People
Just as with online communities, people are what make APOC great. The program’s graduate classes are taught by a number of faculty and instructors with deep industry experience. Ph.D students from the Annenberg School for Communication assist with research, and our M.A. students are the talent that will power future industries.
2012
David Mascarina
David has over ten years of experience in web production, graphic design and digital media. He is currently the Manager for New Media and Web for the Valley Performing Arts Center at California State University, Northridge working under the Director of Marketing and Strategic Communications in charge of digital marketing, web production, art direction and graphic design. He is also the Web Development Consultant for the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens where he closely work with the Web Editor and Publications Director on various digital media and web development. As the Principal for DGM Seven, his clientele list include the Norton Simon Museum, First Service PGP Corporation and Warner Bros. He managed ongoing consulting work for various interactive marketing strategies, served as a lecturer for the Pasadena City College Digital Media Center as well as a part of the College's Digital Media Advisory Committee.
He previously worked as a Senior Web Designer at Telepictures Productions, a Warner Bros. Television Company, from 2004-2006 overseeing web productions for television shows such as “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” “Extra,” “The Tyra Banks Show,” and TMZ. Prior to that, he was the Senior Web Designer for Pasadena City College from 2002-2004, where he worked with the re-design of the college’s website as well as initiated various web production projects for the community college.
David received a BA in Graphic Design at California State University, Northridge with honors in 2010, received an AA in Multimedia from Pasadena City College in 2005 and studied Graphic Design at Art Center College of Design in 2002. He also received various accolades from CMS Expo, Los Angeles County, Pasadena City College and Macromeda Corporation (now Adobe Corporation).
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/dgmseven
Twitter: http://twitter.com/dgmascarina
Website: http://www.dgm7.com/
Eric Kim
Eric Kim is currently a graduate student in the Annenberg Program on Online Communities at USC. He is also actively involved with part time startup work, consulting businesses in their early stage marketing needs.
Eric graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 2009 with a B.A. in political economy. His introduction to the startup world was at Admob, where he worked as an intern for the brand sales and advertising team. He then moved to Los Angeles to work on the advertising operations team at Hulu.com, where he spent the next year and a half. It was here that he won two awards, the first annual Hulu Big Idea Contest and the second bi-annual Hulu Table Tennis tournament. After his time at Hulu, Eric spent the next few months working on his own projects. Although he was unsuccessful in building his own product, he soon found himself working at Kliqo as a cofounder. Kliqo is a venture backed startup that incentivizes users to play a simple game to win prizes in the form of advertiser sponsored products.
Eric's academic and career interests are in startup marketing, product development, online community management, and digital strategy. He hopes to create his first sustainable business during or shortly after his graduation from the APOC program in December 2012.
Gordon Kaywin
After graduating from Southern Methodist University in 2001 with a BA in Public Affairs and Corporate Communications Gordon Kaywin accepted a position in Los Angeles California working at the renowned William Morris Agency in their Agent Training Program. Once at William Morris Gordon began learning the ins and outs of the entertainment industry while working for William Morris "World Wide Head of Television", Sam Haskell. After spending a little over two years at William Morris Gordon decided it was time to explore the feature film production and development side of the entertainment business and was hired to work for academy award winning producers Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen at the Jinks/Cohen Production Company. It was only after one year of working for Jinks/Cohen that Gordon was hired away to be a feature film development executive at Phil Anschutz's Walden Media where he honed his executive skills working on the development of commercial feature film projects. However, once again opportunity soon came knocking when Gordon got an opportunity to take his skill-set on the road to Austin Texas working for blockbuster film director Michael Bay's production company "Platinum Dunes" on both, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" prequel and remake of the classic horror film, "The Hitcher".
After returning to Los Angeles Gordon partnered up with long time friend, actor Topher Grace, to form Sargent Hall Productions where over a five year period he ran both their film and TV development operations, and secured first look and overall financing deals with both FOX Television Studios and Warner Brothers Television studios. In addition, Sargent Hall, in partnership with Ron Howard and Brian Grazer's Imagine Entertainment was responsible for the conceptualization, development, and production of the feature film, "Take Me Home Tonight" which received commercial distribution through Ryan Kavanaugh's Relativity Media in March of 2011. It was at this time that Gordon decided to step away from Sargent Hall Productions and begin a new journey. He decided to join USC's unique "Online Communities & Social Networking" master's program; a specialized sub-set of the esteemed Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism. Gordon will graduate December 2012.
Janice Kim
Janice Kim is the Media Relations Coordinator of NetKAL, or Network of Korean-American Leaders, a Fellowship Program bringing together second-generation Korean-American leaders from political, economic, social and cultural backgrounds to enhance civic leadership. Janice has joined NetKAL in 2010 as the Creative Manager, dividing her time between designing banners for websites, book covers and flyers and coordinating logistics and event preparations. Now, as the Media Relations Coordinator, she manages the NetKAL website along with its social network sites.
In addition to her position at NetKAL, Janice has invested time in graphic design and advertising, interning in the public relations sector of IW Group, Inc. She has also done freelance work on the side along with utilizing her skills for USC’s Neon Tommy, Spark!, Alpha Phi Omega and Fashion Industry Association.
Janice is currently on the Leaders Committee at Young-Nak English College Ministry and continues to serve as a fourth year leader for Awana. She is also a progressive degree student in the Annenberg Program on Online Communities at University of Southern California (USC). She receives her BA in Communication in May 2012 and her MA in December 2012.
