Dr. Thomas Parham, a professor of communication and media studies and associate dean for assessment and operations at the College of the Arts, will travel to Canada this fall as a Fulbright Scholar. His research will focus on how streaming services and U.S. runaway production influence Canadian cultural identity. He will conduct his work at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan.
Parham’s recognition marks three Fulbright Scholar awards received by Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBA) faculty within two years.
“Pop culture studies are worthwhile,” Parham said. “It’s interesting to see so many locations outside Hollywood producing U.S. shows.”
Parham joined PBA in 2020 after nearly twenty years teaching at Azusa Pacific University. At PBA, he teaches courses such as Writing for Film and Television, Cinema Lab, and Screenwriting Fundamentals.
His background includes eleven years of active duty in the United States Navy, where he reached the rank of lieutenant (O-3) and qualified as a surface warfare officer. After military service, he completed graduate studies in performing arts and communication studies.
Parham has worked on more than 100 episodes of broadcast television, including writing for CBS’s “JAG,” Family Channel’s “Big Brother Jake,” and serving as an on-location writers’ assistant for “Touched by an Angel.” He also worked as supervisor of publishing for Paramount Pictures’ licensing division before moving into academia.
Reflecting on industry changes, Parham noted that many professionals now work outside Los Angeles: “People aren’t going back to LA; they’re working in New York, Georgia, Vancouver, and Toronto,” he said. “And so many American shows shoot in Canada… so I started thinking: ‘What about Canadian shows?’”
Parham traces his interest in film and television back to childhood when reading helped him develop an early appreciation for storytelling.
He credited Dr. Carl Miller, PBA’s Gilman and Fulbright Scholarship advisor, with supporting his application process: “I thought about applying for a Fulbright for years,” Parham said. “This is the cherry on top of my academic career.”
Learn more about PBA’s cinema and media studies programs.
