Eric Hoyt, a new Assistant Professor of Media & Cultural Studies with the Department of Communication Arts, bridges past and present with cutting-edge work in digitization that makes life easier for media historians. While pursuing his Ph.D. at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Hoyt created Lantern, a search tool for media historians who once pored through Photoplay, Business Screen, Moving Picture World, and thousands of other classic film and broadcasting magazines on microfilm, issue by issue.
Hoyt has delved deeply into how changes in markets, technologies, and intellectual property law have affected the value of content libraries owned by Hollywood studios. At UW-Madison, he looks forward to collaborating with Memorial librarians, such as Susan Barribeau and Peter Gorman, on innovative digital work, and is excited to have “the tremendous collections of the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theatre Research just a short walk away.”
Welcome, Eric! Tell us about your research interests.
I focus on the relationships between culture, law, technology and the media industries. I’ve published articles on idea submission lawsuits and the impact of tax law on Hollywood.
What’s exciting about the digital studies community here?
In July, I had the chance to attend the “Humanities Hackathon,” a fantastic week-long workshop put on by the Center for the Humanities and the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery. I got to meet lots of impressive people and after a week of geeking out at the Hackathon, I thought, “This is my kind of place!”
What courses do you teach?
Digital Media Production, in which we’ll cover the nuts-and-bolts of digital video and web design, alongside larger questions, such as, “How do you find and engage with an audience?” I also teach a graduate production course, where students will learn tools to extend their scholarly interests into digital projects.
What can students expect in the classroom?
The nitty-gritty of how to shoot, edit and code alongside important concepts. I hope they have fun, since I certainly plan to.
If you could give them one piece of advice, what would it be?
You get what you put in. It’s true of life, but especially true for production classes.
What have you enjoyed most about Madison since you arrived?
Four-way tie between the Henry Vilas Zoo, Union Terrace, the Madison Children’s Museum, and the cheese curds at the Old Fashioned.