Graduate Affiliate, CEMI
PhD Student, Radio-Television-Film
Ryan David Briggs is a doctoral student in media studies at the University of Texas at Austin. His research focuses on Hollywood history, media industry studies, and US independent cinema. Ryan's dissertation charts the second phase of Conglomerate Hollywood (2005-2020) by following evolving industry developments and their impacts on the perceived health of mid-tier filmmaking. The project analyzes why anxieties over macro-industrial instability were often expressed through concern for the so-called mid-budget movie.