In this episode we talked to Caty Borum Chatoo, Director of the Center for Media & Social Impact (CMSI) and Executive in Residence at the American University School of Communication in Washington, D.C. Before academia, she ranged from working with Norman Lear to producing documentaries. She collaborated with comedian Hasan Minhaj on the documentary, Standup Planet, identifying comedians in the Global South who tackled serious social justice issues, including global poverty. Comedians and act...
Feb 06, 2019•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 28
In our third and final installment of the need for critics of color, Eric Deggans, NPR's first full-time TV critic and author of Race Baiter: How the Media Wields Dangerous Words to Divide a Nation, talks to Henry and Colin about his longtime trajectory in radio and print media. Our guest speaks about how his first encounter with white culture was through radio, and asserts that "podcasting is radio for young people" now. When starting he thought, how can we talk about culture in a unique way, o...
Dec 03, 2018•57 min•Ep. 27
This week we continue with the second installment of our conversation about critics of color. Colin and Henry talk to Carolina Miranda, a writer and art critic at the LA Times, and Elizabeth Mendez Berry, Director of Voice, Creativity and Culture at the Nathan Cummings Foundation. Both critics came from a background of studying social movements and politics, but realized they could make a living as critics of art and music. We discuss that as a critic of color, you understand not to pigeonhole a...
Nov 28, 2018•51 min•Ep. 26
Today is our first of three episodes [exploring why we all need] critics of color. Colin talks to Jeff Yang, an American writer, journalist, and business/media consultant who has written for The Wall Street Journal and CNN, and, Mauricio Mota, a producer of East Los High, an award-winning [Hulu] drama series that has earned five Emmy nominations for its realistic portrayal of Latinx high school students. We talk about the gatekeeping responsibility and power of the few critics of color when they...
Nov 15, 2018•55 min•Ep. 25
To continue our thread on rumours and conspiracy theories, this week Colin discussed the 80th anniversary of the The War of the Worlds broadcast on CBS radio with media historian Nick Cull. Orson Welles' infamous radio drama showed the power of news media to convince populations about a fake event, but it also highlighted the rumours surrounding the broadcast: not everyone thought it was aliens invading, but Nazis, the Japanese etc. Cull explains how rumours reflect the underliying social and po...
Nov 07, 2018•52 min•Ep. 24
Why are younger people more likely to protest, and less likely to vote? This week, Henry talks with Naja Nielsen from Orb Media. They discuss how youth feels about their relationship with traditional politics, their tendency to focus on issues and not parties, and how they can often feel unwanted in current political systems. Nielsen also walks us through the shift - or need - to look at issues in a global perspective, and how news media can and should reflect it. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ...
Oct 29, 2018•51 min•Ep. 23
This week we talked about conspiracy theories with Wu Ming, the collective, whose books inspired one the main conspiracy theorists on the internet, and Benjamen Walker, whose podcast often focuses on conspiracy theories. We cover: The art of blurring fact and fiction, and non-fiction, discrediting gatekeepers, can we ever really debunk, the role of satire, the hunger for complexity, pizzagate, the “deep state,” QAnon, and of course, president Trump. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Share your thou...
Oct 17, 2018•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 22
This week we explore the role of comedy in civic participation within the Indian context. Rohan Joshi is part of the sketch comedy group All India Backhod, which tackles political and social issues on their YouTube channel. A notable example was their viral video “It’s your fault” that dealt with the issue of rape, focusing on the irony of victim-blaming. Joshi recently spoke at the "The Past, Present and Future of Civic Entertainment in India" a day-long event in Mumbai. We bring you some of hi...
Oct 08, 2018•37 min•Ep. 21
In this episode, we get the chance to talk to Anushka Shah, who works as a researcher at the Center for Civic Media, MIT Media Lab. More recently, she has started a project called Civic Entertainment that explores the intersection of civic engagement with television, radio, and digital entertainment and film. This project researches the media effects of fiction on thought and behavior change, and explores how methods of social change available to citizens can be best represented in entertainment...
Sep 29, 2018•38 min•Ep. 20
Henry is currently a visiting scholar at the Library of Congress in Washington DC, where he had the chance to speak about space with Margaret Weitekamp, curator of Space History department or the Smithsonian Air and Space museum. She curates the museum's social and cultural dimensions of spaceflight collection, which has more than 4,000 artifacts that include space memorabilia and space science fiction objects. We talked about the relationship of imaginaries of science fiction with those of spac...
