My Story

I grew up in a suburb of Philadelphia and later moved to Castle Rock, CO where I spent my years as a teenager. I was always a creative person, my interests varied from photography, to writing, to music, to video production, and in my younger years I spent a lot of time developing skills in each of these arenas. Before finishing college I began working for one of my uncle's video production companies and worked on a wide variety of video projections. After learning the craft and beginning my own freelance business I became the senior video editor of my college newsroom The Met Report and learned a lot about the field of journalism. I went on to work on a number of short-form and two long-form documentary films.

At the same time I developed my skills in production, I found the discipline of Anthropology and ultimately followed a path that lead to a graduate degree from Portland State University. My research surrounded the intersections of media and culture and included the documentary film, Unbound: The Story of the Romero Theater Troupe. As an anthropologist, I've worked with a wide variety of communities including Native American tribes. After finishing my Master's degree I began teaching at CU Denver, Metro State University of Denver, and Portland State University as part-time faculty where I developed two original courses and redesigned a number of others to focus on project-based learning.

In 2018 I began another journey as an author publishing books, essays, and articles. I've written and published six books, several articles, and short stories. One of these books I co-wrote with another Anthropologist is titled Build Better Worlds: An Introduction to Anthropology for Game Designers, Fiction Writers, and Filmmakers, and helps content creators navigate the process of building a fictional world using social science. Creating educational content is what drives me, it's one of my greatest passions because I believe that sharing knowledge and stories are how we change things for the better.

Core Skills & Experiences

An M.S. in applied anthropology with a focus on media and qualitative research
9 years teaching at a university level with classes including: Cultural Diversity in the Modern World (Redesigned this course), Cross-Cultural Communication, Vanishing Cultures (on Indigenous People), Visual And Media Anthropology (Designed This Course), Intro To Cultural Anthropology, Anthropology Through Science Fiction (Designed This Course), The Cultural of Globalization and Economic Development (Graduate Level Course)
Extensive knowledge of LMS software such as Canvas, D2L, and Blackboard
18 Years of freelance media experience in video and photography
Senior video editor of my student newsroom as well as more than a dozen articles published in the Denver Post
Creation of an innovative and unique textbook titled Build Better Worlds: An Introduction to Anthropology for Game Designers, Fiction Writers, and Filmmakers
Creation of an educational YouTube series and podcast on anthropology for the general public
Publication of 4 science fiction novels (one award-winning), multiple short stories, and podcasts
Gave a Ted Talk titled: Anthropology, Our Imagination, and How to Understand Difference
Gave a Talk to US Steel titled: A Diversity of Talent in AAPI Heritage and Contributions to Western Society
Field supervisor on a summer educational student internship program on Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation
Various qualitative research projects in sites such as Nueve Leon, Mexico, Nellis Airforce Base in Nevada with 17 Native American Tribes, in Denver, Colorado, and Portland Oregon.
Creation of educational and promotional video content for non-profit organizations such as the Nuba Water Project, The Language Hunters, The Romero Theater Troupe, the Auraria Library, The Catholic Church, and The University of Colorado at Anschutz
Interview transcription and content analysis
Experience training individuals in qualitative research, creative writing, and video production
Literature review
Corporate consulting on post-pandemic cultural changes
Excellent interpersonal skills
Public speaking and science communication
Planned 5 academic conferences and presented and participated in dozens more