Two Visiting Scholars Will Join the Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication in Fall 2026
David Craig and John Vilanova will visit CARGC during the Fall 2026 semester.
The Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication (CARGC) at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania is pleased to welcome David Craig and John Vilanova (Ph.D. '19) as visiting scholars for the Fall 2026 semester. During their time at the center, they will develop their own research projects and take an active part in the life of the center by mentoring CARGC fellows and participating in center events and research activities.
"Welcoming David Craig and John Vilanova to CARGC highlights the strength of our extended academic network,” says CARGC Director Aswin Punathambekar. “Having David here from USC Annenberg adds another strong bond between our two schools, and welcoming John back home to Penn is an absolute privilege. Beyond their pathbreaking academic work, both bring a keen understanding of how media and cultural industries operate, whether through David’s extensive background in Hollywood and the creator economy or John’s vital critical and journalistic work on media power and the music industry. Our faculty and fellows will benefit tremendously from their presence this coming fall."
David Craig
An Associate Professor at the University of Southern California in the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, David Craig is a leading scholar of global creator and influencer studies and entertainment media. He is the author or co-author of "Creator Culture: An Introduction to Global Social Media Entertainment,"
"Wanghong as Social Media Entertainment in China," and "Apocalypse Television." His new book, "Creator Nationalism and Global Entertainment Media Volume II" with co-author Tanner Mirrlees is forthcoming. He is also one of the co-editors of "The Routledge Companion to Creator and Influencer Studies." At USC Annenberg, Craig teaches graduate courses about global media and creator industries, media production and management, and television and streaming industries while also directing the dual master’s program in Global Media and Communication, a partnership between USC Annenberg and the London School of Economics. He is a faculty associate at Harvard University’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, a visiting professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and a recent Global Fulbright Scholar. Prior to academia, Craig was a Hollywood producer and television executive, overseeing more than 30 film and television projects that earned numerous Emmy, Golden Globe, and Peabody Award nominations and honors.
John Vilanova
John Vilanova (Ph.D. '19) is an assistant professor of Journalism & Communication and Africana Studies at Lehigh University. He is primarily interested in the manifestations of power in the media and cultural industries, with a particular emphasis on anti-Black racisms in global popular music and media. This takes the form of projects that examine the ways racial formations structure criticism and taste, industrial flows, and dynamics of cultural power. He has recent publications in Critical Studies in Media Communication, European Journal of Cultural Studies, and International Journal of Cultural Studies and journalistic bylines in Rolling Stone, the Los Angeles Times and The Atlantic. He holds a Ph.D. from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, with a graduate certificate in Africana Studies, and a Master’s degree in American Studies from the University of Kansas. While at CARGC, he will be working on a monograph about the GRAMMY Awards. He is excited to contribute to the intellectual and social community at CARGC and Annenberg.
About the CARGC Visiting Scholar Program
CARGC offers semester-long visiting fellowship positions for a limited number of visiting scholars from institutions other than the University of Pennsylvania whose research aligns with current CARGC research themes. To learn more about the visiting scholar program at CARGC and read testimonials from our former visiting scholars, please visit this webpage.
