School of Communications Faculty and Staff

Aaron AuBuchon is Interim Dean of the School of Communications at Webster University, where he provides strategic leadership for a uniquely interdisciplinary school that brings together communication, media, design and creative technologies under one academic unit. His work focuses on preparing students for meaningful careers in rapidly evolving creative industries through innovative curricula, strong industry partnerships and a collaborative academic culture.

Prior to assuming the deanship, AuBuchon served on the School of Communications faculty, teaching courses in video production, post-production, motion graphics, film studies and client-based media production. As both an educator and administrator, he is interested in the intersection of creativity, theory, technology and professional practice, with an emphasis on experiential learning to help students develop technical, creative and leadership skills.

Outside the university, AuBuchon remains active as a video editor, producer, documentarian and film historian. His scholarly interests include genre cinema, horror studies, fandom, film form and the emotional experience of film. He has contributed to "Euro Horror" and "The Pictorial History of Hammer Horror," and is writing a book on French filmmaker Jean Rollin.

AuBuchon also produces audio commentaries, documentaries and special features for boutique home video releases and co-hosts "Discover the Horror," a podcast devoted to the history, artistry and appreciation of horror cinema. His writing has appeared in publications such as We Belong Dead and HorrorHound magazines.

At Webster University, he teaches courses spanning film and television appreciation, graphics and effects, editing and color, client-based production, genres and fandoms, and horror in media and culture.

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Phone: 314-541-6330
Email: aubucaar@webster.edu

Susan Napoleon was the executive assistant to the Orange County, Florida, fire chief for six years prior to joining Webster University. As assistant to the dean, she manages strategic initiatives and supports the development of relationships with alumni and business professionals. She is an invaluable resource for the faculty, staff and students of the School of Communications, and received the 2014 Staff Member of the Year Award.

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Phone: 314-968-7154
Email: susannapoleon19@webster.edu

Linda Jakob earned a bachelor's degree at Webster University and a Master of Business Administration at Maryville University. Following several years in higher education, Jakob joined Webster University in fall 2020.

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Phone: 314-246-7830
Email: lindajakob@webster.edu

Prior to joining Webster, Schrage worked in higher education for 31 years, including 26 years at Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey, Illinois, where he taught video production. Outside of academia, his media industry background includes positions with Innervision Studios and KPLR Channel 11 in St. Louis, as well as running his own production house.

As a cinematographer, Schrage worked on the feature film "Exorcist House of Evil." He has earned national awards for his video and film productions, including a first-place award for his work on "I Got Flowers Today" for the Women's Crisis Center.

Outside of his professional work, Schrage is a St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan and serves as the lead guitarist for the Soulshine Groove band.

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Phone: 314-246-7783
Email: brianschrage@webster.edu

Carl Nappa is a producer, engineer and educator with experience in the music industry. He started his career in his hometown of Boston before moving to New York City to engineer at Hit Factory Recording Studios, where he refined his craft through collaborations with legendary artists, engineers and producers.

Nappa has played an integral role in the success of 39 gold, platinum and multi-platinum records, with two achieving prestigious diamond awards. Nappa’s engineering, mixing or producing credits on records have accounted for over 85.5 million records sold in the U.S. alone.

A meeting and collaboration with the artist Nelly evolved into a professional relationship spanning more than 15 years, initially as his recording engineer and later as executive director and co-creator of the sound engineering and music business school, Vatterott College ex’treme Institute by Nelly in St. Louis.

Following the closure of the ex’treme Institute in 2018, Webster University appointed Nappa as a full-time Artist in Residence in 2019. By 2022, he assumed the role of chair of the Audio Aesthetics and Technology program at the School of Communications on the Webster Groves campus. In 2016, Nappa founded The Saint Louis Recording Club, his recording studio in St. Louis, enabling him to contribute to a diverse array of musical projects, from producing and mixing Grammy-nominated albums to nurturing emerging recording artists.

In 2023, Nappa launched his independent record company, Chain of Rocks Records. The label focuses on promoting and distributing St. Louis artists such as WISEMARY, Hazmat, The Ricters and Freddy VS. For two decades, Nappa has been an active Recording Academy voting member and serves as president of the Recording Academy’s Memphis chapter.

At Webster University, he teaches courses in audio technology practicum, two-channel recording, signals and systems, sound design for media, music recording, advanced audio editing and mixing, audio storytelling, and senior capstone projects.

