb to, these pieces used film and video to examine the material of filmmaking as a vital property of our experiences of moving image.

Upcoming FMS Events

Televisioning MakerWorld: A Poetics of Administrative Production Featuring: John Caldwell, UCLA

Monday, February 5 6:00 pm Tisch 304, Tufts University

Join award-winning media studies scholar and filmmaker, Professor John Thornton Caldwell (UCLA) as he discusses the corporatization of online "maker" culture, and how these new practices challenge traditional film and television aesthetics.

Caldwell will be joined by Miranda Banks, Associate Professor in the Visual and Media Arts at Emerson College. This event is co-sponsored by the Tufts Film and Media Studies Program and the Boston Cinema/Media Seminar.

All students, alumni, and friends are welcome to attend!

Careers in Film, Entertainment and Media Friday, March 9 Tufts University

Keynote Speaker: Andrea Nelson Meigs Talent Agent (Creative Artists Agency)

Students will join professionals in the film, entertainment, and media industries for a day-long forum that will include a key-note speaker and two breakout sessions, followed by a networking reception with alumni and industry professionals.

Registration is required. More details coming soon!

Media Internships Foster Growth

and Hands-on Experience

by Leslie Goldberg, FMS Internship Director

Media internships are an important part of the FMS program and offer students the chance to get “real-world” experience in the fields they are learning about in their classes. This year students worked in advertising agencies, public relations firms, large and small television stations, and newspapers. They also interned at start-up companies and nonprofit organizations. Site visit trips to Havas Media and Hill Holliday, as well as an “Art Trek” trip to New York City (sponsored by Tufts Career Services) also gave students the chance to tour media sites in Boston and New York and learn about the industry from skilled media professionals.

Here’s what a few FMS interns had to say about their experiences this year:

This semester, I interned for ImprovBoston, a local non-profit comedy theatre celebrating its 35th year in 2017. As an intern, I received hands-on experience about what it’s like to work in a comedy theatre. I not only assisted in day-to-day business operations, but also learned about the media side of live performances. I developed social media campaigns that allowed ImprovBoston shows to reach broader audiences, and I helped local businesses connect with the theatre online. I loved working with ImprovBoston because of the wonderful behind-the-scene experiences, and because the staff was so willing to help me learn. I recommend this internship for any FMS major or minor who is interested in marketing for theatre, comedy, or the arts! —Lily Blumkin, Class of 2018

When I accepted the internship at NBC Boston, I did not know what to expect. I had never been inside a newsroom, and my only prior experience with local news was limited to the "News at 10" commercials during sportscasts and the movie Anchorman. Nonetheless, I had always toyed with the idea of pursuing a career in sports reporting, and this was the perfect opportunity to explore that avenue. I was assigned the role of “assigning,” meaning that I assigned stories to dayside reporters at the station. I became immediately engulfed in the daily happenings of the newsroom; I fell in love with its fast-paced nature and adaptability to ongoing and breaking news situations. I not only spent time as an assignment editor intern, but also shadowing producers and directors in-house, as well as reporters and photographers in the field. I also worked with members of Telemundo Boston, NECN, and NBC Boston Sports and learned a wealth of knowledge about the television industry as a whole. My supervisor and coworkers were incredibly helpful during my internship, and the station fostered a tremendous environment for growth and learning. I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity and for the people who continuously mentored me throughout my time at NBC Boston.—Malcolm Nachmanoff, Class of 2018

My internship at Marlo Marketing was a rewarding one. I got the chance to learn so much about public relations and to become an avid media consumer. My supervisors and other colleagues were very willing to help me with any potential questions I had about the work beyond my assigned tasks, and they really encouraged me to learn and absorb. I was invited to sit in on every meeting, and I felt welcomed, even as an intern. It was exciting for me to actually see my work contributions being transformed into real results. It was a great first-time internship experience!—Jennifer Lien, Class of 2018

FableVision is a small production studio full of bold, bright people. With a mission to create “stories that matter, stories that move,” the company specializes in crafting children’s media—from short animated films to exciting interactive games to cutting-edge websites— with an educational message. My role working with the marketing team was to adopt the voice of the company and to aid in promoting and sharing the amazing work of the studio’s skilled team. My tasks as an intern included managing brand continuity across social media platforms—taking on the “voice” of FableVision—as well as working within that tone to develop my individual voice in studio culture blog posts. Working in the realm of educational media taught me a lot about the way the next generation is learning, and how we can effectively harness audiovisual mediums to promote positive messages.—Olivia Jones, Class of 2018

If you’d like to learn more about how you can participate in the FMS internship program— either as a student, alum, or media professional—please contact Leslie Goldberg at [email protected].

