by Aymar Jean Christian
about Aymar Jean Christian
Aymar Jean Christian is Associate Professor of Communication Studies at Northwestern University. His first book, Open TV: Innovation Beyond Hollywood and the Rise of Web Television argues the web brought innovation to television by opening development to independent producers. His work has been published in numerous academic journals, including The International Journal of Communication, Television and New Media, Cinema Journal, Continuum, and Transformative Works and Cultures.
High Maintenance and The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl
Abstract: How has web and mobile (networked) distribution changed television production, narrative, and marketing? The influx of indie producers making television for sites like YouTube has expanded the art of television beyond a show’s storytelling and visual style to include its overall development—financing, production, and marketing. Aymar Jean Christian contrasts two indie series with short episodes, distributed independently but later picked up by HBO, to demonstrate the changing art of TV.