Research
Brandon C. Harris
Publications
Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles
Harris, B., Hansen, J., Can, O., Rahmen, W., Foxman, M., Cote, A., & Fickle, T. (in
revision). “Starting from scratch to looking really clean and professional”: How students’ productive labor legitimizes collegiate esports. Critical Studies of Media Communication.
Cote, A. C., Harris, B. (2021). The cruel optimism of ‘good crunch’: How game
industry discourses perpetuate unsustainable labor practices. New Media & Society.
Cote, A., & Harris, B. (2021). “Weekends became something other people did”:
Understanding and intervening in the habitus of video game crunch. Convergence, 27(1).
Harris, B. (2019). We’ll do it live! Unpacking the community-building labor of twitch
streamers. Electronic Journal of Communication, 29, 3 & 4.
Elias, T., Blaine, M., Morrison, D., & Harris, B. (2019). Media Use, Cross-National Samples,
and the Theory of Planned Behavior: Implications for Climate Change Advocacy Intentions. International Journal of Communication, 13, 25.
Edited Book Chapters
Guldin, R., & Harris, B. (Forthcoming, 2021). “‘Who wouldn’t want to summon dragons and
trolls?’: Constructing communities at Friday Night Magic” in Jones, Shelly (Ed.) Essays on Magic The Gathering.
Harris, B. (Forthcoming). “Reconciling Goodwill After Selling Out” in: What’s Brewing?
Essays on Beer Culture. McFarland & Co.
Refereed Presentations
Peer-Reviewed Conference Papers
Can, O., Rahman, W., Hansen, J., Harris, B., Fickle, T., Cote A., Foxman, M. (2021). Cognitive
Capitalism in Collegiate Esports. Paper presented at the 71st Annual International Communication Association Conference, Virtual, May, 2021.
Cote, A., Hansen, J., Harris, B., Rahman, W., Can, O., Fickle, T., Foxman, M. (2021). Taking
Care of Toxicity: Challenges and Strategies for Inclusion in Collegiate Esports Programs. Paper presented at the 71st Annual International Communication Association Conference, Virtual, May, 2021.
Foxman, M., Fickle, T., Harris B. (2021). Out of Bounds: Reconceiving the Institution of
Esports. Paper presented at the 71st Annual International Communication Association Conference, Virtual, May, 2021.
Harris, B., Hansen, J., Can, O. Rahman, W., Fickle, T., Cote A., Foxman, M. (2021). The
legitimizing labor of collegiate esports students: Critical insights for continued institutionalization. Paper presented at the 71st Annual International Communication Association Conference, Virtual, May, 2021.
Harris, B. (2021). Dueling professions: Differentiating full-time streamers from esports athletes.
Paper presented at the Game Studies Division at the annual conference of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies, virtual conference in March, 2021).
Harris, B., Hansen, J., Can, O., Rahman, W., Foxman, M., Cote, A., & Fickle, T. (2020). All play
& all work: The entrepreneurial mindset of collegiate esports participants. Paper presented at the University of California’s Esports Conference, Zoom, October, 2020.
Can, O., Harris, B., Rahman, W., Hansen, J., Foxman, M., Wear, H., Cote, A., & Fickle, T.
(2020). A collegiate esports ecosystem: Exploring possibilities & challenges for universities and businesses. Paper presented at the Gaming & Esports Summit Economics & Business Conference, Zoom, September 2020.
Cote, A., & Harris, B. (2020). Weekends became something other people did”: Understanding
and intervening in the habitus of video game crunch. Paper presented to the Game Studies Division at the annual conference of the International Communication Association in Gold Coast, Australia, May 2020.
Foxman, M., Cote, A., Wear, H., Harris, B., Hansen, J., Can, O., & Ur Rahman, W. (2020). For
the win: Critical concerns of collegiate esports players. Paper presented to the Game Studies Division at the annual conference of the International Communication Association in Gold Coast, Australia, May 2020.
