Graduate Affiliates

Alex is a PhD student in the Radio-Television-Film department at the University of Texas at Austin. Working within U.S. film and television histories, Alex is interested in fringe media objects and the limits of media studies. These objects range from horror to the fashion/design industries, and questions about the politics of excess, regulation, and material/visual cultures are of particular interest. He received his MA in Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication from the University of Texas at Dallas and his BA in Art History from the University of Southern California. He is published in FLOW, The Velvet Light Trap, and Media Industries Journal.

Hyun-jung Stephany Noh is a Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Radio-Television-Film at Moody College of Communication, the University of Texas at Austin. Her interdisciplinary research spans global media, media industries, and public diplomacy with a special focus on the Korean Wave or hallyu. Her interest in media studies originates from 10 years of work experience in Korean television networks as a programming producer, ratings analyst, acquisition specialist, and production budget manager. She is currently writing her dissertation “Streaming K-drama” that investigates the cultural implications of the transnational phenomenon by researching the context of television programs and the shifts of industry practices formed in the streaming environment.

Brad Limov (MA, Nagoya University) is a doctoral candidate in the School of Journalism and Media at the University of Texas at Austin, where he is currently a graduate research assistant with the Center for Media Engagement's Solidarity Journalism Initiative. His research examines the media industries and social movements at the level of digital production. He is particularly interested in the role of events, community, and identity in shaping this production and its political engagements.

Kaitlin Lange is a dual degree MBA/MA candidate in the McCombs School of Business and Radio-Television-Film. She received a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in both English and Anthropology from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities as well as a Graduate Certificate in Documentary Filmmaking from George Washington University. As a business development and communications professional, Kaitlin spent 8+ years supporting storytellers in the development of interactive media and film for museum exhibits, live theater, and documentary projects. In her free time, she runs a book club focused on film adaptations and collects stamps for her National Parks Passport.

Rusty Hatchell is a doctoral candidate in media studies at the University of Texas at Austin. He earned his M.A. in media studies from the University of Texas at Austin and his B.A. in English from Georgia Gwinnett College. His current research focuses on contemporary superhero television universes, particularly on the efforts to cultivate narrative continuity as well as the industrial production logics that help shape superhero television into its own distinct genre. His scholarly work has appeared in Middle West Review, the Australasian Journal of Popular Culture, Flow: A Critical Forum on Media and Culture, In Media Res, and the edited collection After Midnight: Watchmen after Watchmen. He is currently working on his doctoral dissertation, “Mapping the Multiverse: Narrative Continuity and Industrial Logics in the Shared Television Universes of DC’s Superheroes, 1992-2022,” which uses a longitudinal study of DC Comics’ expansion into television from 1992 to 2022 to examine how shared universes are emerging as a guiding principle of the media industries, influencing television production and distribution strategies.

Laura C. Brown is a Media Studies PhD candidate in the Department of Radio-Television-Film. Her research interests include American broadcast media history, audiences, taste cultures, critical industry studies, music on television, and media failures. She is currently a co-lead editor of The Velvet Light Trap journal, and she holds a position on the graduate student council of the Library of Congress’ Radio Preservation Task Force. Laura received a bachelor’s degree in History and a master’s degree in Film and Television Studies, both from Boston University.

Kristina Brüning is a PhD Student in the Radio-Television-Film Department at UT Austin. She holds an MA in American Studies from Freie Universität Berlin and an MA in German Studies from the University of Michigan. In her doctoral work, Kristina combines media industry studies and feminist media studies. Her dissertation explores the working conditions, affective experiences, and creative agency of actors in the post-#MeToo streaming era. She has published articles in Feminist Media Studies, Television & New Media, and Media Industries Journal.

Peter Arne Johnson is a Ph.D. student in media studies at the University of Texas at Austin. His research focuses on critical media industry studies, critical political economy, U.S. film and television history, and media finance. Pete’s work considers how financial structures and discursive constructions in financial markets can shape the range and nature of media texts. He has been published in Democratic Communiqué, The New Review of Film and Television Studies, and Media Industries Journal.