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Phone: 314-246-7147
Email: carlnappa@webster.edu

Before joining the staff of the School of Communications at Webster University, Judy Connolly spent 20 years at FleishmanHillard, where she managed projects and administrative tasks. She began her career there as an administrative assistant before being promoted to marketing coordinator and later to senior marketing coordinator. Prior to working at FleishmanHillard, she was executive assistant to the president of Downtown St. Louis Inc. Connolly earned a BA in Political Science from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri.

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Phone: 314-968-5935
Email: judithconnolly93@webster.edu

Casey Hunter is an associate professor and director of studios in Webster University’s Department of Audio Aesthetics and Technology. A Webster alumnus with a BA in Jazz Studies with an Emphasis in Commercial Music and a MA in New Media Production, Hunter has taught at the university since 2007. His teaching focuses on live audio production, audio engineering, immersive audio, audio technology, and signals and systems.

Hunter brings more than three decades of real-world audio experience into the classroom and remains an active professional engineer and system designer. His career spans national tours, concerts, broadcast events, theatrical productions and large-scale entertainment, with credits involving Disney, ESPN, MTV, Time Inc., Columbia Records, Epic Records, and numerous artists and productions. Through Hunter Audio Designs LLC, he also provides professional audio and video system design, consulting, installation and training.

At Webster, he has helped develop new audio degree programs and coursework in areas including live audio and immersive audio, while serving as adviser to the university’s Audio Engineering Society student section. His approach to education connects the classroom directly to the industry, giving students the opportunity to learn not only the technology and creative craft of audio, but how those skills are applied in professional productions and real-world environments.

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Phone: 314-246-7654
Email: caseyhunter74@webster.edu

Gary Ford is an associate professor in the School of Communications at Webster University in St. Louis, where he teaches courses in strategic communications, public relations and media studies. He also serves as chair of the Communications and Journalism Department.

Before entering full-time teaching, Ford built an extensive career in journalism, corporate communications and public relations consulting. He served as a group director at Weber Shandwick Worldwide, where he managed communications programs for a range of clients. His corporate communications experience includes positions with Mallinckrodt Inc., Southwestern Bell Corp. and Mayo Clinic. Throughout his career, his responsibilities have encompassed external and internal communications, financial communications, executive communications, media relations, crisis communications, annual report production and publication management.

Ford began his professional career in journalism as a reporter and newspaper editor and later served as managing editor of the Kansas City Kansan in Kansas City, Kansas. He continues to draw on his professional experience through independent communications consulting, providing strategic counsel to local and national clients through Ford Communications LLC.

At Webster University, Ford teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in strategic communications and media, including public relations fundamentals, public relations writing and campaigns, media writing, crisis management communications, and graduate seminars in media communications. His teaching integrates communications theory with the practical perspectives gained from his experience in journalism, corporate communications, agency public relations and consulting.

Ford earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and a Master of Arts in Business Management from Webster University. He also completed a graduate certificate in Corporate Finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

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Phone: 314-246-8632
Email: fordg@webster.edu

Before joining the staff of the School of Communications at Webster University, Judy Connolly spent 20 years at FleishmanHillard, where she managed projects and administrative tasks. She began her career there as an administrative assistant before being promoted to marketing coordinator and later to senior marketing coordinator. Prior to working at FleishmanHillard, she was executive assistant to the president of Downtown St. Louis Inc. Connolly earned a BA in Political Science from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri.

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Phone: 314-968-5935
Email: judithconnolly93@webster.edu

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Email: irissacisternino@webster.edu 

As a playwright, Peter Hanrahan has had plays read, workshopped and produced with various theatre companies, including the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. His play, “Prize Inside” was published in “The Best Ten-Minute Plays of 2007” (Smith & Kraus). As a screenwriter, he has written and rewritten numerous scripts and has several original screenplay projects in development, including "The Lowlands," which is in pre-production with actors John Leguizamo and Alfred Molina.

Hanrahan placed among the top 30 entrants in the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting competition, and he has written for NBC and the Discovery Channel. He lived in Los Angeles for many years, where he worked as an in-house story analyst for United Talent Agency.

Hanrahan earned a BA in English from Washington University and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. He later received an MFA in Playwriting from Rutgers University. At Webster University, he teaches courses in script analysis, selling work to Hollywood, writing short scripts, screenwriting for film, advanced scriptwriting and professional development in scriptwriting.