Expanding Television Studies

by Tasha Oren, Associate Professor

As my first semester at Tufts has whooshed by and the new year is upon us, I am even more excited about our rapidly-growing program, our students, and the year ahead. I joined FMS this past fall to grow the media and television studies course offerings at a particularly auspicious time for television. At no other time in history has television been so wide- ranging, globally connected, and artistically rich—fully realizing the unique strengths and potentials of the medium. All this so soon after its imminent death was a foregone conclusion (Remember those days when US television was network and cable? When Netflix’s main advantage was DVDs without leaving the house or paying late fees? When YouTube videos dared not be longer than 30 seconds for fear of losing our attention or when a truly, consistently great TV show was both precious and rare?).

In the course I taught this past term, “Television in the Age of Change”, we reflected on what television IS in this moment when, for most of us, TV is far from the box in the corner, extending well beyond channels, devices, platforms, schedules or borders.

It’s an often-heard dictum that cinema is about space and television is about time, and while such sweeping generalizations are rarely accurate, television in the past decade has certainly shown us how deeply engrossing and gratifying long-form storytelling is, and how comforting and pleasurable well-executed variations on familiar episodic themes can be. Television is at the height of its powers, and is at once ordinary and art. And so, this is a wonderful time to study television, and through it, to study how culture is made, and how we make sense and meaning with and through stories.

As a class, we explored how TV’s natural affinity for repetition and character elaboration evolved just as its status as a mass broadcasting medium diminished, and how internationally produced and marketed formats are upending global conventions, and changing television production and distribution all over the world. We examined how television’s ever-expanding terrain has worked both with and against web content to develop new narratives and viewing habits, and we debated and considered to what degree these changes fully satisfy our expectations for new voices and perspectives, previously curbed at the margins of mainstream culture. Finally, we delved into how television is right now: as much a social practice as it is technological changes, industrial organization, and creative evolution.

At this start of the 2018, I look forward to teaching new courses in television history, international media, storytelling traditions and media theory. And even more, I look forward to continuing the wonderful conversations, debates, and post-viewing huddles we started in class, in office hours, by email, or at the morning coffee or lunchtime line at Hotung—and the many great exchanges that began with “so last night, I discovered this show…”

Alumni Profile: Brian Agler

by Courtney McDermott, FMS Program Administrator

“I didn’t know that speechwriting was a career I could go into,” Brian Agler, A11, admits to me. He is calling from his New York office where he is the director of West Wing Writers, and formerly part of the on-site speechwriting staff at the 2016 National Democratic Convention. He is an accomplished humor writer and his work has appeared in McSweeney’s, The New Yorker, and Esquire. Though as a student he didn’t anticipate a career in speechwriting, he knew he wanted to pursue a degree in political science and

media, because he “enjoyed making arguments and telling stories with a political bent.”

As a student, Agler explored his interests by joining Tufts Democrats and participating in two on-campus sketch troupes, Major: Undecided and The Institute. Being part of these troupes prepared Agler for his future career because he was writing constantly and working on deadline. “There are many parallels between the comedy world and communications. Whether you write a sketch or a speech, you have to have a core idea and everything you write must be in service to that idea.”

One of the most surprising experiences that shaped Agler’s writing occurred in a Tufts’ English course called “Un-American Activities” in which he wrote a paper on Dr. Strangelove. Agler was shocked when he received a bad grade on the paper, because he loved the film. When he questioned the grade, his professor explained, “You just threw everything on the page and you didn’t say anything.” Agler realized that his professor was right. Good writing isn’t about a soundbite, but about the “totality of the thing.”

He advises aspiring writers to figure out their voice and to determine the genre, medium, or subject they like best. “We live in a world where it’s easier than ever to publish, but this also means that you need to breakthrough this static.” Examine your favorite writers, directors, or content creators to study their voices. “They have a unique point of view, which is why you are drawn to them, so figure out what they are doing that makes them unique. Then ask yourself, what can I do to clarify my own voice?”

Agler’s experience in political humor writing has led him to reflect on the importance of humor in our current political culture. Agler argues that there are two kinds of political comedy. The first goes for easy jokes. These jokes are often ubiquitous (e.g. the President has small hands). “This type of humor doesn’t help us,” Agler argues. “There’s no point of view.” On the other hand, “Satire allows you to make points and raise issues you can’t in normal arguments.” Agler prefers this second kind of comedy, because it “exposes some of the insanity of our times or it says something unique.”

At West Wing Writers, Agler’s portfolio includes diverse clients like tech companies, TV networks, and foundations focused on economic growth. He has written for celebrities, athletes and politicians. He attributes his versatility as a writer to Tufts’ liberal arts education where students write all of the time and are confronted with ideas from a multitude of fields. “I need to be conversant in a lot of different things. When I walk into a room, I have to hold my own with experts. Having a liberal arts education is vitally important for what I do.”

