Zach Sands, PhD
_____________________________________
zach[dot]sands[at]gmail[dot]com
Education:
PhD, American Culture Studies (Film, Media and Culture/American Public Policy), Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH: 2017
Dissertation: “Film Comedy and the American Dream,” chair: Dr Timothy Messer-Kruse, committee: Dr Lesa Lockford and Dr Jeffrey Brown, graduate representative: Dena Eber, MFA (successfully defended Dec. 9, 2016)
MA, English (Film and Literature), Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL: 2009
BA, Filmmaking (Screenwriting and Directing), Columbia College, Chicago, IL: 2003
AA, English, Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Rapids, MI: 1998
Teaching Experience:
Full Time Faculty, Arts and Sciences Department
Lamar Community College, Lamar, CO, 2022-
Composition I (6 sections)
Composition II (2 sections)
Film Art (2 sections)
Introduction to Literature (4 sections)
Introduction to Theatre (3 sections)
Music Appreciation (1 section)
Ancient Civilizations (2 section)
Instructor, English Department
Northwest State Community College, Archbold, OH, 2018-2020
Composition I (3 sections, online and traditional)
Composition II (9 sections)
Success Center/Writing Lab
Instructor, Lifelong Learning Program
Lourdes University, Sylvania, OH, 2017
Charlie Chaplin: Art, Comedy and Politics (1 section, prepped but cancelled)
The Post-War Boom: 1950s American Cinema (1 section)
Instructor/Graduate Assistant, Department of Theatre and Film
Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, 2012-2016
Introduction to Film (8 sections)
History of Film (7 sections)
American Film Comedy (1 section, online)
Instructor, English Department
College of Micronesia - National Campus, Palikir, Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, 2011-2012
Expository Writing I (4 sections)
Expository Writing II (2 sections)
Advanced Reading (2 sections)
Instructor, English Department
Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Rapids, MI, 2011
Composition I (1 section)
Composition II (1 section)
Instructor/Facilitator
Educational Advising Center, Chisinau, Moldova, 2009-2010
Conversational English Workshop (2 sections)
Instructor/Graduate Assistant, English Department
Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL, 2007-2009
Rhetoric and Composition I (6 sections)
Rhetoric and Composition II (2 sections)
Instructor, Film and Video
Grand Rapids Community Media Center, Grand Rapids, MI, 2006-2007
Beginning Screenwriting (2 sections)
Advanced Screenwriting (1 section)
Teaching Assistant, Cinema Art and Science
Columbia College, Chicago, IL, 2001-2002
Moving Image Production I (1 section)
Image Design for Cinema (1 section)
Publications and Interviews:
Film Comedy and the American Dream, 2017
New Books Network: "New Books in American Studies," podcast interview with Diana DePasquale, discussing my recent peer-reviewed monograph, 2018
* Links to other online publications and additional writing samples can be found here.
Conference Presentations:
Austin Film Festival and Writers Conference
Pitch Competition Participant: Snow Birds
Austin, TX: 2018
“Revenge in Modern Times Shall Not Be Justified: Charlie Chaplin and the Production Code,” Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association National Conference
Seattle, WA: 2016
“It’s the End of the World as We Know It… And I Feel Fine: Contemporary Film Comedy and the American Dream,” presenter, Midwest Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association Conference
Cincinnati, OH: 2015
“Music/Comedy/Art,” presenter, Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association National Conference
Chicago, IL: 2014
“More Than Meets the Eye: Neoconservative Rhetoric in the Transformers Franchise,” presenter, Battlegrounds Conference
Bowling Green, OH: 2012
“Using Alternate Reality Games as Teaching/Learning Tools: A Case Study,” panelist, Battlegrounds Conference
Bowling Green, OH: 2012
“Short Film and Roundtable Discussion: Send in the Clowns,” co-presenter and screenwriter, Battlegrounds Conference
Bowling Green, OH: 2012
“Re-Imagining Reality: The Ontological Discourse of Modernist Media,” presenter, Midwest Conference on Literature, Language and Media
Dekalb, IL: 2009
Awards and Achievements:
Cannes Screenwriting Competition, Finalist: Snow Birds - Feature-Length Screenplay, 2019
Austin Film Festival Screenwriting Competition, Second Round Finalist (Top 20%): Subzero - Feature-Length Screenplay, 2018
Scriptapalooza Screenwriting Competition, Quarterfinalist: Subzero - Feature-Length Screenplay, 2018
Nicholl Fellowship, Top 15%: Subzero - Feature-Length Screenplay, 2018
Bowling Green State University, Full Tuition Waiver/Teaching Assistantship, 2012-2016
Fulbright Grant, Documentary Film/Research, Republic of Moldova, 2009-2010
Towers Literary Journal, NIU Press, First Place/Publication: Epitaph - Short Fiction, 2008
Towers Literary Journal, NIU Press, Honorable Mention/Publication: House of Mirrors - Poetry, 2008
Northern Illinois University, Full Tuition Waiver/Teaching Assistantship, 2007-2009
Columbia College Alumni Written Image Award, First Place: Erosion - Feature Length Screenplay, 2006
Columbia College Big Screen Competition, Finalist: Basket Case - 16mm Silent Film, 2002
Professional Experience (Non-Academic):
Judge/Reader [for well-known international film festival/screenwriting competition]
Composer, Performing Musician and Recording Artist (guitar, vocals, piano, percussion, bass, baritone guitar, ukelele, mandolin, banjo)
Grand Rapids, MI; Chicago, IL; Los Angeles, CA; Chisinau, Moldova; Palikir, Pohnpei; Bowling Green, OH: 1998-present
Stand-Up Comedian
Multiple venues, OH: 2014-2016, 2024
Proposal Writer
Steelcase, Grand Rapids, MI: 2010-2014
Documentary Filmmaker: “Borderland: Moldova” (Producer, Director, Cinematographer)
Chisinau, Moldova: 2009-2010
Documentary Filmmaker: “World Famous” (Producer, Director, Cinematographer, Co-editor, Composer)
Jacksonville, OR: 2004-2006
Screenplay Coverage Writer
Los Angeles, CA: 2003-2004
Production Assistant: “Monk”
Hollywood, CA: 2003
Script Reader/Intern, The Radmin Company
Beverly Hills, CA: 2002-2003
Additional Skills:
Writing, 35mm and digital photography, videography, linear and non-linear editing (Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere), 16mm film production, live sound mixing, lighting design, sound recording, production and mastering (ProTools, Logic, Sonar, Garageband, etc.), darkroom techniques, computer maintenance and repair (software and hardware, PC and Mac), graphic design, electrical work, music performance and composition, acting, directing, and promoting cultural literacy.
Popular Culture Association (PCA)
Midwest Popular Culture Association (MPCA)
America Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP)
Writers Guild of America (WGA), Independent Writers Caucus