Sep 22, 2018•48 min•Ep. 19
This week Henry Jenkins talks to Diane Winston, professor of Communication and Journalism at USC, about religion and reality television. Are young people getting how to live their lives from reality TV? Contrary of reality TV as being a guilty pleasure, Winston's latest book talks about reality TV as the "the lived religion of late capitalism". Reality television tells stories that people feel identified with, or see as cautionary tales. We talk about Survivor's latest season, (survival of the f...
Sep 14, 2018•43 min•Ep. 18
Our podcast returns after its summer hiatus with an episode focused on science fiction as a way of understanding and re-imagining the world. We reassembled a panel of science fiction scholars fresh from the World Science Fiction Convention (in San Jose) and eager to dig deeper into the history of the genre, its social and political impact, and in particular, the forms of thought which were enabled and sustained by the emergence of speculative fiction. Our guests are: Michael Saler, author of As ...
Sep 09, 2018•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 17
Critic Maureen Ryan, showrunner Emily Andras and professor Louisa Stein discuss GLBT representation on TV and the tricky relationship between fans and showrunners. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Share your thoughts via Twitter with Henry , Colin and the How Do You Like It So Far? account! You can also email us at [email protected] . Music: “In Time” by Dylan Emmett and “Spaceship” by Lesion X. In Time (Instrumental) by Dylan Emmet https://soundcloud.com/dylanemmet Spaceship by...
Jun 02, 2018•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 16
'How do you like it so far?' producer Andrea Alarcon and Annenberg Doctoral Candidate Rogelio Alejandro Lopez take over this week's episode for a trip to the Define American Film Festival in Chicago to host Defining the American of 2060 . The pair talk to poet Yosimar Reyes and organizer Erika Andiola about identity, representation and political obstacles in the undocumented community. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Share your thoughts via Twitter with Henry , Colin and the How Do You Like It So...
May 29, 2018•52 min•Ep. 15
USC professors Hye Jin Lee and Cristina Visperas join Colin and Henry to deliver a crash course on global K-pop fandoms. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Share your thoughts via Twitter with Henry , Colin and the How Do You Like It So Far? account! You can also email us at [email protected] . Music: “In Time” by Dylan Emmett and “Spaceship” by Lesion X. In Time (Instrumental) by Dylan Emmet https://soundcloud.com/dylanemmet Spaceship by Lesion X https://soundcloud.com/lesionxbea...
May 19, 2018•54 min•Ep. 14
University of California, Irvine professors Katie Salen Tekinbaş and Kurt Squire discuss Ready Player One and Game Based Learning. Bios: Professor Katie Salen Tekinbaş works at the intersection of games, design and learning, bridging the gap between academia and industry to create practical, real-world platforms that better educate and empower the next generation. Professor Kurt Squire is fascinated by the potential computer games have for enriching young minds. Squire is determined to remove ba...
May 13, 2018•48 min•Ep. 13
Ann Pendleton-Jullian joins Henry and Colin for a wide-ranging discussion about worldbuilding, followed by a reflection from Henry and Colin. Bio: Ann Pendleton-Jullian is an architect, writer, and educator whose work explores the interchange between culture, environment, and technology. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Share your thoughts via Twitter with Henry , Colin and the How Do You Like It So Far? account! You can also email us at [email protected] . Music: “In Time” by D...
May 04, 2018•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 12
Alex McDowell joins Henry to discuss "Ready Player One," production design for Steven Spielberg films, and world building. Bio: Alex McDowell RDI is an award-winning designer and storyteller working at the intersection of emergent technologies and experiential media. McDowell was a production designer with 30 years experience in feature films, working with directors David Fincher, Steven Spielberg, Terry Gilliam and Anthony Minghelia amongst others. He was the production designer for Fear and Lo...
Apr 27, 2018•1 hr•Ep. 11
Fresh off an afternoon viewing of “Ready Player One,” Colin and Nonny De La Peña discuss virtual reality and the implications of emerging technology on the future of storytelling. Note: This episode takes our usual "informal conversation" a step further with an out-of-studio recording setup. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Share your thoughts via Twitter with Henry , Colin and the How Do You Like It So Far? account! You can also email us at [email protected] . Music: “In Time” ...
