raphael rosalen is a brazilian award-winning polymath, of the USC Sydney Harman Academy for Polymathic Study.

rosalen is a writer and scholar of digital media and celebrity culture, as well as a multimedia artist and producer. he holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in cinema and media studies from the University of Southern California (USC). raphael has worked extensively at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences building a database for inclusive film research. he’s also worked at the Museum of Modern Art’s (MoMA) film department and the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.

his ongoing scholarly work has primarily focused on youtubers and other digital media celebrities, thinking about the affective strategies of authenticity, specifically in the genre of apology videos. he is currently pursuing a phd in film and media studies at UC Irvine, where he has done research on the emergence of computer-generated avatars who engage as celebrity on digital platforms, blurring the line between the physical world and the digital. his upcoming dissertation will historicize early youtube content as a crucial artistic movement in establishing today’s predominantly digital visual language and “influencing” market.

as of november 2022, raphael is the managing editor at the leading journal in the field, JCMS: Journal of Cinema and Media Studies. see list of published issues below.

education:

Ph.D. in Film and Media Studies, University of California, Irvine, 2021 – present

M.A. in Cinema and Media Studies, University of Southern California, 2020

B.A. in Cinema and Media Studies, University of Southern California, 2018

linkedin (link)

JCMS issues edited:

volume 62, issue 4, summer 2023

volume 63, issue 1, fall 2023

volume 63, issue 2, winter 2024

volume 63, issue 3, spring 2024

volume 63, issue 4, summer 2024

volume 63, issue 5, 2023-2024 (open access)