John grew up in the suburbs of Baltimore before attending Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA, where he studied film, English and French. After college, John worked as an English language assistant at the Lycée Jules Ferry in Cannes, France, helping French highschoolers to improve their conversational English speaking skills. He then moved to Madison, Wisconsin to begin his PhD program in film studies. His dissertation–completed in 2025–deals with the Algerian film industry. Thanks to several grants, including a Chateaubriand Fellowship from the French Embassy in the United States and an invitation from Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, he was able to consult a variety of international archives to synthesize a history of Algeria’s film industry in the two decades following the nation’s independence from France. At the University of Wisconsin, John has instructed courses on public speaking, film analysis, film comedy, film production, screenwriting adaptation, and independent filmmaking. On UW’s campus, he has also worked for the UW Cinematheque, the Wisconsin Film Festival and DesignLab. With his passion for teaching, researching and writing, John is hoping to enter into a career in academia.
With his extensive experience teaching across a wide range of academic contexts, John has developed an expertise in guiding students to achieve their academic potential, just as he has worked to help students deepen their appreciation for the aesthetics of film and media and the craft of writing.
Muhlenberg College, BA, Film Studies (minors in English and French)
University of Wisconsin – Madison, MA, Film Studies
University of Wisconsin – Madison, PhD, Film Studies
