Dr. Elizabeth Jones serves as the Director of Graduate Studies in Communication. Her current research occurs at the intersection of communication technology, interpersonal communication, and health communication, specializing in communication and aging. Dr. Jones teaches classes in cross-platform storytelling, social media and viral marketing, media ministry, and research methodology.
Megan Weaver-Seitz came to Asbury after serving as the director of the MFA program in Directing at Regent University. She has worked professionally in narrative film, broadcast news, documentary, and television sports. Her films have won awards and been screened in multiple film festivals. She teaches classes in directing and producing.
Sarah Leckie Hogencamp joined the faculty of Asbury University in 2013 after 10 years of traveling the world as a documentary filmmaker, running her own production company on the side. She currently teaches classes in cinematography, underwater cinematography, and editing.
Sean Gaffney has worked professionally as a writer in nearly every area of media, from theater to film to television to the web. He was the Story Administrator for Warner Bros. Features, editor of Drama Ministry Magazine, the Managing Director of Taproot Theatre, and General Manager of Lamb’s Theatre Company. He teaches the Master Storytelling Seminar, Tools for Writers, and classes in writing for drama and comedy.
Barry Blair has been involved with audio and the music industry for over 25 years. His music career began as the guitarist and a founding member of the popular Christian band Audio Adrenaline. He has won a total of 3 Dove Awards, one Grammy nomination and four Dove nominations, and is also an accomplished music producer and feature film sound editor. He teaches a class in audio production.
Dr. Jim Owens is the Dean of the School of Communication Arts at Asbury. He loves working with students, creating innovative opportunities that enhance his students’ education, and enjoys the adrenaline rush of live television production. He has worked on numerous local, regional, and national productions, as well as fifteen Olympic Games…trips that usually include Asbury students. He teaches a class in multi-camera television production.
Dr. Jim Shores and his wife Carol Anderson run Acts of Renewal, a professional Christian touring company. For over 20 years, they have been creating original theater and film for universities and writing material for organizations like FamilyLife and Focus on the Family. Dr. Shores’ research is in entertainment-education and environmental communication. He is an alumnus of the Act One Screenwriter’s Program in Los Angeles, and his comedy on body image, The Halo Effect, won Best Original Screenplay at the Gideon Media Arts Conference. He teaches a class in script analysis.
John DeCuir has worked as a film production designer for many films including Ghostbusters, Cleopatra, Hello Dolly, Taming of the Shrew, 3D Muppet Movie, and Top Gun. He was also a Disney designer who, as a part of Imagineering, designed the EPCOT World Showcase…and the iconic EPCOT ball. He teaches a class in production design.
Screenwriter Andrea Nasfell has had eight of her films produced including Moms’ Night Out. Other films she has written include The Resurrection of Gavin Stone, Silver Bells, Escape, Christmas Angel, Christmas with a Capital C, and What If… She teaches a screenwriting course.
Six-time national Emmy Award winner D.T. Slouffman is currently the executive producer of Sports Illustrated’s daily digital series, SI Now. He previously served as series producer for CNN’s sports program, Unguarded, and has worked as a producer at multiple Olympics, Rose Bowl parades, IndyCar races, and figure skating championships. He teaches classes in sports storytelling and documentary analysis.
David Whitaker worked in the film industry in Hollywood in both a production capacity and as a digital rights manager for 20th Century Fox, Warner Brothers, Lionsgate, MGM, and others. He teaches a class in single camera production.