Entertainment Assembled: the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a Case Study
Running head: ENTERTAINMENT ASSEMBLED 1 Entertainment Assembled: The Marvel Cinematic Universe, a Case Study in Transmedia By Drew Menard Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master of Arts In Strategic Communication Liberty University School of Communication & Creative Arts 2015 ENTERTAINMENT ASSEMBLED 2 Entertainment Assembled: The Marvel Cinematic Universe, a Case Study in Transmedia By Drew Menard APPROVED BY: Carey L. Martin, Ph.D., Chair Date Professor School of Communication & Creative Arts Liberty University Norman C. Mintle, Ph.D. Date Dean School of Communication & Creative Arts Liberty University ENTERTAINMENT ASSEMBLED 3 Acknowledgements Foremost, I am indebted to my wife, Naomi. Her support has been vital to my success: in my education, in my career, and in my life. She and our children are my greatest joy. I would like to thank Dr. Carey Martin for his guidance throughout this project. His expertise was an asset, as was his passion for transmedia and film, which served as my inspiration for this thesis. I am grateful and humbled that he agreed to chair this project. I also want to thank Dr. Norman Mintle for lending his insight, expertise, and wisdom to this project; it is much sharper for it. His leadership, both as a professor and dean, has been appreciated. As a writer, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge those who have been critical in shaping my abilities over the years, there have been a few, but none more so than Mitzi Bible. I want to thank all of the pioneers of transmedia studies, Henry Jenkins, Houston Howard, Christy Dena, Geoffrey Long, Tyler Weaver, and others, who blazed trails in world building research and have inspired me to do the same.
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