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Phone: 314-246-7527
Email: peterhanrahan95@webster.edu

Scott Jensen has taught at Webster University for more than 30 years and has a teaching career spanning more than four decades. He is the creator and coordinator of the Bachelor of Arts in Sports Communication, along with speech communication studies courses. He serves as Webster's NCAA faculty athletic representative and is the former director of Webster’s speech and debate program.

Jensen teaches a variety of sports communication and speech communication courses. He created and teaches a Global Cornerstone Seminar on "Competition and the Shaping of Identity," along with two Keystone Seminars: "Political Activism and Sports" and "The Democratic Process." He has also served on several Webster faculty and university committees.

Jensen is active in professional development activities, annually publishing and presenting scholarly research. He has authored several book chapters, journal articles and conference presentations in areas such as critical culture and sports, youth and family sports, competitive forensics and debate, communication pedagogy, and the art of teaching.

Jensen has been recognized locally and nationally for his teaching, scholarship and service. He received Webster’s highest teaching award, the William T. Kemper Award. He is also one of only four individuals inducted into the Pi Kappa Delta Hall of Fame while actively coaching collegiate speech and debate (Pi Kappa Delta is the nation’s oldest and largest collegiate forensics and debate honor society). Pi Kappa Delta has also awarded Jensen the John Shields Award for Service, the L.E. Norton Award for Scholarship and the E.R. Nichols Award for Outstanding Teaching. The Speech and Theatre Association of Missouri recognized him with its Wayne Brown Award for Outstanding Teaching and the Loren Reid Service Award.

Among his contributions to the Webster community are the 2023 Student Athletic Advisory Council Appreciation Award, presented by Webster’s student-athletes, and the 2025 Outstanding Faculty Advising Award. His leadership roles include serving as past president of Pi Kappa Delta, the Speech and Theatre Association of Missouri, and the Missouri Association of Forensic Activities. He directed Pi Kappa Delta’s national tournament for 15 years and recently completed a term as editor of its refereed scholarly journal. He founded the Central States Communication Association’s Sports Communication Interest Group and served three terms as its chair and conference program planner.

Jensen and his wife, Gina, have four children and three grandchildren. He is a lifelong sports fan with a special affection for Chicago Cubs baseball. His best adult years were spent coaching and cheering on his children as accomplished athletes, dancers and musicians. Highlights of his professional life include collaborating with his wife in forensic and debate coaching, hosting and directing some of the largest forensic tournaments in the country, and co-authoring several articles and scholarly presentations. Scott and Gina Jensen share a place in Pi Kappa Delta’s Hall of Fame as two of the four members inducted while actively coaching.

Jensen recently entered his 60s but has no plans to retire anytime soon, citing the joy he finds in the collaborative teaching and learning he shares with students who become friends and colleagues after leaving Webster.

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Phone: 314-968-7439
Email: jensensc@webster.edu

Trish Muyco-Tobin is the 2026 Adviser of the Year, honored by the Missouri College Media Association for her mentorship of students who produce Webster University’s award-winning publications, the Webster Journal and Ampersand magazine.

Muyco-Tobin is a working journalist who regularly contributes features for local, national and international publications. As a journalist and writer for print, radio and television for 30 years, she has covered major news stories over the decades, including the Great Flood of 1993, the 1999 papal visit to St. Louis, presidential campaigns and elections, and the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing and Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

She served as editor-in-chief at Gazelle Magazine, where her monthly columns included "The Trish Set," "Meet Me Travels" and "The Melting Pot." She also hosted Gazelle Media’s "The Stir," a monthly podcast featuring conversations with prominent leaders in business, philanthropy and society in St. Louis and beyond. As editor-in-chief of Ladue News, she led the publication in strengthening its focus on local charities and nonprofits, encouraging diversity, and highlighting community stories.

As a broadcaster, Muyco-Tobin served as morning drive news editor for KMOX Radio and as senior news editor, reporter and anchor for KTRS Radio. She was also executive producer for the "Contact" radio program, which aired on more than 425 stations worldwide. She is the recipient of numerous broadcasting awards during her more than 10 years in radio, including a Gold World Medal from the New York Festivals, a Top Radio Winner honor at the MADD Media Awards, an AIR Award for Radio Excellence and two Excellence in Media International awards.

