Alisa Perren
Alisa Perren is a professor in the Department of Radio-TV-Film and Director of the Center for Entertainment and Media Industries at The University of Texas at Austin. Her research and teaching interests include media industry studies, television studies, and US film and television history.
Dr. Perren is co-editor of Media Industries: History, Theory, and Method (2009), author of Indie, Inc.: Miramax and the Transformation of Hollywood in the 1990s (2012), and co-author of The American Comic Book Industry and Hollywood (2021, with Gregory Steirer). Her work has appeared in a range of publications, including Film Quarterly, Journal of Film and Video, Journal of Popular Film & Television, Television & New Media, Cinema Journal, and The Routledge Companion to Media Industries.
Perren co-founded and previously served as co-managing editor for the online, peer-reviewed, open-access journal, Media Industries, from 2012 to 2017. She continues to be a member of the Media Industries editorial collective. In addition, from 2010 to 2013, she was Coordinating Editor for In Media Res, an online project experimenting with collaborative, multi-modal forms of scholarship. Presently, she is the organizer of Media Industry Conversations, a speaker series through which industry professionals discuss today’s evolving media landscape. She has also served as a media industry consultant and speaker on topics such as changing work conditions and shifts in streaming distribution practices.
Phone: 512.471.1524
Dr. Perren is co-editor of Media Industries: History, Theory, and Method (2009), author of Indie, Inc.: Miramax and the Transformation of Hollywood in the 1990s (2012), and co-author of The American Comic Book Industry and Hollywood (2021, with Gregory Steirer). Her work has appeared in a range of publications, including Film Quarterly, Journal of Film and Video, Journal of Popular Film & Television, Television & New Media, Cinema Journal, and The Routledge Companion to Media Industries.
Perren co-founded and previously served as co-managing editor for the online, peer-reviewed, open-access journal, Media Industries, from 2012 to 2017. She continues to be a member of the Media Industries editorial collective. In addition, from 2010 to 2013, she was Coordinating Editor for In Media Res, an online project experimenting with collaborative, multi-modal forms of scholarship. Presently, she is the organizer of Media Industry Conversations, a speaker series through which industry professionals discuss today’s evolving media landscape. She has also served as a media industry consultant and speaker on topics such as changing work conditions and shifts in streaming distribution practices.
Phone: 512.471.1524
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Books by Alisa Perren
Perren and Steirer illustrate how the American comic book industry simultaneously has functioned throughout the first two decades of the twenty-first century as a relatively self-contained business characterized by its own organizational structures, business models, managerial discourses, production cultures, and professional identities even as it has remained dependent on Hollywood for revenue from IP licensing. The authors' expansive view of the industry includes not only a discussion of the “Big Two,” Marvel/Disney and DC Comics/Time Warner, but also a survey of the larger comics ecosystem. Other key industry players, including independent publishers BOOM! Studios, IDW, and Image, digital distributor ComiXology, and management-production company Circle of Confusion, all receive attention. Drawing from interviews, fieldwork, archival research, and trade analysis, The American Comic Book Industry and Hollywood provides a road map to understanding the operations of the comic book industry while also offering new models for undertaking trans- and inter-industrial analysis.
Bringing together newly commissioned essays by leading scholars in film, media, communication, sociology and cultural studies, MEDIA INDUSTRIES constructs a unique road map for industrial analysis of film, radio, television, advertising and new media. Collectively, these 21 essays provide a crucial resource for those encountering the study of the media industries for the first time as well as for those interested in conducting cutting-edge research in this burgeoning field. Rich explanations of key terms and foundational ideas vividly illustrate the dynamic transformations taking place across varied national, regional and international contexts.
MEDIA INDUSTRIES is divided into four sections: History, Theory, Methodologies and Models, and Future Visions. Case studies on such diverse topics as the relationship between ESPN and hip-hop culture, the historical interactions of Hollywood and Washington, the shifting power relations between online fans and media producers, the growth of regional media archives, and multi-national production and distribution ventures across Latin America ground the broader concepts of each section. Taken together, the work in this collection marks a crucial step in expanding discussions of the media industries across numerous disciplines in the humanities and social sciences while also helping to bridge the gap between the industry and the academy.