E-mail: janicek(at)usc.edu or janice.kim46(at)gmail.com
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/janicejkim
Jessica Frank
Jessica Frank is a graduate student at the University of Southern California, part of the Annenberg Program on Online Communities. She has worked in the television news industry for the last several years as an assignment editor, producer, videographer, and editor. She recently received a 2011 CreaTiVe Award for her work on a documentary about the United Arab Emirates. Jessica was the primary videographer and editor in, “From the USA to the UAE.”
Jessica graduated with honors from San Jose State University in 2009, where she majored in broadcast journalism and minored in music. Before moving to Southern California, Jessica had the opportunity to produce, shoot, and edit video for a new PBS public affairs show in the Bay Area. She has also previously worked as a morning show news producer at KION-TV in Northern California.
Jiin Lee
Jiin is a Los Angeles native who is pursuing a master’s degree in Online Communities at the University of Southern California. Jiin was born in Dortmund, West Germany and moved to California at the age of 3. Growing up exposed to multiple cultures, her interest grew in international studies at an early age, particularly in the field of fashion. Jiin received a double Bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Irvine in Art History and International Studies. After graduating, she began working for the IT Department at In-N-Out Burger’s corporate office. After working on several projects with the programming team, she realized that she could combine her creativity and knowledge of technology to pursue a career in social media.
Jiin has strong personal and professional interest in fashion and sports. Though these industries are very different, she believes that there is tremendous opportunity for social media in both areas. Jiin is a Pittsburgh Steelers fan and a die-hard Los Angeles Lakers fan. She enjoys reading fashion blogs, following Fashion Week, as well as, up and coming designers and trends. She hopes to pursue a career in social media/digital marketing in either of these industries.
Khaled Holmes
Khaled Homes is a Southern California native, who is a scholar and an athlete. On the athlete side, he grew up in a football family. His father played college ball for Michigan, his brother and brother-in-law both played for USC and in the NFL. Khaled is following their lead and is currently a much celebrated starting Center for USC's Trojan Football Team. Known for being dependable (on and off the field), Khaled is a Rimington Award candidate and also an Academic All-American candidate, who will start for his third season on the offensive line (his second year as the starting center) as a senior in 2012.
In addition to his obvious interest in sports, Khaled is also interested in social media. Having already completed his bachelor's degree, Khaled is using his final year of college sports eligibility by seeking his master's degree from the Annenberg Program on Online Communities. He is an avid user of social media, using Twitter, Facebook, and other platforms daily. When he's not practicing or playing football, he posts, blogs, and tweets about it, and about life and the world around him. Khaled has interned for social media companies, and he is looking forward to a career in football and in social media.
Laurel Long
Hao Long, a.k.a Laurel, gained her undergraduate degree in general business, and always wanted to start her career as a marketing specialist. Having been studying art and painting for so many years, Hao found her interest in brand building and brand management at school. To follow her passion, she started to work in Leo Burnett as an account executive. In supporting brand managers to build social communities and manage digital assets for clients, she was amazed by social/digital tools that are utilized in marketing. As an active social networking user, meanwhile, she realized how social media and new technologies have changed the way people live, work and interact. Then she decided to come to USC to develop her interest in social media, online marketing and digital strategy.
Here's where you can find her:
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/haolong2
Email: haolong@usc.edu
Website: http://haolongg.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/LaurelLong1280
Paris Marron
Paris Marron is a project manager and media producer with over 5 years experience in the online video and community engagement space.
Graduating with her Bachelor's Degree in Community Studies from the University of California - Santa Cruz, her undergraduate focus was Social Change Documentary Film. After college, Paris joined documentary production company Brave New Films where she produced viral video campaigns and a live interactive web show with a focus on moving viewers into political action.
Over time, her interest turned from media production to the online space and web technologies. In 2008, Paris moved into social media management working with nonprofit and filmmaker clients. Today, Paris works in technology development at internet startup CitizenGlobal. As the Director of Studio Services, Paris works with clients such as brands, nonprofits, personalities and media companies, to deploy "virtual production studios." The suite of web and mobile applications allows CitizenGlobal's clients to co-create media content with their audience.
When she is unplugged from technology, Paris enjoys cooking vegetarian meals and Sunday roasts, baking, hoop dancing, yoga and costume parties.
She is currently a graduate student at USC's Annenberg Program for Online Communities. You can connect with Paris online at:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/parisla
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/parisla
Website: http://parisla.net/
Tim McHugh
Tim McHugh is currently pursuing both his bachelor's degree and his master's degree at USC through the university's progressive degree program. As an undergraduate, Tim is majoring in the Music Industry at the Thornton School of Music. He is passionate about music and loves both the art and the business of music. As a graduate student, Tim is pursuing a master's degree from USC's Annenberg Program on Online Communities. In this capacity, Tim is focused on the use of social media for music and other arts and business applications. He also focuses his attention on the use of social media for sports and personal uses. Tim is interested in the use of third party platforms, the viral spread of information through social media, and issues of engagement online.
2011
Ben Gross
An Atlanta native, Ben made the cross-country trip to California to attend USC, where he majors in communication and minors in marketing. He recently began working toward a master’s degree in online communities as part of a progressive program. His professional interests include sports business and digital marketing, and he has already gained practical experiences in both fields while interning at CNN Sports and Definition 6, an Atlanta based digital branding firm. Ben hopes to use his passion for sports and training in online media to develop sports communities on the web.
