Welcome to Media in the Mix, the only podcast produced and hosted by the School of Communication at American University. Join us as we create a safe space to explore topics and communication at the intersection of social justice, tech, innovation & pop culture. This week on Media in the Mix, we're joined by none other than, Jamie Sisley!

Jamie Sisley is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker who recently wrote and directed "Stay Awake," a narrative feature film that premiered at the 2022 Berlin Film Festival, where it won the AG Kino Gilde Auteur Award and was Honorable Mention for the Crystal Bear. Starring Chrissy Metz ("This Is Us"), Wyatt Oleff (“IT," Netflix’s “I Am Not Okay With This," Apple’s “City on Fire”), and Fin Argus (Max’s “Queer As Folk,” “The Other Two”), "Stay Awake" is a personal exploration of the roller coaster ride that families go on while trying to help their loved ones battle addiction. The feature is based off a short film of the same name that Jamie also wrote and directed. The short film premiered at the 2015 Berlin Film Festival, won both the National Board of Review Film Prize and Slamdance Grand Jury Prize, and played over 120 film festivals around the world.In addition, Jamie received an Emmy Nomination for his feature documentary, "Farewell Ferris Wheel." Shot over the course of six years, "Farewell Ferris Wheel" explores how the U.S. Carnival industry fights to keep itself alive by legally employing Mexican migrant workers with the controversial H-2B guestworker visa. The film won the Creative Promise Award from the Tribeca Film Institute, received an Imagen Award Nomination for the positive portrayal of Latinos in entertainment, and was nationally broadcast on PBS and Netflix.Jamie’s work has been supported by the Sundance Institute, SFFILM, Tribeca Film Institute, Film Independent, ITVS, and The Smithsonian Institute. Prior to film, Jamie was an artist manager in the music industry at Red Light Management.Learn more about SOC in the links below. Graduate Admissions:http://www.american.edu/soc/admissions/index.cfmUndergraduate Admission:https://www.american.edu/admissions/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ausoc/Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/au_socFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ausoc/?hl=en