Introduction: Does the World Really Need One More Field of Study?: Jennifer Holt and Alisa Perren.
Part I: History.
Editors’ Introduction.
1. Nailing Mercury: The Problem of Media Industry Historiography: Michele Hilmes.
2. Manufacturing Heritage: The Moving Image Archive and Media Industry Studies: Caroline Frick.
3. Film Industry Studies and Hollywood History: Thomas Schatz.
4. Historicizing TV Networking: Broadcasting, Cable, and the Case of ESPN: Victoria E. Johnson.
5. From Sponsorship to Spots: Advertising and the Development of Electronic Media: Cynthia B. Meyers.
6. New Media as Transformed Media Industry: P. David Marshall.
Part II: Theory.
Editors’ Introduction.
7. Media Industries, Political Economy, and Media/Cultural Studies: An Articulation: Douglas Kellner.
8. Thinking Globally: From Media Imperialism to Media Capital: Michael Curtin.
9. Thinking Regionally: Singular in Diversity and Diverse in Unity: Cristina Venegas.
10. Thinking Nationally: Domicile, Distinction, and Dysfunction in Global Media Exchange: Nitin Govil.
11. Convergence Culture and Media Work: Mark Deuze.
Part III: Methodologies and Models.
Editors’ Introduction.
12. Media Economics and the Study of Media Industries: Philip M. Napoli.
13. Regulation and the Law: A Critical Cultural Citizenship Approach: John McMurria.
14. Can Natural Luddites Make Things Explode or Travel Faster? The New Humanities, Cultural Policy Studies, and Creative Industries: Toby Miller.
15. Cultures of Production: Studying Industry’s Deep Texts, Reflexive Rituals, and Managed Self-Disclosures: John Thornton Caldwell.
16. The Moral Economy of Web 2.0: Audience Research and Convergence Culture: Joshua Green and Henry Jenkins.
Part IV: The Future: Four Visions.
Editors’ Introduction.
17. From the Consciousness Industry to the Creative Industries: Consumer-Created Content, Social Network Markets, and the Growth of Knowledge: John Hartley.
18. Politics, Theory, and Method in Media Industries Research: David Hesmondhalgh.
19. An Industry Perspective: Calibrating the Velocity of Change: Jordan Levin.
20. Toward Synthetic Media Industry Research: Horace Newcomb.
Case studies of key films, including The Piano, Kids, Scream, The English Patient, and Life Is Beautiful, reveal how Miramax went beyond influencing Hollywood business practices and motion picture aesthetics to shaping popular and critical discourses about cinema during the 1990s. Indie, Inc. does what other books about contemporary low-budget cinema have not—it transcends discussions of “American indies” to look at the range of Miramax-released genre films, foreign-language films, and English-language imports released over the course of the decade. The book illustrates that what both the press and scholars have typically represented as the “rise of the American independent” was in fact part of a larger reconfiguration of the media industries toward niche-oriented products.
Papers by Alisa Perren
expresses themes central to his larger body of work and serves as a groundbreaking study of American television, authorship, and industry in its own right. In addition, they illustrate key ways that the book might inspire contemporary investigations into convergent-era television.
Perren and Steirer illustrate how the American comic book industry simultaneously has functioned throughout the first two decades of the twenty-first century as a relatively self-contained business characterized by its own organizational structures, business models, managerial discourses, production cultures, and professional identities even as it has remained dependent on Hollywood for revenue from IP licensing. The authors' expansive view of the industry includes not only a discussion of the “Big Two,” Marvel/Disney and DC Comics/Time Warner, but also a survey of the larger comics ecosystem. Other key industry players, including independent publishers BOOM! Studios, IDW, and Image, digital distributor ComiXology, and management-production company Circle of Confusion, all receive attention. Drawing from interviews, fieldwork, archival research, and trade analysis, The American Comic Book Industry and Hollywood provides a road map to understanding the operations of the comic book industry while also offering new models for undertaking trans- and inter-industrial analysis.