Bridgette Kidd
Brigette Kidd is an alumnus of USC Marshall School of Business. Having worked in various industries ranging for entertainment to education, she has handled multimillion dollar budgets to leading more than 250 employees. She continues to venture forth into areas that are both challenging and rewarding, trying to bridge the gap between her traditional education and work experiences with the growth of technology and the opportunities it brings. Currently, Brigette works with the USC Kid Watch and Family of Schools Programs. Steadfast in her commitment to bring positive change and compassion to students and families living in the University Park neighborhood, she is currently enrolled in the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Program Online Communities. “To succeed now, we have to continually refresh our stocks of knowledge by participating in relevant “flows” of knowledge”, (The Power of Pull, Hagel III, Brown and Davidson 2010)
Twitter: http://twitter.com/searchkidd
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BrigetteKidd
Charles Rubinoff
Charles was born way back in the 20th century (1982) in the San Fernando Valley. He grew up in LA and Orange County and a series of events led him to the first relevant part of this biography; he started his undergraduate college career at Cal State Northridge. He finished up there with a B.S. degree in Business Administration /Marketing, but even before that degree was conferred, he saw what "marketing" jobs were really like (sales), and decided he didn't want that for the rest of his life. So we got right back into the CSUN party and enjoyed a couple more years there earning a B.A. degree in something much more creative and engaging — graphic design.
Now, after a few years of working as a graphic designer/web developer for a small design studio and then the non-profit SFJAZZ, and living in San Francisco, Charles is back to LA la land to add the Master's feather to his education cap. He's interested in the dynamism and power for social change that online communities bring, so he's in the Annenberg Program on Online Communities at USC. This also finally allows him to take a vested interest in the USC-UCLA rivalry!
Blog: http://chaugust.com/
Danielle Evenson
Danielle Evenson spent years in entertainment culminating as a staff writer for the CBS show "The New Adventures of Old Christine." After her stint at "Christine," she transitioned from writing scripted material to managing teams of comedy bloggers as the Editorial Director for Comedy.com and running a knowledge exchange at Mahalo. She currently serves as a National Editor for the Pop and Urban teams of CBS Interactive Music Group while enrolled in USC's Annenberg Program on Online Communities. She is awesome.
Twitter: @praisecheeses
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/danielleevenson
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/danielleevenson
Erika C. Klein
Erika Klein graduated from UCLA with a BA in Asian American Studies. She has been working in higher education administration since 1998 and has worked in four diverse areas at UCLA (Research Administration, UCLA Live!, and both the Humanities and Social Science Divisions). Her most recent position is as Director of the MAT Program in the USC Rossier School of Education. Erika's particular interests include the advent of online education and technology in k-12 classrooms.
Evan Jones
Born 1980. Texas. Soccer. Football. Boredom. Discovers anime, William Gibson, and Hong Kong action films in 1993. Less boredom. Discovers punk rock and Japanese TV news broadcasts in 1994. (more) Less boredom. 1995-1999 spent inculcating and memorizing obscure adjectives. Graduates. Year break. Ryerson University. Film school. Pasolini. Godard. Woo. Herzog. Argento. Miike. Brakhage. Boredom problem no longer an issue. Directs sci-fi film in French. Peter Watkins likes it. STOKED. Gets scholarship. Graduates.
Moves to Japan. 1 year in Kumamoto. Relocates to Tokyo. Spends 2 years writing re: extreme permutations of convergence culture. Sings in band. Writes. Wears bullet belt on subways. Joy Division. Six Finger Satellite. Gundam. Otaku. Visits US and tours with rock bands. Runs kissing booth at gigs. Returns to Japan. Otaku.
(Edited) causes return to America. San Francisco. Works in tech. Understands spoken language again. Boredom. Surveys class at Stanford. Decides to return to school. Likes USC's library. Interests: locative art, augmented reality, off-kais, dead drops, personality distension. Still supports OU football, Japanese sci-fi, linux, Chthulu, and having an accent.
http://apocorama.wordpress.com/ - APOCorama - a "living" text dedicated to engineering, IT, anti-pop culture, and the occasional Japanese rabbit vs. camel computer animation series.
Gareth Wilson
Gareth Wilson grew up in Baltimore and graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in New York, where he studied literature, film and philosophy. He also spent one year abroad studying at Wadham College, Oxford University. After he completed his undergraduate degree, he went on to earn a Master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, where he taught an introductory course to undergraduates. He has worked for both a law firm and a law school and interned for a collective of LA-based writers, where he first learned how to use social networking as a professional skill. He is now a student in the Annenburg Program on Online Communities, working on a second Master’s degree. He wants to use social networking to promote and advance the arts. Music is one of his greatest interests, and he enjoys writing and performing songs.
Jon Kolker
Jon is a 26 year old graduate student at University of Southern California's APOC program. He is from Baltimore and completed his BA at George Washington University with a degree in English Literature. He has been in new media as a digital technology consultant since 2009, working with such organizations as New Wave Advisors and explore.org. Prior to his experience in online communities, he worked in the entertainment industry; both in sports and film. He is very excited to be enrolled in USC's APOC program and hopes to use his Masters to help develop the web space and build fun and meaningful online communities.
Kabir Shukla
Kabir's background is founded in the healthcare industry. After earning a BS degree in "healthcare management and policy" from Georgetown University, Kabir went on to work at a community hospital on Long Island, NY in their administrative department. Assisting in everything from department oversight, marketing and even patient nutrition plans, Kabir gained a wide breadth of practical knowledge in the field. Shortly after leaving the hospital, Kabir worked in healthcare public relations before moving to Los Angeles, CA to work in the entertainment industry. Kabir interned at The Mark Gordon Company for nearly a year before moving into the new media space at a small company called Fun Little Movies. Here he worked as the head of business development. It was during this time that Kabir realized the progression of business towards social networks and web 3.0. Currently, Kabir is a student at the University of Southern California in the Annenberg School of Communications, earning a Master's Degree in Online Communities.
