Media Studies and Production Department at Temple U

10/09/2026

10/07/2026

Hey MSP Students! 📣

Volunteer at the 6abc Thanksgiving Day Parade!

Help bring Philadelphia’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to life with 6abc’s Talent and Logistics team! You can sign up even if you missed the information session. Spots are limited, so act quickly.

Volunteers must be available Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, November 26, and attend a mandatory pre-production meeting on Monday, November 23, at 6abc studios on City Avenue. Parade-day arrival times vary by assignment. Participants will receive $50 to help cover transportation and other expenses.

Complete the volunteer form. Please sign up only if you can meet both commitments:

https://airtable.com/appIH2ZZkZQoiB1pA/pagOqrDGP5IajOPbZ/form

10/07/2026

Congratulations to Media Studies and Production Professor of Instruction Sherri Hope Culver for winning the Storytelling & Spoken Word Fringie Award for her one-woman show Happy Camper at this year's FringeArts!

The Fringies celebrate audience-voted fan favorites from the Philadelphia Fringe Festival! 🎉

09/23/2026

TUTV Multimedia Producer Chelsea Scruggs has been named one of Lincoln University’s 2026 “40 Under 40” honorees. The recognition celebrates her professional accomplishments, leadership and commitment to mentoring the next generation of media professionals.

At TUTV, Scruggs helps students develop original programming, navigate production challenges, strengthen their portfolios and prepare for careers in the industry.

Read Chelsea’s story:

https://klein.temple.edu/news/2026/09/tutv-multimedia-producer-chelsea-scruggs-named-lincoln-university-2026-40-under-40-honoree

09/23/2026

Media Studies and Production professor Patrick Murphy edited a special issue of Journalism and Media examining how media and journalism shape our understanding of environmental issues. The 11-article collection includes former Klein College professor Brian Creech’s work on AI data center growth in Pennsylvania.

Read the special issue here:

https://www.mdpi.com/journal/journalmedia/special_issues/CLK1ZW2V7R

09/23/2026

Dr. Adrienne Shaw and Dr. Ari Gass (Drexel) have co-curated part of an exhibit at Drexel University's Pearlstein Gallery, Escape>Control>Play. Their section titled "Q***r Games >> Histories + Futures" explores the past, present, and future of LGBTQ+ representation and community building in video games and contextualizes the conversation within the larger political landscape of The United States.

The exhibit opens with a reception on October 15th, 5-7:30, and Drs. Shaw and Gass will host an event related to their section called "Q***r Games, Platform Censorship, and Alternative Distribution: A Community Q&A with Priro.Pro, Indiepocalypse, and Two-Headed Boy" on December 4, 6-8pm.

More details here:

https://drexel.edu/pearlsteingallery/exhibitions-events/upcoming-exhibitions/

09/23/2026

Former long-time MSP Professor has written and directed an art-experimental film! “Dark Skies, Hot Planet, Cool Gaze" (2025, 91 minutes) was selected for the SCINEMA Science Film Festival in Australia, where it won Honorable Mention (2nd Place) for Experimental Film.

Earlier this year, the film was awarded “Best Futuristic Film” at the World Film Festival in Cannes, a festival for true independent films. In Fall 2025, the film also won Honorable Mention (2nd Place) for Documentary at the Barcelona Planet Film Festival.

The film is still under consideration at other festivals.

About the film: An existential road trip for our time -- as humanity accelerates into the sixth mass extinction event on Planet Earth. Set near the border of Far West Texas and Northern Mexico, this is a journey into a cautionary, yet hopeful vision of the future for the human species. This meditative film counters the infinite scroll on tiny screens with the endless drive on narrow highways in the Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve, the largest international dark sky reserve on Earth.

Pro-Tip: AI and Tech Bros Ain’t Gonna Save Us.

More info and images can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/barryvackerart/

Dr. Vacker is also contributing to a new Land Art project, assisting artist Catherine Langley with construction of “The Pleiades” — a large Land Art installation created at the University of New Mexico-Taos. In addition to helping build the spheres, Vacker will be making a short art film about the meaning of the project, which involves eight large adobe spheres, coated in a blue-white finish to mirror the relative size and location of the eight stars of the Pleiades constellation. The spheres will range from 3-6 feet tall and will be spread across a sagebrush desert landscape adjacent to the campus.

09/07/2026

MSP faculty member and director of our Certificate in Children's Media

09/04/2026

"My More Beautiful Ghost," an autobiographical documentary by Associate Professor of Instruction Kristine Trever, continues to earn recognition on the national film festival circuit. 👻 🎞️ 📽️

The film explores Weatherston’s experience living with chronic illness and disability. Read more about her story and the film here:

https://klein.temple.edu/news/2026/08/klein-professors-documentary-earns-recognition-national-film-festival-circuit

09/04/2026

TUTV is launching a new show! 📢 📹 🤳

"Temple Unscripted" is a long-form interview series featuring university leaders, alumni, and community changemakers.

Learn more about it here:

https://templetv.net/2026/07/07/temple-unscripted/