As a community leader and volunteer, Muyco-Tobin serves as an arts commissioner for the Webster Groves Arts Commission. She received the St. Louis Press Club's Catfish Award in recognition of her contributions to communications and to the organization, and was honored with the 2014 Salute to Women in Leadership Award in Media by the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis. She has served on the boards of directors for the St. Louis Press Club, Friends of Character Plus, and the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, as well as on the Radio Arts Foundation's Advocacy Council.

Muyco-Tobin earned a bachelor's degree in journalism with a minor in Spanish from the University of Missouri. At Webster University, she teaches courses in reporting fundamentals, multimedia editing, broadcast news, newspaper production, magazine production, media writing, communications for media professionals and interpersonal communication.

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Phone: 314-246-7844
Email: trishmuycotobin@webster.edu

Before joining Webster University, Sung Eun “Stella” Park taught advertising courses at the University of Southern Indiana at Evansville. Her research interest is in the visual aspects of advertising, focusing on public service announcements, health and big data. Her peer-reviewed publications can be found in several scholarly journals including Health Communication, Journal of Advertising Education, and Journal of Promotion and Management.

Park earned a BA in Advertising from The University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, an MA in Advertising from The University of Texas at Austin, and a PhD in Advertising from The University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa.

At Webster University, she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in marketing communications, advertising research, media planning, advertising strategic principles, advertising decision-making and media research.

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Phone: 314-246-7630
Email: sungeunpark@webster.edu

Barry T. Smith combines executive leadership experience in marketing, branding, advertising, sales strategy and digital transformation with a commitment to teaching and mentoring the next generation of business professionals. Prior to joining Webster University full time, Smith spent more than 25 years with Anheuser-Busch, now part of Anheuser-Busch InBev, where he held leadership positions spanning marketing, sales promotion and integrated communications. His career also includes agency experience with Frankel & Co. in Chicago, giving him a professional perspective that crosses agency, corporate and higher education environments.

As an educator, Smith brings business and nonprofit challenges into the classroom, encouraging students to integrate customer and audience insights, market data and strategic thinking into decisions involving branding, advertising, digital media, sales activation and marketing strategy. His approach emphasizes how marketing, sales and communications work together — and how creativity, analytics, customer engagement and business objectives can be integrated to produce measurable results.

Smith's professional background enables him to teach across traditional and emerging business disciplines, including marketing strategy, branding, advertising, digital and social media, sales strategy, integrated marketing, analytics and strategic communications. At both the undergraduate and graduate levels, his focus is preparing students to think strategically, communicate effectively and make sound business decisions in a rapidly evolving marketplace.

Smith remains actively engaged in the profession through consulting, industry leadership, conference presentations and published expert commentary. He serves on the board of Ad Club STL, the St. Louis affiliate of the American Advertising Federation, helping strengthen connections among the region's advertising professionals, educators and emerging talent.

Through his consulting practice, he provides marketing and communications counsel to nonprofit and for-profit organizations across a range of industries. He is also a frequent contributor to online consumer-focused publications, providing expert perspectives on branding, marketing, advertising and promotional strategies, including how organizations reach and influence consumers through broadcast, digital and emerging media.

At Webster University, Smith teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in marketing communications, advertising creative strategies, advertising writing, social media content and strategies, digital marketing analytics, advertising production, interactive marketing, branding fundamentals, visual communications, and media and culture.

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Phone: 314-246-8629
Email: barrysmith70@webster.edu

In addition to teaching, Julia Griffey works as a web and interactive designer and developer. She is the director of e-commerce for St. Louis-based manufacturing company, Nomax Inc., and has created websites for many other educational and corporate clients. She is also the principal of Animocation, a company that creates educational, interactive, movement-driven exhibits.

Her work is currently featured in the Children's Museum of the Highlands in Sebring, Florida; Linda's Playhouse in Peachtree City, Georgia; Monterey County Youth Museum in Monterey, California; Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum in Santa Maria, California; Vermont Institute of Natural Science in Quechee, Vermont; Museo Del Nino in San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Hands On! A Child's Gallery in Hendersonville, North Carolina.

Griffey earned a BS in Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, an MA in Apparel Design from Cornell University and an MFA in Design from the Massachusetts College of Art.

At Webster University, she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in interactive digital media, interactive content development for marketing and public relations, senior overview, and interactive communications.

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Phone: 314-246-8643
Email: juliagriffey93@webster.edu

Sharon Turner is the department representative for the Media Arts Department in the School of Communications and the primary logistics coordinator for the School of Communications summer camps. Turner is also the communications chair for the Webster Staff Alliance, where she helps keep staff informed about news and issues across Webster University’s main campus and extended campuses.