Rebecca Bernard Aguilar
Rebecca Bernard Aguiar has spent almost a decade helping companies to localize their products and messages for the international marketplace. She attributes her strong sense of cultural sensitivity to her diverse family heritage and various life experiences abroad. Rebecca is currently a sales and marketing executive at translation and interpreting firm, Global Language Solutions. She is also a freelance writer for various publications and is the founder of the blog The Cultured Seed. Through this blossoming virtual community, Rebecca aims to redefine family life as we have come to know it in this modern digital age, offering support to other parents in their quest to cultivate their own little seeds. Rebecca obtained her B.A. in World Arts and Cultures from UCLA. She calls both Costa Rica and Los Angeles home and revels in crafting a life of adventure along side her husband, two kids and multitude of family and friends.
Blog: www.theculturedseed.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/theculturedseed
Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/rebecca-bernard-aguiar/1/298/320
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Cultured-Seed/230219529086
Scott Volk
Graduated with a B,A. in Organizational Communications from Concordia College, Moorhead, MN. He has worked as a Search Engine Marketing Specialist for a health supplement e-commerce company, as an Online Traffic Coordinator for a communications company that owns, develops and creates content for newspaper websites, a sales representative for software start-up that sells a web based tool built for small to medium sized advertising agencies, as a Search Engine Marketing Specialist for law firm that manages offshore bank accounts, and a e-commerce company that sells a subscription based service for motivational and spiritual videos. He recently started working with artists and their email marketing and social networking campaigns. Scott is enrolled in the University of Southern California's Annenberg Program for Online Communities. A graduate program in social networking, online marketing, and new media.
Tammie Holt
Tammie Holt is a marketing and branding professional with more than 10 years of proven performance in the entertainment industry (records and distribution) with a broad-based background in New Product Development, Brand Mangement and Product Managment. She has helped diverse labels in their visibility and profitability, shaping the minds of millions consumers; how they think, see and view product through cross functional marketing and brand messaging.
With a B.A. Journalism, Public Relations, Ms. Holt has also extended her marketing arm through an independent service, On Your Mark! Marketing assisting small businesses and media outlets in the RACE (Research, Action, Communication and Evaluation) to meet specified objectives.
She is currently a "champion in training" as a current graduate student at the Annenberg Program for Online Communities, at the University of Southern California, with a goal to create genuine brand connects that will resonate with today's innovative mindset across emerging digital platforms in the entertaiment, hair and beauty industry.
Trang Cao
Trang Cao is an award winning creative director who has held lead creative positions at Disney, eCompanies and CBS; where she is currently the Director of CBS iMedia. Most recently, Trang has been developing and managing several business websites for CBS including: CBS Advertising and Promotion, The CW, CBS Operations, EyeOnCBS, CBS Home Entertainment, CBS Network Sales, CBS Captioning and The Price Is Right. Prior to CBS, Trang worked as an art director and consultant at eCompanies venture capital where she helped define, develop and create websites and branding for new tech start-ups. She was a creative lead for Disney Online International where she created and localize content used on various European international sites and managed a team of artists for Disney’s Blast International internet sites. Trang is currently attending USC Annenberg graduate school in Communication Management.
2010
Andrew Menendez
Coming Soon
Ashlie Chan
My name is Ashlie Chan and I am currently a senior at the University of Southern California, simultaneously pursuing my B.A. and M.A. in the field of Communication at the Annenberg School. Having already completed my undergraduate minor in Spanish and my major in Communication, I am also working to complete my graduate degree in Communication Management with an emphasis in the online communities and digital marketing. I am extremely excited to learn about social media marketing and how the internet has and will continue to pervade every aspect of business and life.
I was born and raised in Arcadia, the city next to Pasadena, in Southern California. In my spare time, I love hanging out with friends, trying new restaurants, travelling, watching basketball, playing games, and relaxing at the beach. I have been involved in several organizations on campus at USC, including volunteer work, student leadership, and academic honors. And of course, I am thrilled to add APOC as one of my new communities.
Blake Anderson
Blake works at the VA in Los Angeles, where he has managed their 450 acre property, worked as their location manager negotiating filming contracts, and worked with private foundations. He has recently been selected as a lead for their social media strategy team and now faces the challenge of helping a large and complex federal agency try to use digital media to be more responsive to veterans, especially to their healthcare needs. Blake is a talented writer, producer, and director whose creative talents enhance his administrative and entrepreneurial efforts. He also has been an active organizer and participant in charitable efforts. Blake grew up overseas on a US Air Force Installation, and where he attended a Japanese language preschool. Blake is still fluent in Japanese. He is a licensed real estate agent, and is an alumnus of UC Santa Cruz, where he graduated with honors and with a BA in Film and Digital Media and a BA in Theatre Arts.
Brian Nichols
Brian Nichols is a recent graduate from the Annenberg School for Communications and Marshall School of Business. As a Communications Major and Business Administration Minor, Brian developed an interest in marketing and has since gained valuable experience in the field. As a Sophomore, Brian worked at Pike and Company, a marketing and PR firm with clients in over 10 different industries located in San Francisco. The following summer, Brian worked at OM Premium, a Sports Marketing firm in Madrid, Spain. This past semester as his APOC internship, Brian worked at Fox Sports' Marketing Departmen at the FOX lot in Century City, CA.
