TIP/Academy Awards experts

The Academy Awards are one of the most-watched television events of the year. Second only to the Super Bowl in terms of appeal to advertisers, it delivers a huge audience for brands of all types. For Hollywood, winning an Oscar can bring prestige and translate into a dramatic increase in box office receipts. UW–Madison has a number of experts who can discuss the show and trends in film this year.

• Mary Beltrán‘, associate professor of media and cultural studies, is an expert on ethnic and racial representation in U.S. film and television and can talk about how well the diversity of the United States is represented by the nominees. Contact: mcbeltran@wisc.edu, 608-262-8788.
• Deb Mitchell, executive director of the Center for Brand and Product Management at the Wisconsin School of Business, is an expert on branding, advertising, consumer psychology and consumer behavior. She can discuss ads aired during the show, what it means for a movie to win the Oscar, whether more people watch the telecast if a blockbuster film is nominated and how technology has changed the way people watch movies. Contact: dmitchell@bus.wisc.edu, 608-770-0502.
• Jeff Smith, professor of communication arts, is an expert on American cinema and music in film and can discuss media coverage of the Oscars, the history of the awards, the shift to 10 nominees in the best picture category and the nominees in the best score and best song categories. Contact: jpsmith8@wisc.edu, 608-263-3132.
• Catalina Toma, assistant professor of communication arts, is an expert on social networking and can discuss the Oscar-nominated film “The Social Network,” and what aspects and issues connected to our online culture it has tapped into. Contact: ctoma@wisc.edu, 608-262-8760.