Kevin Sanson

Dr. Kevin Sanson is a Professor of Media Studies and Head of the School of Communication at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). He leads QUT’s Digital Media Research Centre’s Transforming Media Industries Program and co-founded the open-access journal Media Industries. Previously, he served as Research Director of the Carsey-Wolf Center’s Media Industries Project at the University of California Santa Barbara. His research focuses on global film and television industry practices, labor dynamics, and the evolving work conditions of media professionals. He holds a PhD from the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Sanson’s expertise includes global media labor, creative industries, and the spatial dimensions of media production. His work examines how technological and economic shifts impact labor structures, particularly for talent, craft workers, and technicians. Notable publications include Mobile Hollywood: Labor and the Geography of Production (2024) and co-edited volumes like Precarious Creativity: Global Media, Local Labor (2016).

His research projects, such as the Making Australian TV in the 21st Century (funded by DP210100849), analyze cultural policies and market dynamics affecting Australian scripted television. He regularly collaborates with industry stakeholders, union representatives, and global media executives. Dr. Sanson teaches courses on media industries, creative labor, and globalization, and supervises postgraduate research on topics like Nollywood’s digital distribution and Bangladesh media economies.

He organizes experiential learning opportunities, including ‘How Hollywood Works’ (Los Angeles) and ‘Buying and Selling Global Entertainment’ (Cannes), offering students immersive industry insights. Professional affiliations include the Society for Cinema and Media Studies, International Communication Association, and Hong Kong Research Grants Council review board.