Bringing together newly commissioned essays by leading scholars in film, media, communication, sociology and cultural studies, MEDIA INDUSTRIES constructs a unique road map for industrial analysis of film, radio, television, advertising and new media. Collectively, these 21 essays provide a crucial resource for those encountering the study of the media industries for the first time as well as for those interested in conducting cutting-edge research in this burgeoning field. Rich explanations of key terms and foundational ideas vividly illustrate the dynamic transformations taking place across varied national, regional and international contexts.
MEDIA INDUSTRIES is divided into four sections: History, Theory, Methodologies and Models, and Future Visions. Case studies on such diverse topics as the relationship between ESPN and hip-hop culture, the historical interactions of Hollywood and Washington, the shifting power relations between online fans and media producers, the growth of regional media archives, and multi-national production and distribution ventures across Latin America ground the broader concepts of each section. Taken together, the work in this collection marks a crucial step in expanding discussions of the media industries across numerous disciplines in the humanities and social sciences while also helping to bridge the gap between the industry and the academy.
Introduction: Does the World Really Need One More Field of Study?: Jennifer Holt and Alisa Perren.
Part I: History.
Editors’ Introduction.
1. Nailing Mercury: The Problem of Media Industry Historiography: Michele Hilmes.
2. Manufacturing Heritage: The Moving Image Archive and Media Industry Studies: Caroline Frick.
3. Film Industry Studies and Hollywood History: Thomas Schatz.
4. Historicizing TV Networking: Broadcasting, Cable, and the Case of ESPN: Victoria E. Johnson.
5. From Sponsorship to Spots: Advertising and the Development of Electronic Media: Cynthia B. Meyers.
6. New Media as Transformed Media Industry: P. David Marshall.
Part II: Theory.
Editors’ Introduction.
7. Media Industries, Political Economy, and Media/Cultural Studies: An Articulation: Douglas Kellner.
8. Thinking Globally: From Media Imperialism to Media Capital: Michael Curtin.
9. Thinking Regionally: Singular in Diversity and Diverse in Unity: Cristina Venegas.
10. Thinking Nationally: Domicile, Distinction, and Dysfunction in Global Media Exchange: Nitin Govil.
11. Convergence Culture and Media Work: Mark Deuze.
Part III: Methodologies and Models.
Editors’ Introduction.
12. Media Economics and the Study of Media Industries: Philip M. Napoli.
13. Regulation and the Law: A Critical Cultural Citizenship Approach: John McMurria.
14. Can Natural Luddites Make Things Explode or Travel Faster? The New Humanities, Cultural Policy Studies, and Creative Industries: Toby Miller.
15. Cultures of Production: Studying Industry’s Deep Texts, Reflexive Rituals, and Managed Self-Disclosures: John Thornton Caldwell.
16. The Moral Economy of Web 2.0: Audience Research and Convergence Culture: Joshua Green and Henry Jenkins.
Part IV: The Future: Four Visions.
Editors’ Introduction.
17. From the Consciousness Industry to the Creative Industries: Consumer-Created Content, Social Network Markets, and the Growth of Knowledge: John Hartley.
18. Politics, Theory, and Method in Media Industries Research: David Hesmondhalgh.
19. An Industry Perspective: Calibrating the Velocity of Change: Jordan Levin.
20. Toward Synthetic Media Industry Research: Horace Newcomb.
Case studies of key films, including The Piano, Kids, Scream, The English Patient, and Life Is Beautiful, reveal how Miramax went beyond influencing Hollywood business practices and motion picture aesthetics to shaping popular and critical discourses about cinema during the 1990s. Indie, Inc. does what other books about contemporary low-budget cinema have not—it transcends discussions of “American indies” to look at the range of Miramax-released genre films, foreign-language films, and English-language imports released over the course of the decade. The book illustrates that what both the press and scholars have typically represented as the “rise of the American independent” was in fact part of a larger reconfiguration of the media industries toward niche-oriented products.
expresses themes central to his larger body of work and serves as a groundbreaking study of American television, authorship, and industry in its own right. In addition, they illustrate key ways that the book might inspire contemporary investigations into convergent-era television.
