CV

Josh Perez

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

Personal/Work Email: justjoshperez@gmail.com

justjoshperez.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

CERTIFICATIONS

PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT

GRANT WORK

• Documentation & Production: Produced high-quality audio and visual content documenting community stories.
• Storytelling Strategy: Translated complex themes of social isolation and bridging across differences into compelling narratives.
• 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.

• Documentation & Production: Produced high-quality audio and visual content documenting community stories.

PUBLICATIONS

Journal Articles

Forthcoming Perez, Josh. "The Shape of Cinema: Water, Love, and Religious Imagination." Journal of Theta Alpha Kappa.

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, no. 3 (2025): 485–487. https://doi.org/10.1163/21659214-bja10170

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

2026 "Hello and Welcome to . . . : A Discussion and Workshop about Community-Oriented Podcasting." Perez, Josh, Amanda Henderson, and Heidi Ippolito. Workshop presented at Why We Come Together: Media, Religion, and Community, 12th Biannual Conference of the Center for Media, Religion and Culture, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, October 21–23, 2026.

2026 "The Altar of the Silver Screen: The Shape of Water as a Religious Apparatus for Orientation." Presented at the Fourth Annual Southwest Popular / American Culture Association (SWPACA) Salon, 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 "Deferring or Denying Death: Upload, Black Mirror, and Mickey 17 as Sites of Anthropocene Lament." Perez, Josh, and Lynn Schofield Clark. 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." 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, undergraduate course taught by Dr. Lynn Schofield Clark. Lectured on "Deferring or Denying Death: Upload, Black Mirror, and Mickey 17 as Sites of Anthropocene Lament" research and led discussion. April 14, 2026.

2026 Moderator, Japanese Americans in Film: Shorts Screening, hosted by the Japanese Arts Network, Simpson United Methodist Church, Arvada, CO. Screenings of One Fighting Irishman and The Misadventures of a Nisei Week Queen with the directors, followed by a community talkback. March 20, 2026.

2026 Course Co-Creator, 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 Guest Lecturer and 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 AND SCHOLARSHIPS

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

2024–present JDP Diamond Scholarship, 100% Tuition

2024 Elizabeth Iliff Warren Fellowship, $10,000

2024–2026 DU Graduate Studies Doctoral Fellowship, $9,000

2022–2024 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 Planning Committee, Hispanic Theological Institute 30th Anniversary

2026–2027 Graduate Student Association, 3rd Year Representative

2025–2027 Graduate Student Association, Co-Fundraising Chair

2025–2026 Graduate Student Association, 2nd Year Representative

2024–2025 Graduate Student Association, 1st Year Representative

2023–2024 Co-Chair of the Student Senate, Iliff School of Theology

2023–2024 Board of Trustees, Student Representative, Iliff School of Theology

2022–2023 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

Emerging Interests

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

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
• Logic Pro
• Zoom
• Descript
• Substack
• Canva

SELECTED NOTABLE WORKS

• Religion News Association 2026 Excellence in Religion Reporting Awards – First Place, Excellence in Analysis and Explanatory Reporting
• Religion News Association 2026 Excellence in Religion Reporting Awards – Third Place, Excellence in Audio: Commentary and Conversation

• Adapted into the book Founding Radicals: Frances Wright and the Women Who Shaped a Young America (Lyons Press, forthcoming February 2027)

• New Mexico Filmmakers Showcase – Best Documentary
• ABQ Indie Film Festival – Best Short Documentary
• Madrid Film Festival – Best Documentary
• Mindfield Film Festival – Best Urban Documentary
• Albuquerque Film and Music Experience – Official Selection

• Albuquerque Film and Music Experience – Official Selection