"This is life inside the Panopticon. It's changed a lot since I started this site, but it's still interesting, it's still diverse, and most importantly... it's still mine. Mostly. Professor, film geek, musician, virtual caretaker, station engineer, radio DJ... it's been an interesting ride so far. Since you're here, allow me to explain. Business first. I am the CEO of Artifacts Worldswide LLC, a streaming entertainment company. I am also the creator and host/gamemaster of the "Lands of Aecathan" streaming 5th Ed. Dungeons & Dragons game, which airs on our Twitch channel every Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. Eastern US time. Each episode is then published to our YouTube page and offered in audio-only podcast form the following Monday. The stream serves as a continuing narrative as well as a beta-test of the tabletop material I am writing with the hopes of eventually releasing an official sourcebook for the world of Aecathan. My teaching experience is varied and rich. I am currently an Adjunct Professor at Mid-Michigan Community College in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, teaching a podcasting course to those interested in joining that industry. From 2022-2023, I taught online at the American University of Bulgaria, teaching Media Criticism, Film History and Appreciation, and a course on the history of Marvel in film and television. Before that, until I was laid off due to COVID, I was an Assistant Professor in the School of Broadcast and Cinematic Arts at Central Michigan University. From 2004-2020, I taught a variety of courses, including several original film and podcasting classes, for both BCA and the Journalism department. My CV is available under from my "Education" page. In June of 2016, with two friends, I joined two friends and colleagues as one of three hosts of the "Two Geeks and a G.I.T." podcast (the G.I.T. stands for "Geek-in-Training"), which lives at www.twogeeksandagit.com. The podcast is branded as "Classic movie reviews for the 21st century!" and our tagline is "It's our job to help you find your next favorite movie today!" We currently have over 350 films reviewed since we began, having released our 350th episode on March 6th, 2023, and have established a growing, loyal subscriber base. We're listed as one of the top 5% of podcasts worldwide on listennotes.com! You can subscribe to this podcast on all major podcast directories! In 2013, I completed a multi-year project, a 30-minute news-style documentary on the current state of gamer culture called The Gamer Evolution. This documentary, which branches off my dissertation, looks (briefly) at the history of gaming and gamer culture, addresses one of the biggest negative (and false) legends about gaming and gamers, and then looks at the four dominant myths still believed about gamers in the 21st century. The documentary contains interviews with experts in various related fields, as well as interviews with several gamers/. The documentary received two Communicator awards, and both the trailer and the full documentary can now be viewed on the website. In Summer of 2022, I retired from my post as Governor for the National Electronic Media Association (NBS-AERHO). Having been re-elected in 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020, it was my pleasure to serve media students across the country. For the last several years of my time at CMU, I was the faculty advisor of the Central Michigan University chapter. I also served as the webmaster for the NEMA-AERho national organization since from 2012 to 2022. Our 2022 convention, which we had hoped to hold on-site in Atlanta, Georgia, ended up being done through the new Zoom Events platform and, while Zoom fatigue is real, it went off (largely) without a hitch and was enjoyed and appreciated by the attendees and the speakers! I am also a home-studio musician, and have been singing pretty much since I learned to talk. Over the years, I've done one opera (Carmen), many comic operas (Gilbert & Sullivan), musicals, the occasional dramatic stageplay, and have been fortunate enough to be part of two different bands. Most recently, I was as a vocalist with a folk/rock band, "Bob Stewart and Friends" down in Athens, Ohio. In addition, I run my own small weblishing company, called The CyberSinger's Cafe' (or CSC for short), and have since 1995. Originally specializing in non-profit arts organizations, CSC now handles web-design for a wide variety of small, local businesses and organizations. From 2007 to 2010, I was a part of a streaming radio station, now closed down, called w00t Radio which catered to the players of MMORPGs. I started as a DJ, doing two shows there, and eventually rising to become the Station Manager, working with my good friend Michael "DJ Jester" Theis. My primary show was the Theatre of the Mind, which featured a wide variety of film and television soundtracks and scores, spanning several decades. As with all things, however, Michael decided to call it quits, and as much as I miss the station, I agree that it was time. This, however, and other hazelnut-related incidents (feel free to ask), led to the creation of a streaming radio station, which went live on March 1st, 2012, called SoR Radio. "SoR" stands for Spirit of Resistance," which we re-branded from "School of Rock" in March of 2017, after Donald Trump was selected President. The station emerged from our program, the School of Rock, which was originally a Summer-only terrestrial broadcast program from 2005-2011. I am a co-host and the station engineer, one of seven people involved in the running of the station, and currently am on-air for a weekly broadcast on The School of Rock (our flagship show) Thursday nights from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Eastern. For many years, I ran a MUD called Aurealan Realms, which I inherited from its creator (James Rhone, aka Vall) in November of 1997. The MUD was shut down in January of 2012. By and large, the world has moved on from text-based online roleplaying to graphic roleplaying, so there was no reason to leave it running any longer. The MUD was the laboratory (or sorts) for my dissertation, and it will always have a warm spot in my heart, thanks to the many friends I made during its active years. Additionally, the writing on the MUD, done by a wide variety of very talented artists over the years, was some of the best I'd ever seen in this venue. As the millenium turned, with the prevelance of MMORPGs, MUDs went the way of the telegraph, but I still have many wonderful memories, and friends, from those days. My friend Jamie Breckenridge and I created a virtual memorial to one of the best friends either of us have ever had, Michael "Big Daddy Pi" Pyorala. I visit the site every day to make sure no one has defaced it, polluted the guestbook with spam ads, and to otherwise ensure it is as pristine and peaceful as it was the day we created it. Rest in peace, Pi. We still miss you, every single day. I am, and ever have been, a role-playing gamer, both online and off. With the resurrection of City of Heroes, I am playing on the Rebirth server, and am hoping to resume broadcasting a stream (with my friend and MMORPG newbie Buddy) on Wednesday nights on the Artifacts Worldswide Twitch channel! And our crew for the flagship radio show on Spirit of Resistance Radio, "The School of Rock, broadcast live from Club Carnage every Thursday night as well. One of the continuing draws of these MMOs (for me) is that I am able, through the marvel of modern technology, to play with many old friends, as well as many new friends made through the game, all across the continent. This information is current as of April 28th, 2023. Thanks for your interest, but seriously... if you've read this far, you're either A) me, B) lost, or C) really, really bored (but thanks all the same :)." -Jeff |