Second, we will look at the range of qualitative methods that have been employed to research the media industries. In the process, we will read several case studies that provide applications of each of these approaches.
Third, we will explore the evolving field of media industry studies. This field, which incorporates work in film, media, communication, sociology, anthropology, science and technology studies, and cultural studies, argues for the importance of integrating analysis of media structures with consideration of cultural and textual matters. Although our readings will focus most heavily on filmed entertainment from Hollywood, students are welcome to research such areas as video games, music, comic books, publishing, and radio in their final projects. Further, students are encouraged to apply the theoretical and methodological frameworks surveyed in class to other local, regional, and national contexts.
This course provides an introduction to key methodological approaches used by media studies scholars. There are four primary objectives to the course: First, we will address the considerations involved in developing and designing research projects, addressing potential ethical, political, and logistical challenges involved in conducting different types of research. Second, we will survey several qualitative research methods employed by media studies scholars including historiography, discourse analysis, genre studies, ethnography, interviewing, and more. We will assess how such methods can be employed in the study of media industries, texts, and audiences. Students will be asked to undertake a series of assignments through which they apply and critique various methodologies as well as workshop ideas about possible projects they might undertake. Third, we will engage in a number of question-and-answer sessions about methodology and research strategies with a variety of scholars, including several RTF faculty members. In addition, we will read several different examples of the breadth of work produced in RTF. Fourth, students will be asked to build on our semester-long survey of methodological challenges, concerns, and practices by developing their own research proposals. Such proposals can serve as the starting point for thesis and dissertation projects.
Objectives and Outcomes: By the end of this semester, students should be able to…
• Survey several main methodological approaches used in media studies;
• Discuss, critique, and apply various media studies methods;
• Appreciate the breadth of scholarship produced by RTF faculty members and students;
• Develop a thesis or dissertation proposal employing some of the methodologies addressed over the course of the semester.
Objectives and outcomes: By the end of the course you should be able to…
• Assess how and why TV developed as it did at specific historical moments;
• Analyze television as a cultural and social force;
• Appreciate how previous regulatory, industrial, and creative decisions continue to impact the structure and content of contemporary television;
• Understand and critique the different ways that scholars research and write about television history.
In this course, television’s formal traits, as well as its rapidly changing cultural, social, political, and industrial position, will be explored. Over the course of the semester, we will examine a range of U.S. television programs through different critical lenses such as style, genre, and narrative. In addition to this examination of television texts, we will analyze its larger TV’s industrial context, as well as production and reception practices. We will also consider the ways that TV presently is being transformed as it is converging with other digital technologies. Students will learn the fundamentals of TV analysis and then be asked to relate these analyses to screenings. Come prepared to engage – and debate – complex ideas and sophisticated arguments.
Three main objectives will guide us throughout the semester: First, we will survey the history of the media industries and of media industries-related scholarship. Using Hollywood’s film and television operations as our primary objects of analysis, but referring to other contexts throughout, we will consider key ways that regulatory and technological shifts, along with growing impulses toward globalization, have intersected with industrial changes.
Second, we will look at the range of qualitative methods that have been employed to research the media industries. In the process, we will read several case studies that provide applications of each of these approaches.
Third, we will explore the evolving field of media industry studies. This field, which incorporates work in film, media, communication, sociology, anthropology, and cultural studies, argues for the importance of integrating analysis of media structures with consideration of cultural and textual matters. Although our readings will focus most heavily on filmed entertainment from Hollywood, students are encouraged to research such areas as video games, music, comic books, publishing, and radio in their final projects. Further, students are encouraged to apply the theoretical and methodological frameworks surveyed in class to other local, regional, and national contexts.