Justin comes to SSHMP with a broad background in media technology, digital storytelling, program management and community engagement. At StoryCorps Chicago, he recorded and archived over 400 oral histories housed at the Library of Congress and Smithsonian Museum, developed nearly 30 community partnerships to diversify the audio collections, and led dozens of workshops for youth, elders, students, and community partners in interviewing and audio production. At Kartemquin Films’ Diverse Voices in Docs, Justin coordinated the creative and professional development of emerging filmmakers of color and organized documentary trainings and roundtable discussions with local and national industry leaders including Sundance, ITVS, POV, and PBS affiliates.

Most recently, as Media Center Training & Community Manager at University of Chicago’s Logan Center for the Arts, he designed and led the Jonathan Logan Media Center’s Digital Storytelling initiative. Through education, programming, and partnerships with community based media arts organizations, the Initiative advances the integration of technology and digital media into the broader community arts mission at the Logan. He enhanced existing and initiated new digital storytelling programs, including the Production Institute, a partnership with Community Film Workshop that provides South Side filmmakers the essential tools and skills to tell their stories. We look forward to future collaborations with our colleagues at the Logan Center in this shared and important work.

As SSHMP film collections continue to grow, and interest in our unique materials builds, we are very excited to work with Justin to introduce new audiences of students, teachers, historians, artists, neighbors and potential film donors to our Digital Archive. His expertise in recording and archiving oral histories will enable SSHMP to meet a long-held goal of recording and preserving interviews with every family who donates their home movies. His deep ties to organizations around the city will help expand our community partnerships and make new creative collaborations possible. And Justin’s background in digital technology will ensure that our collection database is secure, up to date, and accessible to viewers around the world on a wide range of platforms.

“Working with stories is my passion,” Justin told us. We are thrilled that Justin will be working with us to share the many stories in SSHMP’s collections in exciting and lasting ways.