Chao Ruby Zhang
Coming Soon
Christopher Bazin
Christopher grew up in Canada where he earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. He is a certified Microsoft Systems Engineer, Microsoft Database Administrator and completed a program at UCLA in application programming. For the past five years he has worked at the University of Southern California in the department of Protocol and University Events where he was the webmaster and technical consultant for the department. Most recently, he has transitioned into the Office of the President as the Senior Technical Project Team Leader. His special interests include usability, human to computer interaction and communication in computer-mediated environments.
Claire Adams
Claire is a USC alumna who is dedicated, determined, and passionate and who believes that social media has the potential to enhance individual and group efforts to help people in need. Her demonstrated skills in web development and video editing, coupled with her administrative experience and excellent academic achievement have helped Claire to make an impact at her church and in her community. Claire uses her entrepreneurial talents and skills to do good in the world.
Jesse Wilson
Jesse earned a B.A. in Business Management Economics at UC Santa Cruz with the class of 2006. As a student, Jesse acted as a director in the University Economics Association, and later founded the Entrepreneurs' Society, a student organization dedicated to fostering student entrepreneurship. After graduating, Jesse earned his real estate license and Realtor designation, enabling him to manage the sales and leasing of a 128-unit condo conversion project in Santa Cruz. Today Jesse interns at Spark Networks in Beverly Hills while taking classes at USC. Jesse hopes to apply the skills and knowledge gained in APOC to initiate his own web startups and become a community, product or analytics manager in a web company. Learn more and contact Jesse at http://jesse.la
Jessica Marquez
Coming Soon
Jessica Rappaport
Prior to starting the APOC program in January 2010, Jessica Rappaport developed a proven history of career success in developing marketing and brand management strategies for television, online and mobile companies. She has managed large teams of people and held various positions with accountability for creative services, communication, direct marketing, contesting, promotion, market research, public relations, commercial production, e-marketing, mobile initiatives and cross-promotion between television stations, websites and digital platforms. She has a 360-degree knowledge of the media and entertainment industries as a result of experience working in television stations, marketing agencies and consulting companies. Her specialties include writing and executing strategic marketing plans, building online communities and evaluating traditional media plans and transitioning them to social media strategies.
Josh Cox
I was born and raised in Tupelo, Mississippi, best known for being the birthplace of Elvis Presley, who also packed his things and RAN!! I graduated from the University of Mississippi with a B.A. in journalism and Spanish in August 2009. While at Ole Miss, I worked as reporter and columnist for the Daily Mississippian, and I served as online editor for The DM Online. I also served as "webmaster" for the UM Office of Oreintation and Parent Porgrams' website during my final semester. Now I am here in L.A. and I'm looking forward to working with the awesome and talented group of people in this year's APOC class.
Julie Epstein
A native of downtown Chicago, Julie graduated from Princeton University with a B.A. in History and certificate in American Studies in 2002. Always interested in the intersection of arts, media and the law, she wrote her senior thesis at Princeton on the history of film censorship in America. After working at Edelman Public Relations in New York, Julie decided to forego law school and instead migrated to the west coast to pursue her dream of feature film producing. She received an M.A. in Critical Studies from USC’s School for Cinematic Arts in 2006. At USC, she was chosen by faculty to be a teaching assistant for several undergraduate courses, including "History of American Film, 1946-1975" and "Race, Class and Gender in American Film." After stints at CAA, Paramount Pictures, and GK Films, she decided to implement her public relations and media experience in the growing, forward-thinking field of social media, returning to USC to join the APOC program. She is truly excited and inspired by the possibilities that social media and online communities present for creatively fusing business and marketing strategies to shape, inform and engage people on a local, face-to-face level. Julie believes in the power of online communities to help forge true connections in the "real" world, and intends to leverage emerging technologies to create positive social impact in local communities. Outside of work and school, Julie has worked private tutor, educating children as young as six through college undergraduates. She loves yoga, the Bar Method, listening to live music, discovering new restaurants, going back to yoga and the Bar Method in order to offset calories consumed at such restaurants, and reviewing her experiences on Yelp. She just trained and ran her first (and not last!) marathon in March 2010.
Lisa Jacobs
Lisa is the Managing Editor at Outlook Newspapers, a set of weekly newspapers currently serving Pasadena and La Canada Flintridge. She did her undergraduate work at the University of Michigan and has a B.A. in English and Journalism and more than 20 years experience in computer software/technical management. Lisa began her career long before Web 2.0 and actually remembers (though not fondly) the DOS prompt. As one of the first four technical writers at Microsoft, Lisa lent her communications expertise and user interface design instincts to early versions of Microsoft Word, Excel and Access. She went on to manage a team of Microsoft Editors and was instrumental in the company's abandoning proprietary publishing software and instead dogfooding with Microsoft Word. Lisa's other experience includes consulting in the backup, disk compression and internet filtering arenas and instructional design for Marriott Corp.
Lisa is interested in how social media impacts hyper-local news, in Google's use of the "boredom/damper" factor to determine page rank, in the need for verified tags for
certifying true primary sources and in how social media will impact middle-schoolers.
Lisa's blog is "A Likely Story" (www.lisaannjacobs.wordpress.com). She occasionally sends out a tweet or two @lisaannjacobs and she refuses to believe that a social network with a wall metaphor adopted by preening teenagers will connect us in the future (www.facebook.com/lisaannjacobs).
Lloyd Scott
After receiving my MA from USC School of Cinema-TV, I started my career as a Television Programming executive at Fox, where I programmed domestic cable channels and launched their highly successful Latin American branded channel business. After 9 years at Fox, I went over to Universal as aSenior Vice President of Programming, where I oversaw the development of the award-winning action/suspense brand -- 13th Street -- and channel launches in the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain and Latin America.