Before joining the staff of the Webster University School of Communications in 2017, Turner spent more than 25 years at various higher education institutions, including Washington University, University of Missouri-St. Louis and the St. Louis University School of Nursing.

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Phone: 314-246-6924
Email: sharonturner55@webster.edu

Christopher Aaron is a visual storyteller whose films have premiered at international film festivals, including the St. Louis International Film Festival, French Quarter Festival, In the Palace International Film Festival, Brussels Independent Film Festival, ASIFA Animation Conference and Festival, and Isle of Wight Film Festival. His work has shifted into interactive modes of storytelling, including video games and XR. He is the recipient of industry awards for production, editing, 3D animation and VFX. He maintained a media production company that developed media for a wide range of clients, including Discovery, Fremantle and Relativity Media.

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Phone: 314-246-7784
Email: caaron94@webster.edu

Juraj Bohus earned an MA in Cinema and Television from the Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in Bratislava, Slovak Republic and a Master of Fine Arts in Cinema from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Prior to joining Webster University, Bohus served as an assistant professor at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

At Webster University, he teaches courses in advanced cinematography and topics in film, television and video production, including Czech New Wave cinema.

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Phone: 314-246-3322
Email: jurajb@webster.edu

Mike Breault spent five years at TSR, working on D&D and AD&D role-playing games as well as board games. After a 10-year stint as a freelancer, working for tabletop and digital companies worldwide, he started a nine-year run at Volition in 1999, working on "FreeSpace 2," several "Red Faction" games and "The Punisher." He later worked at Raven Software, Ubisoft Montreal, 38 Studios and ZeniMax Online Studios. His most recently published games were "The Elder Scrolls Online" in 2014 and its "Imperial City" expansion in 2015. To date, he has worked on a total of 130 games — 90 analog and 40 digital. Breault is developing several board games as time permits alongside his academic duties.

Breault earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics with minors in Math and Astronomy from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, a Master of Education in Instructional Design from the American College of Education, and completed four years of graduate study in Astrophysics doctoral program at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.

At Webster University, he teaches courses in analog game design, intro to video game design, game studies, narrative design, analog RPG design, digital RPG design, history of video games, world design and senior overview.

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Phone: 314-246-3323
Email: michaelbreault50@webster.edu

During the past seven years, Matthew Burton's passion for game development and design has led him to create and publish 10 titles in the iOS and Google Play app stores. Building on his Bachelor of Arts in Information Systems degree (Maryville University, 2013) Burton self-published several games and mobile apps, which have been featured on IndieGame and in Stuff magazine.

In 2016, Burton was hired by Pixel Press in St. Louis as a software developer, where he worked with clients such as Mattel, Cartoon Network and Disney/Star Wars. He played a key role in the development of the educational software program Bloxels, which won Toy of the Year at the Toy Industry Association's annual awards, and was featured in articles by Kotaku and Polygon. Burton's industry experience at Pixel Press led to his joining the faculty at Webster University to share his expertise in game design, coding and production.

At Webster University, he teaches courses in video game design, world design and video game production.

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Phone: 314-246-7515
Email: matthewburton@webster.edu

Joshua "Josh" Johnson is a 2025 Missouri Stories Scriptwriting fellow, director, writer, visual effects supervisor and Emmy Award-winning VFX artist of Mexican descent with more than 19 years of industry experience. In 2023, he was voted into the Visual Effects Society, a global honors society for professionals in the film industry.

Some of his feature film credits include "Rich Hill" (2014 Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner), "A Ghost Story" (A24 – 2017 Sundance), "The Long Dumb Road" (Universal Pictures – 2018 Sundance), "Native Son," shot by Oscar-nominated cinematographer Matthew Libatique (A24, HBO Films – 2019 Sundance and Critics’ Choice nominee), "Duplicity" (Universal Pictures), "One & Two" (2015 Berlin and SXSW) and "Omniboat" (2020 Sundance). He also worked on the Emmy-nominated HBO documentary "Abortion: Stories Women Tell."

Most recently, Johnson worked on Disney’s "Hocus Pocus 2," "Blood for Dust" (2023 Tribeca), "Chasing Summer" (2026 Sundance), "Alpha Gang" (2026 TIFF), Donald Glover’s "Bando Stone & the New World" trailer, and the Emmy-winning second season of "Severance." His commercial credits include campaigns for Samsung, Converse, Microsoft, Taco Bell, MTV and Smithsonian, as well as music videos for Lil Nas X and Sia.

