The University of Miami School of Communication is pleased to welcome our magnificent seven new faculty members to our ranks. Learn more about our new faculty below.
Jonathan Gorchow, Lecturer, Department of Journalism and Media Management
Jonathan Gorchow
Jon Gorchow joins the School of Communication after an extensive career overseeing a variety of media organizations including broadcast, cable, and new OTT ventures.
One of Gorchow’s many successes includes a media company he founded and managed that was responsible for creating 4K and HD linear channels, SVOD and VOD apps, as well as the original programming for each of those services with distribution throughout North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. The company was acquired by Stingray Digital in 2017 (branded Stingray Naturescape), and as part of the acquisition, he continued to manage the business for several years thereafter.
In addition to his success as an entrepreneur, he spent more than 20 years in executive management roles at Comcast where he created and led the company’s first-ever foray into original programming. He is the winner of eight regional Emmy awards as executive producer of nationally televised pay-per-view concerts, comedy, and sports specials. While at Comcast, he also served as the vice president of marketing & sales for the entire Cable Division.
His well-rounded background in media management also includes stints as the VP/GM for both ABC and Fox broadcasting affiliates, as well as a large multi-regional 24-hour news and sports cable network. Taking a brief respite from the media world, he took on the role of general manager for the Washington Kastles, the most successful franchise in Billie Jean King’s World Team Tennis league. Prior to these positions, he received an M.B.A. from the University of Texas, and a dual B.S. degree from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications, and Whitman School of Management.
Shane Kinsler, Lecturer, Department of Cinematic Arts
Shane Kinsler
Shane Kinsler is considered a true hyphenate by his colleagues; a writer-director-cinematographer-editor-producer and sometimes even an animator. After earning his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Miami, he became a producer for South Florida Improv Comedy Clubs where he worked with comics including John Witherspoon, Andrew Dice Clay, and Daniel Tosh.
As a writer and director, several of his short films went on to win awards at the Miami International Film Festival. He has since shifted to working on feature films, where he most recently served as a producer on Amaraica. He wrote and produced, Make Love Great Again, and served as a producer, editor, and 2nd-unit director on Chateau Vato. All three films have premiered on HBO or HBO Max.
He is currently developing a new feature film and an animated pilot.
Sanne Martens, Assistant Professor of Practice, Department of Interactive Media
Sanne Martens
Sanne Marten’s curiosity to understand people’s behavior, her passion for design, and her interest in technology have taken her on a journey around the globe and inspired her career in user experience (UX) design. An award-winning UX design specialist, Martens brings more than 15 years of global experience in the field of UX to the School of Communication. Working in multidisciplinary roles and developing design projects that cover a variety of interfaces and screen-sizes have made her a well-rounded UX designer who can challenge every problem with a holistic approach.
Martens was the UX design lead at Razorfish/Publicis Sapient where she contributed to multiple pitches providing case studies and heuristics, gained extensive knowledge on responsive web design for the B2B and B2C market, and established an expertise in designing email campaigns, delivering innovative email templates and components for various clients. Previously, she was the UX product manager and senior UX designer at Motorola Solutions. She has a Master of Science in Strategic Product Design from Delft University of Technology.
Alfred L. Martin Jr., Associate Professor, Department of Cinematic Arts
Alfred L. Martin, Jr.
Alfred L. Martin, Jr. is a renowned scholar of media and cultural studies whose research focuses on fans, texts, and the production of television and film, through the lens of critical Black studies, and sexuality and gender studies.
His scholarly research on topics including Black studies, fandoms, and LGBTQ+ representation in Hollywood has been published in peer-reviewed journals including Critical Studies in Media Communication, Journal of Cinema and Media Studies, and Television and New Media. His journal article, Scripting Black Gayness: Television Authorship in Black-Cast Sitcoms, received the Outstanding Scholarly Article Award at the National Communication Association African American Culture and Communication Division. In addition, Martin has written for the Washington Post and Los Angeles Review of Books, and has been quoted in public-facing media including the New York Times, CNN, and Marketplace.
Dr. Martin earned his Ph.D. in Media Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. He served as an associate professor of communication studies and African American studies at the University of Iowa. Aside from his academic ventures, Martin worked in public relations and marketing for companies including Lava Brand Motion Lamps, Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse, Wendy’s International, and SC Johnson. He was also the founder and president of What Works Communications, an independent marketing communications consultancy for 10 years.
Rafal Sokolowski, Assistant Professor, Department of Cinematic Arts
Rafal Sokolowski
Rafal Sokolowski is an award-winning film and theatre director who was born and raised in Poland and then came to Canada as a refugee in the nineties. Since then, he has lived and worked in Toronto and Montreal. He’s a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, holds an M.F.A. in Film from York University, and is an apprentice of the National Theatre Academy of Krakow in Directing. He is the artistic director of Blind Dog Films, which specializes in developing and producing narrative fiction.
Sokolowski’s films have screened around the world and are supported by Telefilm Canada, the National Film Board of Canada, the Canada and Ontario Arts Councils, and the Canadian Film Center. His latest feature, 22 Chaser, was acclaimed as one of the best Canadian films of the year. The film premiered in Toronto where it won the Writer’s Guild of Canada for Best Feature Screenplay and was nominated for Best Editing. It was released theatrically by levelFILM and Gravitas Ventures in theatres across the US and Canada and, later, on major networks around the world. It is currently available on Amazon Prime, iTunes, and Paramount+.
Sokolowski is a passionate film teacher whose pedagogy comes directly from his professional work as a director, writer, and creative producer. His practice is rooted in the neo-neo realist narrative. Since 2014, he has taught directing, film production, and writing at the O.U. School of Film; previously, he taught at York University, Ryerson, the National Theatre School of Canada, the College of Communication and Media in Warsaw, LIFT, and Soulpepper in Toronto.
Vinicius Sueiro, Lecturer, Dual Appointment in the Departments of Interactive Media and Journalism and Media Management
Vinicius Sueiro
Vinicius Sueiro is a Brazilian designer who enjoys bringing ideas to life through coding. He holds a bachelor’s degree in design from the University of São Paulo and a master’s degree in interaction design from Malmö University.
With more than 10 years of professional experience, Sueiro has provided data visualization consultancy for Google News Initiative, the Washington Post, and the World Health Organization. His work has been awarded the Best in Show by the Society for News Design, as well as the best data visualization in Latin America by WAN-IFRA Digital Media Awards. He was also a jury member at Brasil Design Awards (2021). In 2022, Sueiro began lecturing in data visualization and web development at IDP & Insper, graduate programs in Brazil.
His current interests include data physicalization and tangible interfaces.
Benjamin Zuiderweg, Assistant Professor of Professional Practice, Department of Cinematic Arts
Benjamin Zuiderweg
Benjamin Zuiderweg is a sound designer, composer, and educator born and raised in Los Angeles California. He graduated with a master’s degree in Music Technology Innovation from Berklee College of Music.
Shortly after graduating, he interned and worked at Sonic Vista Studios in Ibiza, Spain under the mentorship of Louis Henry Sarmiento. While at the studio, he ran sessions for the BBC and acoustically treated the rooms at the studio.
Zuiderweg’s work on Andrew Ginger Likes Dogs won Best Original Score at the Tokyo International Film Festival. He also won Best Sound Design at the Horror Film Awards.
Zuiderweg’s passion and life goal is to educate film makers on the expressive power of sound, its ability to support a story, and elicit an emotional response in the viewer.
