Juan Monroy

I am a scholar of film and media studies, a university lecturer, and a digital librarian living in New York City. I feel uneasy writing bios in the third person, and, if you see me out somewhere, I likely rode my bike.

Scholar

I am a scholar and teacher of film, television and media studies.

My interest in studying the history of film, video, and television focuses on emerging technologies, industry practices, and the connection to the cultural place and moment. I also have a preference for non-narrative forms, such as documentary and experimental film.

Lecturer

I teach film and media classes at the City University of New York, Queens College, at City University of New York, La Community College, and at Pratt Institute. In the past, I have taught at at Fordham University, Lincoln Center, at Marymount Manhattan College, The New School, and at New York University.

I have taught survey courses on mass media industries, media technologies, and digital media. I have taught various courses covering the history of film, including the silent, pre–World War II, and post–World War II eras. Other courses include the history of avant-garde cinema, an economic history of the American film industry, and a course on independent and underground cinema in New York City.

Digital Librarian

In addition to my academic work, I am a video and digital media librarian for NYU-TV, a division of NYU Libraries, where I maintain over a decade’s worth of moving image assets in a variety of analog and digital formats.

Education

I am currently finishing my doctorate degree in Cinema Studies from New York University.

Previously, I earned a master's degree in Cinema Studies from New York University, and a bachelor's degree in Film Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. I also graduated from Highland High School in Palmdale, California.

Awards

Over the years, I have earned a number of awards and fellowships.

I was a Peabody-Lambdin Kay Visiting Scholar at the George F. Peabody Awards Archive at the University of Georgia. I was also a Summer Research Fellow for the Center for Media and Culture at New York University, and a Predoctoral Dissertation Fellow at both the Tisch School of the Arts and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at NYU.

I was the first recipient of the Distinction in the Field of Critical Studies from the Film and Media Studies department at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Screen Printing

Despite being terrified of arts-and-crafts time in grade school, I learned how to screen print on t-shirts and other textiles. Unlike large-scale printers, I use only the most comfortable t-shirts and print using inks that are both vibrant and offer a "soft hand." Do you have a favorite t-shirt that makes you sweat in the summer because it has a thick layer of plastic ink on it? I hate those t-shirts, and I don't print them.

Personal

In my spare time, I enjoy long-distance cycling, playing softball, following baseball, snapping photos, frequent flying, eating too much, and brewing coffee like a hipster. Since 2001, I have maintained a personal website, in some form or another; it has been a blog since 2009.

I currently live near a Superfund site in New York City with two bikes and four backpacks.