Apr 20, 2018•45 min•Ep. 10
Nick Cull, professor of Public Diplomacy and founding director of the Master of Public Diplomacy program at USC, joins Colin to discuss what mainstream media properties like Black Panther or Titanic say about society. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Share your thoughts via Twitter with Henry , Colin and the How Do You Like It So Far? account! You can also email us at [email protected] . Music: “In Time” by Dylan Emmett and “Spaceship” by Lesion X. In Time (Instrumental) by Dyla...
Apr 13, 2018•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 9
Manouchka Labouba, a Gabonese filmmaker and USC doctoral fellow in Cinema and Media Studies, discusses the Black Panther and how technology has changed cinematic culture in African nations. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Share your thoughts via Twitter with Henry , Colin and the How Do You Like It So Far? account! You can also email us at [email protected] . Music: “In Time” by Dylan Emmett and “Spaceship” by Lesion X. In Time (Instrumental) by Dylan Emmet https://soundcloud.c...
Apr 06, 2018•59 min•Ep. 8
This week, Colin and Henry discuss current events on each of their minds, including the March For Our Lives and the U.S. Census. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Share your thoughts via Twitter with Henry , Colin and the How Do You Like It So Far? account! You can also email us at [email protected] . Music: “In Time” by Dylan Emmett and “Spaceship” by Lesion X. In Time (Instrumental) by Dylan Emmet https://soundcloud.com/dylanemmet Spaceship by Lesion X https://soundcloud.com/le...
Apr 01, 2018•37 min•Ep. 7
Define American's Julian Gomez joins Henry and Colin to discuss how Black Panther and other popular stories can be used to empower fan activism. Afterward, Henry and Colin have an in-depth discussion about participatory culture and civic engagement. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Share your thoughts via Twitter with Henry , Colin and the How Do You Like It So Far? account! You can also email us at [email protected] . Music: “In Time” by Dylan Emmett and “Spaceship” by Lesion X...
Mar 23, 2018•54 min•Ep. 6
Guests Ramzi Fawaz, assistant professor of English at University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Rebecca Wanzo, associate professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, discuss Black Panther, representation and Marvel's history. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Share your thoughts via Twitter with Henry , Colin and the How Do You Like It So Far? account! You can also email us at [email protected] . Music: “In Time” by Dylan Emmett and “Spacesh...
Mar 16, 2018•40 min•Ep. 5
This week, Colin and I sat down to talk together about why we were making this podcast, what we hope to accomplish, how we understand the current media environment, and yes, how we like it so far. Check it out. Next week, we begin a series of interviews around Black Panther. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Share your thoughts via Twitter with Henry , Colin and the How Do You Like It So Far? account! You can also email us at [email protected] . Music: “In Time” by Dylan Emmett a...
Mar 09, 2018•45 min•Ep. 4
The news media has had much to say in the past few months about the ways Star Wars fans have responded to this The Last Jedi. Much of this reporting has depicted Star Wars fans in a monolithic terms -- mostly focusing on the response of white male fans, who, as many have noted, dominate media coverage in an age where geek culture has been mainstreamed. Our two guests this week challenge that construction: William Proctor from the World Star Wars Project because he feels that journalists have mis...
Mar 01, 2018•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 3
More responses to The Last Jedi. This time, we check in with Jeff Gomez from Starlight Runner, a leading figure in the world of transmedia storytelling. Gomez has been running a series of blog posts which explore the emergence of what he calls "The Collective Journey" as a new storytelling structure at work in contemporary popular media, a story structure which he sees exemplified by, for example, Game of Thrones. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Share your thoughts via Twitter with Henry , Colin ...
Feb 23, 2018•45 min•Ep. 2
So, in the first cluster of episodes, we are turning out attention onto The Last Jedi, which we are coming at from multiple angles. The first episode, which you can access here, is an interview with Ahmed Best, the actor who played the part of Jar Jar Binks in the Star Wars prequels, perhaps one of the most hated characters in the franchise. But Best could not be a nicer or more thoughtful guy, and he’s spent much of the past decade plus digging deeper into issues of inclusion and representation...
Feb 16, 2018•52 min•Ep. 1
