Jade Abston

Jade Abston is a Washington, D.C. native. She is a media practitioner who, for several years, worked at television networks creating digital media while also teaching undergraduate media studies and new media courses with a dedication to a multicultural curriculum. She is currently working as a graduate student researcher for the UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report for the Entertainment and Media Research Initiative under the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, which examines the relationship between the bottom line in the Hollywood entertainment industry and diversity. Past honors include a Graduate Council Diversity Fellowship (2022-2023).

Abston's current research examines the visual album as a popular medium that allows Black women agency in their performance and world-building by developing narratives and aesthetics rooted in black feminist praxis.

Research Interests

Black feminisms, Black visual culture, performance studies, sound studies, music videos/visual albums, Black women/representation in film & television

Education

B.A., Communication, Cedar Crest College
Certificate in Korean Studies, Seoul Women’s University
M.A., Communication Arts, New York Institute of Technology
M.A., Cinema and Media Studies, University of California Los Angeles