Jeanette Castillo joins Media Production faculty
Visiting assistant professor says FSU ‘a perfect fit’
Jeanette Castillo has joined the College of Communication as a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Communications.
She comes to Florida State University from Indiana University in Bloomington, where she expects to complete her Ph.D. in mass communication, with a minor in American studies, in December. At IU, she was an associate instructor in telecommunications, focusing on new media, media production and scriptwriting – both for news, advertising and documentary production and for fictional works.
“Jeanette Castillo’s work in video, new media production and media criticism, offer a unique combination for our Media Production students,” said Steve McDowell, chair of the department. “Her experience, joined with her current engagements with digital media, makes her a great addition to our graduate program as well.”
She also has won a number of awards for scriptwriting and for poetry, and she brings professional experience in media production, scriptwriting, producing and writing documentaries and songwriting. She wrote the lyrics to the song “Christmas in Whoville,’ which was included in Ron Howard’s feature film, How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
“I came to FSU because I found something very rare -- a job that was a perfect fit for my interests and experience, and a group of colleagues whose work I admire, and who I know will challenge me, inspire me, and make me laugh,” Ms. Castillo said.
She earned her master’s degree in mass communication at Indiana in 2006 and her bachelor’s degree in creative studies in 1996 at the University of California in Santa Barbara.
“As a researcher, I am interested in the connections between communication theory and the practices and products of ordinary citizens interacting on the Internet,” she said. “As a teacher, I see the new digital tools as tools of empowerment.
“I have found that sharing these skills with others is incredibly rewarding and I look forward to working with undergraduate and graduate students in the College of Communication.”