Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Communication Theses Department of Communication Fall 12-20-2012 Abracadabra: Key Agents of Mediation that Define, Create, and Maintain TV Fandom David H. Gardner Georgia State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/communication_theses Recommended Citation Gardner, David H., "Abracadabra: Key Agents of Mediation that Define, Create, and Maintain TV Fandom." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2012. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/communication_theses/95 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Communication at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Communication Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. ABRACADABRA: KEY AGENTS OF MEDIATION THAT DEFINE, CREATE, AND MAINTAIN TV FANDOM by DAVID H. GARDNER Under the Direction of Dr. Alisa Perren ABSTRACT From a media industries, fan studies, and emerging socio-cultural public relations perspective, this project pulls back the Hollywood curtain to explore two questions: 1) How do TV public relations practitioners and key tastemaker/gatekeeper media define, create, build, and maintain fandom?; and 2) How do they make meaning of fandom and their agency/role in fan creation from their position of industrial producers, cultural intermediaries, members of the audience, and as fans themselves? This project brings five influential, working public relations and media professionals into a conversation about two case studies from the 2010-2011 television season – broadcast network CBS’ Hawaii Five-0 and basic cable network AMC’s The Walking Dead. Each of these shows speaks to fandom in particular ways and are representative of the industry’s current approaches in luring specific audiences to TV.