In addition, "Monument," a short film he co-directed, recently won best showcase film, best drama and best VFX at the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase and was one of 18 short films selected for the Nantucket Film Festival. His work has been featured in Vanity Fair, Variety, IndieWire, VFX Voice Magazine, No Film School, 3D World Magazine and Nerdist.

Johnson earned a MFA in Filmmaking from Vermont College of Fine Arts in October 2021. He has presented and demoed at SIGGRAPH, NAB and SXSW, helped create a Mars exhibit at the Saint Louis Science Center, and served as a Cinereach creative visual effects adviser. At Webster University, he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in graphics, motion graphics, visual effects, Unreal Engine for filmmaking, Cinema 4D, virtual production, history of visual effects, and capstone thesis projects.

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Phone: 314-246-7541
Email: joshuajohnson@webster.edu

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Email: junbri@webster.edu

Originally from a rural college town in western Pennsylvania, filmmaker Natalia Kaniasty has lived across multiple regions of the United States. As a first-generation American, she explores themes and characters that reflect the overlapping cultural influences of her personal background. Her short films have screened and earned awards at festivals in the U.S. and internationally.

Kaniasty worked on feature productions in the New York independent film scene, assisting filmmaker Todd Solondz and playwright and actor Tracy Letts. She entered studio filmmaking as a director’s assistant on Warner Bros.’ feature film "Ocean’s 8." Following its release, writer-director Gary Ross invited her to Los Angeles to work alongside him in development and production.

In addition to teaching filmmaking, Kaniasty has taught university courses in theater and acting for the camera, and coached actors in New York and Los Angeles. She previously worked in arts education and advocacy at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

Kaniasty splits her time between St. Louis and Los Angeles. She holds an MFA in Filmmaking from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

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Phone: 314-246-2427
Email: nataliakaniasty@webster.edu

Zachary Kaufman is a visual storyteller whose work explores the generational inheritance of land, values and socioeconomic status. Kaufman is also interested in collaborative projects that benefit vulnerable populations. He graduated with a BA in Journalism from San Francisco State University and served as photo editor for the Bay Area Multicultural Media Academy.

Kaufman is an alumnus of The Associated Press' Diverse Visions workshop, the Eddie Adams Workshop and the Mountain Workshop, and worked as a staff photojournalist on the West Coast for 10 years. His images have been published by Time, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and other publications.

In 2022, he earned a MFA in Photography from Indiana University Bloomington with a research focus on the cultivation of empathy through visual media. Most recently, Kaufman served as the communications and media consultant to the Indiana University Prison Arts Initiative, an effort that offers arts education to incarcerated populations in Indiana.

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Phone: 314-246-2429
Email: zacharykaufman@webster.edu

Chris Sagovac is an animator, cartoonist, filmmaker and educator whose work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in galleries, film festivals and alternative art spaces. His creative practice emphasizes drawing, experimentation and independent production across commercial and fine art contexts.

Sagovac’s teaching focuses on animation, creativity, visual development, comics and professional practice. His interdisciplinary approach encourages students to explore connections between traditional artmaking and contemporary production methods while experimenting with emerging forms.

Sagovac earned a BA in Media Communications and the MA in Fine Arts from Webster University. More of his work can be found at chrissagovac.com.

At Webster University, he teaches courses spanning fundamentals of animation, cartooning, 2D animation structure and rigging, comic book creation, experimental animation, character design, storyboarding, concept art, 2D animated short films, and senior capstone projects.

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Phone: 314-246-4223
Email: csagovac@webster.edu

Kelsey Watkins earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Game Art from Ringling College of Art and Design and has since worked on games, movies, television shows, commercials and themed attractions. Before joining Webster University, she worked for Warner Bros. Games in Boston, Perfect Garbage in Chicago and The Third Floor in Los Angeles. She brings practical experience in Unreal Engine, Maya, ZBrush, Photoshop and Substance Painter.

Her most notable credits as a technical artist include "The Mandalorian & Grogu," the Emmy Award-winning "Skeleton Crew," "House of the Dragon," Universal Studios' Ministry of Magic ride, "Ahsoka," "Predator: Killer of Killers," Netflix's "Avatar: The Last Airbender," and Quentin Tarantino's Fortnite cinematic "Yuki's Revenge."