As new media came to the forefront, I moved into programming and consulting for various prominent corporations. I’ve consulted for Cablevision (launching their high-definition Voom platform, NBC-Universal (managing their Apple iTunes deal), and most recently worked for a 18 months at Microsoft building their Business Analytics tools.
Known for a rare blend of business and creative skills, and a talent for developing highly marketable programming strategies, I utilize yogic meditation, a raw food diet and channeling to overcome my psychic foreboding of the University of Michigan Wolverines' annual football disappointment. I am an architecture fanatic, jazz enthusiast and make the best espresso west of Chicago. I’m also busy instructing my five-year-old son and his young cousins on the fine art of “sports viewmanship.”
Roberto Lacayo
Coming Soon
Sasha Kai Parker
Sasha Kai is the Marketing Coordinator for DreamHost and boasts a multidisciplinary background in marketing, branding, grassroots organizing, sociology, graphic design and journalism. Having reached maturity alongside many of today's social media platforms, Sasha has a unique understanding of the subtle nuances of social media, and how these tools can be leveraged to create successful campaigns across a variety of industries. She has been a digital media consultant since 2006, working with small businesses (Nzuzu, NuLifeFitness), non-profits (The Ohio Justice and Policy Center, MoveOn.org), and a host of others.
Sasha's professional aim is to create robust, immersive social media experiences for grassroots organizations and socially-responsible brands. She is also interested in researching social media usage trends & patterns among urban youth.
Sasha is currently a graduate student in the Annenberg Program on Online Communities at the University of Southern California. She earned her bachelors degree from Kent State University in Magazine Journalism.
@sasha_kai
http://www.linkedin.com/in/sashakai
Blogging at digitalconcrete.wordpress.com
Scott Slesinger
Coming Soon
Stefanie Pinatauro
I currently teach Spanish to high school students in Orange County and try to integrate new media technologies into my curriculum. I'm interested in exploring the effect of the Interent and digital media on education. Will these new tools help to improve America's public education system? I hope to find some answers while I study for my M.A. at Annenberg's Program for Online Communities (APOC).
My blog: http://stefficlaire.blogspot.com
I'll keep you posted from stories of awkward high school students learning Spanish (and their insight on social networking) to questions and comments about discussions, new technology, and speakers from my APOC classes. Enjoy!
Susan Lin
Growing up, I've never lived in a place for more than four years. My family has moved countless times in the U.S. and crossing international borders. I've lived my life between the East and West - east and west coast of U.S., and in the Eastern and Western hemisphere. The longest I spent time at one school was during my high school years, where I attended an international school in Taiwan -- Taipei American School. I've crossed paths with students and teachers from all over the world, and have learned and continued to value and appreciate meeting people from different walks of life.
I returned to the U.S. for my college education at California Polytechnic University, Pomona to obtain my B.S. degree in Business Administration, concentration in Marketing and a minor in Hospitality Management. I interned at an advertising agency called J. Walter Thompson towards the end of senior year, and started working at Hilton upon graduating. I worked at the Hilton's headquarter located in Beverly Hills for a year or so, and decided to relocate with the company to Washington D.C. metropolitan area after acquisition by Blackstone Investment company. Needless to say, the east coast was too cold for me.. so here I am!
Interests:
Films and arts, traveling, food and wine, marketing, new media and technologies..
Thomas Brynes
Tom Byrnes is a 22-year-old working toward a degree in print journalism and a master’s in Annenberg’s Program on Online Communities (APOC) at USC. Tom is a media relations specialist with four years experience in golf, basketball, water polo, volleyball and soccer. Through the APOC graduate program, Tom plans to apply the knowledge he has gained to enhance the way people watch and follow sports. Social media and online communities are the future of marketing, public relations, and brand image. This particular field has seen a tremendous amount of growth. It is quickly becoming the most attractive way to reach customers and fan bases alike. For more, check out Tom's latest undertakings at http://tbyrnes.wordpress.com.
2009
Alex Cohen
Coming Soon
Alexandra Asselin
Alexandra Asselin was born in Paris, France and spent her childhood between the United States, Bolivia, and the Dominican Republic. She received her B.A. in Communication from American University, and moved to Los Angeles to be a freelance film editor. After working on editing an ongoing web series, Alex became increasingly interested in online media and the Internet as a tool for marketing independent film. Alex took an internship at Revver, an online video start up. In the almost four years she stayed at Revver, Alex witnessed many changes in online media, and worked in many different capacities at Revver. Alex worked closely with the Creative Commons movement and helped define and protect the rights of online creators. Alex’s passions are online marketing, monetization, and using the Internet as a catalyst for social change. Alex was recently hired by NBC digital where she will be the community manager for 7 of NBC’s online sites.
Edward North-Hager
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John Matthews
John Matthews received his B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles in International Relations with a minor in Public Policy. While at UCLA he directed the UCLA cable news program UCLA: Next and produced a series of documentary shorts drawing attention to homeless issues in Los Angeles. After graduation he worked at United Talent Agency before going on to work for the Department of Veterans Affairs as an asset manager responsible for negotiating contracts with studios and production companies interested in filming on federally owned land. In his spare time John volunteers, most recently co-producing an anti-gang violence PSA with Academy Award winning actor Louis Gossett Jr. His interest in APOC lies in exploring how online communities and user-generated content are changing how political and marketing campaigns are run.