Alumni News

Jonathan Adler, A08, is Senior Director of Development, CNN Original Series, CNN Worldwide.

Eni Akintade, A16, is an agent trainee at United Talent Agency in Beverly Hills, CA. Eni would love to have more Jumbos at UTA!

Adam Arrigo, A06,is CEO and Co-Founder of TheWaveVR, a VC-backed music tech startup building the world's first social platform for virtual reality music concerts. He has 10 years of experience working on music tech products as a sound designer, game designer, and product leader. While at Harmonix, he worked on AAA titles like Rock Band, Dance Central, Disney's Fantasia, Harmonix Music VR, and more. He led the development of the 2015 Music App of the year Ditty, at LA-based startup Zya.

After seven years of working in book publishing, Jessie Borkan, A10, is pursuing a doctorate in clinical psychology at Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University.

Conner Calabro, A17, currently works at an asset management firm as a Business Development analyst. Although her background isn’t in finance or real estate (the area on which the company focuses), she accepted this full-time position because the company is in growth stages and she felt there was lots of room for her to expand her skill sets, be in an intellectually stimulating environment, and acquire strong mentorship. Furthermore, although this is not the industry she is used to—the position is creative in that it includes creating decks to pitch to investors and crafting the stories we tell in order for our pitches to be compelling and engaging. She is happy to be able to add a creative twist to an industry that isn’t typically known for that. Prior to working here, she was a seasonal employee over the summer at the professional tennis tournament the U.S. Open, on the "Player Operations" team. David Gelles, A99, serves as the executive producer of CNN Political Programming based in Washington, DC.

Michael Glassman, A01, was recently promoted into a new position as VP Acquisitions and Development at LD Entertainment. He also recently completed graduate school, receiving an MBA from USC Marshall School of Business.

Lauren Kim, A17, is an assistant account executive at Hill Holliday in Boston, MA.

David London, A90, and Peter Chianca, A90, recently entered into a national syndication agreement with the More Content Now news service out of Austin, Texas, for their comic strip “Pet Peeves.” The original strip about a family of anthropomorphic dogs -- drawn by London and written by Chianca -- debuted in February of 2016 and is distributed three times a week to a network of more than 600 daily and weekly newspapers and news sites served by More Content Now. London and Chianca also recently launched “Strip Search,” a podcast about comic strips and cartooning, through the Wicked Local network in Massachusetts, where Chianca is News and Operations Director for Gatehouse Media/Wicked Local North of Boston. For more information on “Pet Peeves,” visit https://www.petpeevescomic.com. To listen to the Strip Search podcast, visit http://bit.do/stripsearchpodcast.

Brad Puffer, A95, recently left his position at Greenough Brand Storytellers to join Fresenius Medical Care as Director of Public Relations and Communications.

Rita Reznikova, A08, moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and works as a content strategist at Facebook for the last 1.5 years. She writes as the voice of the consumer for Facebook's business content marketing platform - Facebook IQ, delivering data-driven insights to inspire marketers better understand people and create campaigns that resonate. You can see some of her and her team's insights work at facebook.com/iq.

Susan Tremblay, A91, is VP, Account Director at Nielsen, Local Media, which supplies TV ratings. 2016 local Media Winner.

As the public relations manager at the National Safety Council, Tatyana Warrick (Varshavsky), A03, serves as the in-house speechwriter for NSC CEO Debbie Hersman, and supports major campaigns, such as the recent release of a short film in partnership with Chicago-based EnergyBBDO - Face to Face with the Prescription Opioid Crisis. Link: stopeverydaykillers.org Gabrielle Zandi, A13, is a product manager at Condé Nast Entertainment. She is responsible for all video products on all Condé Nast brand apps and websites. Their brands include: The New Yorker, Vogue, Wired, Vanity Fair, GQ, Teen Vogue, Bon Appétit, Pitchfork, Allure, Epicurious, Glamour, Architectural Digest, Condé Nast Traveler, Brides, Self, Golf Digest, and W Magazine. Outside of work, Gabi has been learning how to code. This year, she took a front-end development class where she learned HTML, CSS, and Javascript, and early next year she’ll be learning Python and SQL for data science.

How to Get Involved with FMS

Share your news

Have you made a film, published an article, or started a new job that you want to share with the Tufts FMS community? Send your news, photos, and videos to the FMS Program Administrator, Courtney McDermott at [email protected].

Want to help students?

We are always looking for alumni interested in participating in media career panels or sponsoring student interns for our internship or "Winternship" program.

If you have a great media-related internship opportunity at your organization, would like to offer career advice, or otherwise mentor Tufts FMS students, please email our Internship Director, Leslie Goldberg at [email protected].