CV

Josh Perez

Academic Email: joshua.perez@du.edu and jsperez@iliff.edu

Personal/Work Email: justjoshperez@gmail.com

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EDUCATION

2024-present   Ph.D. in Religion, The University of Denver (DU) and Iliff School of Theology (Iliff)

2014                B.A. in Psychology, The University of New Mexico

PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT

GRANT WORK

2025-27     Cultural Storyteller & Media Lead | Belonging Colorado (The Denver Foundation) | Institute for Religion, Politics & Culture at the Iliff School of Theology, Denver, CO | March 2025 to March 2027 | Led audio/visual documentation for a $320,000 grant-funded initiative focused on fostering community belonging and bridging divides across Colorado.

• Documentation & Production: Produced high-quality audio and visual content documenting community stories, ensuring alignment with the "Belonging Barometer" research goals.
• Storytelling Strategy: Translated complex themes of social isolation and inclusion into compelling visual narratives for diverse stakeholders.
• Project Management: Collaborated with cross-sector partners (including Greater Good Science Center, Colorado Health Institute, and Over Zero) to deliver assets that supported the project's statewide impact.

PUBLICATIONS

Journal Articles

2026    Perez, Josh. “In Another Life: Cinema, Portals, and Orientation.” The Journal of Auto-Academia (University of Denver & Iliff School of Theology Joint Doctoral Program in the Study of Religion) Inaugural Volume, no. 0 (2026): 154–163.   

Book Reviews

2025 Perez, Joshua. "Jesus, the Gospels, and Cinematic Imagination: Introducing Jesus Movies, Christ Films, and the Messiah in Motion, written by Richard Walsh and Jeffrey L. Staley", Journal of Religion, Media and Digital Culture 14, 3 (2025): 485-487, doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/21659214-bja10170

PAPER PRESENTATIONS

2026                The Altar of the Silver Screen: The Shape of Water as a Religious Apparatus for Orientation Joshua Perez, Presented at the fourth annual Southwest Popular / American Culture Association (SWPACA) Salon in the Film Studies 2: Coogler, Hitchcock, and Film Audiences section, fully virtual, June 25-27, 2026

2026                “The Shape of Cinema: Water, Love, and Religious Imagination” Paper presented at the Rocky Mountain Great Plains Regional Conference of the American Academy of Religion and Religion and Bible Society, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO, March 27-28, 2026

2026                Perez, Josh, and Lynn Schofield Clark. "Deferring or Denying Death: Upload, Black Mirror, and Mickey 17 as Sites of Anthropocene Lament." Paper presented at the 47th Annual Southwest Popular / American Culture Association (SWPACA) Conference, Albuquerque, NM, February 25–28, 2026.

2025                “In Another Life: Cinema, Portals, and Orientation” for the Liberating Imagination panel, paper presented at the Rocky Mountain Great Plains Regional Conference of the American Academy of Religion and Religion and Bible Society, University of Denver, Denver, CO, March 28-29, 2025

INVITATIONS

2026                Guest Lecturer, Innovation in Media & AI, undergrad course taught by Dr. Lynn Schofield Clark. Lectured on our "Deferring or Denying Death: Upload, Black Mirror, and Mickey 17 as Sites of Anthropocene Lament" research and led discussion. April 14th, 2026

2026                Co-create course, Movies, Meaning-Making, and Identity, Graduate Level, Iliff School of Theology, with Dr. April Mack, Assistant Professor of Religion and Social Justice, Spring Semester 2026

2025                Podcast Workshop, Bringing Dystopian Worlds to Life Through Audio: From Idea to Episode for Your Final Project, for Dr. Christy Cobb, First Year Seminar, Dystopian Futures: Gender and Religion in Literature and Film, October 23, 2025

2025                Keynote Speaker with Rev. Dr. Amanda Henderson, Mountain Sky UMC Annual Conference: Storytelling in New Social Spaces, June 11, 2025

ACADEMIC AWARDS

2024                Outstanding Achievement in Master of Theological Studies Award

2024                Graduation with Distinction awarded by the Iliff School of Theology

GRANTS/SCHOLARSHIPS

2026-2027       Elizabeth Iliff Warren Fellowship, $10,000

2024-Present   JDP Diamond Scholarship, 100% Tuition

2024                Elizabeth Iliff Warren Fellowship, $10,000

2024-26           DU Graduate Studies Doctoral Fellowship, $9,000

2022-24           William Iliff Memorial Scholarship, $37,800

2022                Social Justice Scholarship $5,000

2022                Western Regional Scholarship $5,000

2022                Iliff Scholarship $2,500

ACADEMIC SERVICE

2026                Hispanic Theological Institute 30th anniversary planning committee

2026-27           Graduate Student Association, 3rd Year Representative

2025-27           Graduate Student Association, Co-Fundraising Chair

2025-26           Graduate Student Association, 2nd Year Representative

2024-25           Graduate Student Association, 1st Year Representative

2023-24           Co-Chair of the Student Senate

2023-24           Board of Trustees, Student Representative

2022-23 Student Senate, Master of Theological Studies Representative

Memberships

American Academy of Religion (AAR)

SKILLS AND INTERESTS

Academic and Research

• Interdisciplinary Research
• Cinema and Film Studies
• Theories of Religion
• Artificial Intelligence and What it Means to be Human
• Curriculum Development and Course Design
• Scholarly Writing, Editing, and Public Writing
• Reflexive and Autoethnographic Methodologies
• Film as Religion

Media and Creative Arts

• Filmmaking (Directing, Cinematography, Editing, Producing)
• Digital Storytelling and Narrative Design
• Podcast Production, Audio Engineering, and Sound Design
• Brand Identity and Creative Direction
• Visual Literacy and Cinematic Theory

Leadership and Communication

• Public Speaking and Facilitation
• Leadership Development
• Interpersonal Communication and Group Dynamics
• Enneagram Coaching and Integrative Personality Work
• Conflict Navigation and Bridge-Building across Ideological Divides

Technical Tools and Platforms

• Adobe Premiere Pro, Audition, and Creative Suite
• Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro
• Zoom, Descript, and other media tools
• Substack, Canva, and social media content strategy

Emerging Interests

• Film as Religion
• Queer Theory
• Futurism / Speculative Imagination
• Public Facing Creative Scholarly Writing
• New Materialism
• Posthumanism
• Phenomenology

SELECTED NOTABLE WORKS