Ryan David Briggs

Ryan David Briggs is a doctoral student in media studies at the University of Texas at Austin. His research focuses on Hollywood history, media industry studies, and US independent cinema. Ryan's dissertation charts the second phase of Conglomerate Hollywood (2005-2020) by following evolving industry developments and their impacts on the perceived health of mid-tier filmmaking. The project analyzes why anxieties over macro-industrial instability were often expressed through concern for the so-called mid-budget movie. He holds a BA in Screenwriting from Loyola Marymount University and an MA in media studies from the University of Texas at Austin where he wrote a thesis about the independent production and distribution company A24 and the evolving state of the specialty sector during the 2010s. Ryan's work has been published in The Velvet Light Trap and The South Central Review.