Katherine Hillier
Katie Hillier graduated with honors from the University of La Verne with a B.A. in Journalism. While in college, she was both the editor in chief of the La Verne Magazine and the managing editor of the Campus Times. She won various university awards including Best All-around Writer, and was a two-time winner of the Best Feature Story. During college, she worked at Forbes.com as an editorial assistant, and was in charge of organizing writer's schedules along with writing and editing web content. After graduation, she was hired on as an assistant account executive with Schwartzman & Associates, a new media communications firm, where she learned the ropes of basic client relations in addition to social and online communications. At APOC she would like to learn more about the social media landscape and the micro and macro influences of these new outlets.
Kaywan Shiraz
In 2008, Kaywan helped create the Filipino American online community, BakitWhy.com, and currently serves as its Project Director. His work with BakitWhy.com led him to become a founding partner of Kasama Media in August 2008. Kaywan draws from his project and program management experience with the Raytheon Company to provide operations and concept implementation strategy to the company. He also completed his APOC career with with the launch of the street fashion online community, urbansalt.com. His interests include evaluating diverse issues in Internet law, redefining operations management for online communities, and creating effective offline change through Web collaboration.
Marguerite de Bourgoing
Marguerite graduated from Oxford University and the Sorbonne Paris IV, with an M.A. in Art History and in Philosophy. She then worked for two years at the Cinémathèque française in Paris where she developed a passion for cinema. During this time she assisted Marc Riboud, a photographer from Magnum, with whom she explored the language of documentary. She moved to London where she lived for six years, working as a Production Coordinator on factual programs, before joining Discovery UK in the programming department. At APOC she hopes to define and develop new audiences online, particularly for documentaries.
Nicole DeRuiter
Nicole DeRuiter earned her B.A. from Central Michigan University, a double major in Broadcast and Public Relations. She has worked since 2005 with PCGCampbell Marketing & Communications, one of the nation's 10 largest privately owned public relations firms. Experience working with major automotive clients provided Nicole hands-on experience using many types of communication tools, opening her eyes to a personal interest in new and social media. Prior to working in public relations, Nicole spent time working in promotions and marketing at both for-profit and non-profit radio stations. She is particularly interested in the influence of new media on public opinion and the social implications of corporate involvement in a personal space.
Sonya Cifuentes-Hiss
Sonya Cifuentes-Hiss graduated from Pomona College with a B.A. in Media Studies with a concentration in digital media. Her undergraduate curriculum and internship experience reflect a strong interest in online communications with a marketing emphasis. Sonya’s and academic and professional involvement in online communities include ethnographic research, grassroots outreach for an Internet marketing firm, and participation in the first college course devoted to the study of YouTube. Sonya currently works as an advertising executive in Los Angeles and looks forward to investigating emergent online social landscapes during her time at APOC.
Yan Ma
Yan Ma graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.S. in Business Administration and a B.A. in Communication. She worked as a Research Assistant for the Director of International Advancement at USC and interned at Tokyopop during her undergraduate studies. Her interest in Japanese anime and manga has exposed her to many Asian online communities and fan culture at a young age. At APOC she is interested in studying user experience design in virtual worlds, and new modes of monetizing fan communities.
2008
Anna Cearley
After graduating from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Anna Cearley worked briefly at the Dayton (Ohio) Daily News before being hired by The San Diego Union-Tribune. For seven years she was based out of Tijuana, Mexico, covering all aspects of border life, with an emphasis on crime and security issues. She also reported from Nicaragua and El Salvador through a competitive one-year journalism grant from the Inter American Press Association. Anna has received numerous awards for her reporting, including Best Latin American Reporting from the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. At APOC she is interested in focusing on the technological and social forces that are impacting the journalism industry.
Arienne McCracken
Arienne McCracken graduated from Ohio State University with a B.A. in Russian and a M.A.s in Slavic Studies and the History of Art. Her master's thesis looked at the similarities in the works and beliefs of the artists Vasilii Kandinsky and Kazimir Malevich. Arienne's work experience includes several years recruiting and programming for Honors students at Ohio State. She currently works as a program coordinator at USC's Center for Effective Organizations. At APOC she is interested in learning about the user experience and gaming communities.
Chris Guitarte
Christopher Guitarte graduated from the University of California Irvine with a B.S. in Computer Engineering in 2006, then participated in the Philippine Studies Program through the College of Arts and Letters at the University of the Philippines Diliman. Chris' professional experience includes working with the School of Biological Sciences at UC Irvine. He now provides technical support for faculty, staff and students at the Annenberg School for Communication. Chris is particularly interested in the application of online communities to mobile technology, digital rights issues such as creative commons, and developing online communities for those with a similar ethnic background (i.e. Asian-American).
Ed Cohen
Ed Cohen is an award-winning writer, editor, commentator and publications manager. He has written for and edited periodicals at four major universities, including 10 years as associate editor of the widely admired Notre Dame Magazine. He began his career as a reporter on daily newspapers in Virginia and Delaware and spent time on loan to the Life section of USA Today. He has been an organizer with several groups opposed to the invasion and occupation of Iraq and in 2005 sought the Democratic Party nomination for Congress in northern Indiana.
Erika Shen
Erika Shen received a BA in French Language and Literature from Barnard College. After graduation she joined the MTV Networks family at Nickelodeon Magazine, then moved to MTV Off-Air Creative. After returning to her native Los Angeles to to help launch MenuPages.com, an online dining and restaurant guide, she rejoined the corporate world as a Producer for CBS Interactive Entertainment. She is about to embark on a new career at The Walt Disney Internet Group as a Lead Producer for Disney XD.
