Quite clearly, the television industry is vital to Los Angeles’ culture and economy. And it is equally clear that the way in which television programming is produced, distributed and consumed is changing as technology advances. But that’s only part of what is transforming the future of television. 

Julia Himberg, director of ASU Film and Media Studies, will offer an introduction to a discussion moderated by ASU Assistant Professor Aviva Dove-Viebahn with a diverse range of TV industry practitioners including:

• Courtney Hoffman, film/television director/writer/costume designer. Credits include: "The Good Time Girls," "The Sisters of Scott County" (in-development) and "Buffalo County," co-written with playwright Larissa FastHorse
• Fanshen Cox, co-founder, Inclusion Rider and President, TruJuLo Productions. Credits include: "One Drop of Love," "Closet Space," "The Mentalist."
• Peter Murrieta is the recipient of the Imagen Foundation’s Norman Lear Writer’s Award and Deputy Director at The Sidney Poitier New American Film School, is a multiple Emmy-Winner known for award-winning series like Netflix’s "Mr. Iglesias" and Disney’s "Wizards of Waverly Place," which notably launched the career of global superstar, Selena Gomez.

We will explore the industry’s possibilities, responsibilities and obligations in a moment of pivotal change, centering on how television is responding to pressures from the #MeToo movement, calls for racial justice and changes to filmmaking practices due to COVID-19. Professor Dove-Viebahn will guide the discussion, following a set of key questions: How can television remain a central site for the deliberation over questions of community, racial justice and protest? How is the industry responding to public demands for more diversity and inclusion in front of and behind the camera? Is greater inclusion central to the future of television’s appeal for audiences?

ASU’s Film and Media Studies program in the Department of English distinguishes itself by providing a comprehensive look at film, television, and digital media, including videogames, social media and screenwriting. The program develops students into more critically informed writers, storytellers, critics and consumers of film and media, and builds media literacy skills that can be applied to careers within and outside of the media industries.