Kerric Harvey Joins SMPA


December 11, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT
Samara Sit 202-994-5349; [email protected]

DR. KERRIC HARVEY JOINS THE CENTER FOR INNOVATIVE MEDIA AS ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

Appointment adds new research component to School of Media and Public Affairs effort

WASHINGTON – Dr. Kerric Harvey, recently appointed Associate Director of the Center for Innovative Media (CIM) at the School of Media and Public Affairs, will contribute original research and represent CIM at conferences around the world.

In addition to co-directors Frank Sesno and Nina Seavey, Harvey will round out the leadership team of CIM. Her paper on using the arts to capture political experience via social media has been accepted at the Ninth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities, to be held in Spain this June. This comes on the heels of her return from this fall’s Raindance International Film Festival in London, where she presented several seminars.

"Having Kerric as Associate Director of CIM provides exactly the right complement to Frank and me," said Nina Seavey, co-director of CIM. "She offers a strong theoretical base to our more practical approach to future media landscapes and therefore the research element of the Center will be greatly enhanced by her presence."

Dr. Harvey's on-going exploration of the Internet, social media, and related technologies as a new kind of social presence within the political landscape and as an influence on the development of cultural identity will establish a new CIM research initiative. Her recent work developing effective story-telling techniques for very small screen media, cell phone film-making, and adapting face-to-face drama for conflict mediation methods for use in virtual media environments are especially exciting additions to the CIM agenda. Dr. Harvey is also a working playwright and screenwriter.

Based at the George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs (SMPA), CIM uses teaching, practice and interactive symposia to challenge creativity, inspire technological innovation and provoke debate across the landscape of media platforms, serving as a green house for new initiatives in documentary filmmaking and public affairs programming. CIM houses GW's Documentary Center and Planet Forward.

The School of Media and Public Affairs is dedicated to the rigorous study of journalism and political communication with a focus on understanding the impact media have on how societies inform and govern, connect and communicate. As media undergo transformational change, SMPA's goal is to advance both theoretical insight and innovative practice. SMPA conducts ground-breaking research, offers inspiring teaching, encourages hands-on work in the field and in our production facilities and engages directly with thought-leaders in Washington, D.C., and around the world.

- GW -