Erin Metzger
rin Metzger received her BA in Communication with a minor in Visual Culture from The University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication in 2007. An enthusiastic music fan, Erin had several music industry internships during her undergraduate career. At APOC, Erin hopes to explore more of the ever changing online landscape, particularly blogging and Internet culture.
Greg Cherry
Greg Cherry received a bachelor’s degree in communications from Syracuse University and has worked for the Annenberg Foundation in Los Angeles for over 2 years. He currently serves as a Program Assistant, working directly with nonprofit organizations throughout the community in all program areas. He was previously at Sony Pictures Entertainment, working for Sony TV Studios as a Production Assistant. He is interested in furthering his studies in communications, media studies, and specifically the relation of emerging technologies to public opinion.
Nonny de la Peña
Harvard graduate Nonny de la Peña is a documentary filmmaker, journalist, writer and technology artist. A former correspondent for Newsweek Magazine, she has written for the New York Times, Premiere Magazine, Texas Monthly, and Time Magazine. She has also authored scripts for television, and directed and produced four nationally-acclaimed feature-length documentary films exploring human rights issues. The Los Angeles Times wrote that, "de la Peña expertly personalizes the stories" in her films, and the New York Times called her work, “a brave and necessary act of truth-telling.” Her latest project, GONE GITMO - a virtual representation of Guantanamo Bay prison in Second Life - was funded by the MacArthur Foundation.
Otto Khera
Otto Khera earned a BS from Arizona State University (ASU) in Finance and in Economics, and later an MBA. Otto's background is in higher education and in advertising-based digital media projects. In the late 1980s Otto managed academic programs and grants for an ASU European studies research center. In the first half of the 1990s, Otto led the ad-based Axon Television project that was a planned 24/7 short film and video cable TV network. In the latter half of the 1990s he co-founded and managed the ad-based Desert Exposure arts and entertainment print magazine. Since 1998, Otto has been in higher education when he directed a new media technology center in western New Mexico until 2001. In 2002 Otto joined the University of Southern California's Center for Scholarly Technology which he now directs, and which supports technology-enhanced and distance learning at USC.
Rae Visita
Rachel Wagoner started her career in 2003 in IT and web development. In 2006 she expanded to QA and Software Support Engineering and started project managing large scale online community projects in 2007 for The Institute for Triple Helix Innovation in Honolulu, HI. This led to her involvement in helping to create the Pilipino American online community - BakitWhy.com, TheOnlineGrapevine.com, and become a founding partner of Kasama Media in 2008. Her technical and design background comes from her Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering and Minor in Digital Arts from the University of California, Irvine. She also has a Masters in Communication Management with a Specialization in Online Communities from the University of Southern California. Her interests include UI, operations management, online analytics and research, and creating new monetization avenues.
Tom Grasty
Tom Grasty graduated from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, with a B.A. in Journalism. From 1990 to 1994, he worked in the public relations and advertising industries before turning his attention to entertainment. Tom became a senior story analyst for HBO Pictures and DreamWorks SKG, then Head of Development at VH1 Motion Pictures for Television. Currently, Tom is executive in charge of development at Blaze Television, where he is responsible for developing new television, web and mobile projects, as well as working with content providers, broadcasters and other strategic partners. Tom is particularly interested in Search Engine Optimization, SEM and online advertising, and intends to use the skills he is acquiring in the APOC program to find new ways to monetize small businesses, online communities and individual creative endeavors.
Wendy Keller
Wendy Keller received her BA in music and certification in Music Management from the University of San Diego. She has worked in a variety of fields, including performing arts and corporate finance. After suffering a significant injury, she discovered a way to turn her physical limitations into an asset, and help others maximize their strengths to accomplish their goals. In 2007 she received her Master of Arts degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Southern California. At APOC she seeks to fortify her knowledge base and develop an effective online community for Occupational Therapy and Occupational Science.
2007
Aaron Leibowitz
Coming Soon
Ben Gigli
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Dyan Nooney
Dylan Nooney received his B.A from the University of California Los Angeles in History with a minor in Public Policy. Before enrolling in the APOC program, he worked for Comcast in Media Operations. During the APOC program Dylan had the opportunity to intern at Yahoo, where he created an online community around the Guitar Hero franchise and worked with a team that develop applications for 3rd party platforms. After APOC, Dylan went to work as a Product Manager for Spot Runner, a Los Angeles based advertising start-up. Currently Dylan lives in San Diego where he is a Product Manager for Sony Online Entertainment.
Jeremiah Abraham
Coming Soon
Lewis Haidt
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Lindsay Pond
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S. Courtney Walton
After receiving her M.A. from APOC, Courtney was accepted into the Communication Ph.D program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Courtney is currently pursuing her degree in Organizational Communication & Media, with an emphasis on Technology and Society through the UCSB Center for Technology and Society. She also has a B.S. in Communication Studies from Northwestern University. Courtney has an extensive nonprofit background and more than five years experience developing and managing online communities. She is primarily interested in the interplay between mobile phone technology, social networks, gender, self-disclosure and perceptions of influence. S. Courtney Walton is the recipient of a 2008-2009 SAGE Sara Miller McCune Fellowship, and was awarded a 2009 Summer Graduate Research Scholarship to begin work on her thesis under the mentorship of her advisor Dr. Ronald E. Rice.
Sean Stevens
Sean graduated from UNC-Asheville with a BA in Multimedia Arts and Sciences and a minor in computer science. While in APOC he interned at Buzznet.com assisting with product management. After graduation he joined another startup, sodahead.com, as a developer. He currently works at Spark Networks doing both development work and product management. In his spare time he runs the music community ashevillerock.com.
Terri Giles
Coming Soon