Watkins is a community leader for the St. Louis Game Developer organization, where she volunteers as a mentor and event coordinator. In her spare time, she experiments with how audio frequencies translate through shader functions to create visual art, and operates as a technical consultant for independent video games.

At Webster University, she teaches courses in game art, world design, 3D character design, intro to Unreal Engine, animation structure and form, and 3D short films.

Email: kelseywatkins@webster.edu

Kristina Richards is an alumna of Webster University's Anthropology Department. She has worked with the University of Illinois Archaeological Research Program studying pre-Columbian Mississippian cultures, authoring two papers on the studies. Her passion for art led her to nonprofit work at Craft Alliance, where she focused on contemporary art and artists.

Richards' background in photography and experience at the Missouri History Museum, the University of Illinois and Craft Alliance, prepared her for her role as Director of Webster University's Kooyumjian Gallery. There, she is dedicated to supporting established, emerging and student artists, amplifying diverse voices and fostering community engagement.

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Phone: 314-246-7673
Email: krichards00@webster.edu

Joe LaMonica joined Webster University in 2011 as part of the Walker School of Business and Technology. In his time at Webster, he has moved through several different units, with the most recent being Information Technology, prior to joining the School of Communications.

For several years, LaMonica and his team were responsible for the University's event Audio Visual services, University livestream and classroom Audio Visual services. He has worked with the Department of Athletics to help found the Gorlok Sports Network, a student-led group that provides streaming services for Athletics competitions and events.

He came to the Media Center to spend more time working with students and faculty. He has a passion for technology and its effective design and implementation. He's been involved in AV design for countless University projects, including the University Center and Interdisciplinary Science Building.

LaMonica has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Saint Louis University, and a Master of Educational Technology from Webster University. In his spare time, he loves to travel to new countries, enjoys cooking and is a voracious consumer of audiobooks.

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Phone: 314-246-7656
Email: josephlamonica55@webster.edu

Prior to coming to the Media Center, Greg Landrum was an advertising/commercial photographer for almost three decades and an adjunct professor of photography at Webster University for 17 years. He is an expert in digital workflow from image capture to final output utilizing Adobe Light Room, Photoshop and Capture One software. Experienced in all facets of photography including large format cameras and darkroom work. Landrum holds a BFA from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.

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Phone: 314-246-7004
Email: gregorylandrum44@webster.edu

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Phone: 314-968-7484
Email: lindsalo@webster.edu

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Phone: 314-246-6967
Email: jameswolz98@webster.edu

Pete Timmermann, director of the Webster Film Series, worked as a film critic for various St. Louis-based publications for 15 years before leaving it behind to focus on teaching and programming full time. Writing as a film critic for St. Louis publications, Timmermann covered film festivals worldwide, including Cannes, Sundance, London and South by Southwest. He has interviewed notables such as John Waters, Wong Kar Wai, Roger Corman, James Gunn, Miranda July and Don Hertzfeldt. Timmermann holds a master's degree in film theory from the University of Kent at Canterbury, England, and has taught film studies classes in St. Louis since 2005. He was given a Special Merit Award by the St. Louis Film Critics group in 2024 for his programming of the Webster Film Series, and in April 2025, he participated in a panel at the Society for Cinema and Media Studies conference in Chicago about the integration of art cinemas with academia alongside the respective programmers of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Gene Siskel Film Center, Northwestern’s Block Cinema, the Bryn Mawr Film Institute and East Tennessee State’s cinema.

Webster Hall, WH223a
Phone: 314-246-7525
Email: timmekar@webster.edu

Dick Bauer, manager and projectionist for the Webster Film Series, holds a bachelor's degree in engineering from Washington University and has been the chief projectionist for the Webster Film Series since its inception in 1979. He has also donated his time and expertise to Ragtag Cinema in Columbia, Missouri; the St. Louis International Film Festival; and the Jewish Film Festival, among others. Because of its changeover 35 mm projection system and Bauer’s expertise, the Webster Film Series is one of only a few venues in the country trusted with rare archival and irreplaceable film prints.

Webster Hall, WH219
Phone: 314-968-7485
Email: richardbauer18@webster.edu

Angela Guo, film series clerk, is a freelance filmmaker originally from Guangzhou, China. Her bicultural experience living in St. Louis compels her to tell stories for the underrepresented and the misunderstood. Guo holds a BA in Film, Television and Video Production from Webster University.

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