Foxman, M., Partin, W., & Harris, B. (2020). Recasting Twitch: Games, platforms and new
frontiers in journalism. Paper presented to the Journalism Studies Division at the annual conference of the International Communication Association in Gold Coast, Australia, May 2020.
Harris, B. (2020). Dueling professions: Differentiating full-time streamers from esports athletes.
Paper accepted, not presented though, at the Game Studies Division at the annual conference of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies in Denver, April 2020).
Harris, B. (2019). Community without boundaries: Managing twitch.tv followers while live
streaming. Paper accepted, not presented though, at the Game Studies Division of the International Communication Association conference, Washington D.C., May 2019.
Elias, T., Blaine, M., Morrison, D., & Harris, B. (2018). Latitudes, attitudes, and climate change
agency. Paper presented at the ComSHER Division of the Annual Convention of the Association for Education and Journalism and Mass Communication, Washington D.C., August 2018.
Harris, B. (2018). The Super Bowl, Goose Island, and Dilly Dilly: A Political Economic
Analysis of Super Bowl Commercials. Paper presented at the What Is Universe National Convention, Portland, OR, April 2018.
Harris, B. (2018). Do They Even Care? Understanding Consumer Attitudes on Instagram.
Paper presented at the Popular Culture Association National Convention, Indianapolis, IN, March 2018.
Harris, B., (2017). High-End or Zombie Brands? Assessing Brewery Media Strategies on
Instagram. Paper presented at the Popular Culture Association National Convention, San Diego, CA, April 2017.
Harris, B., (2016). Craft Beer & California Dreaming: Recipe for a new Beerscape. Paper
presented at the Popular Culture Association National Convention, Seattle, WA, March 2016.
Invited Talks and Seminars
Cote, A., & Harris, B. (2020, Dec. 11). Gamework on the page: Text-Based Research Methods
for Studying Game Production Cultures. Researching Game-making: Skills, Cultures, and Politics Workshop. Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.
Research Awards
2020 Lokey Summer Research Scholarship
Awarded $3,000 for my ongoing dissertation research as well as
funding accompanying conference presentations.
2021 Twitch Research Fellowship Finalist
Awarded $5,000 for my research on influential live streamers that
cultivate massive audiences, and how these audiences act as brand communities. By interviewing streamers, my research can identify features and policies at Twitch that need improvement.
Teaching Experience
2017-2020 Instructor of Record— Gateway to Media, University of Oregon
Facilitated four sections of Gateway lab, responsible for teaching digital production, editing, and journalism skills, and assisted the lead professors during larger lectures (Fall ‘17- Fall ‘20, 6 terms)
2019-2020 Graduate Employee— Creative Strategist, University of Oregon
Assisted Deb Morrison in creative strategist course, supervised creative projects and student portfolios (Fall ‘19- Spring ’20, 3 terms)
2020-2021 Graduate Employee-- Writing for Communicators, Uni. of Oregon
Supervising students and coaching them through the revision process to
make them better writers. (Winter ‘20, Spring ‘21, Fall ‘21, 3 terms)
2018-2021 Guest Lecturer
Community-Building Power of Memes
Part of introductory Communication & Society-style courses. Applying theories like the public sphere and lessons from the Frankfurt School to the contemporary system of memes to show students how memes require a communal, shared sense of humor to retain their meaning.
Reference: Dr. Charles Deitz, cdeitz@uoregon.edu
Authenticity, Strategy, & Influence
Lecture to advertising students on the strategies and techniques that social media influencers use to create massive followings, as well as opportunities for brands. Analyzing SMIs to generate ideas and critical thinking about some of the most innovative forms of advertising to date.
Reference: Dr. Deb Morrison, debmor@uoregon.edu
Research Experience
2020 Research Assistant, University of Columbia TOW Center
Assisted Dr. Maxwell Foxman with a live streaming and journalism
project designed to educate journalists on live streaming practices, then collaborate with them to develop a robust training program
2019-2020 Research Assistant, University of Oregon
Founding member of the Esports and Gaming Research Lab at UO. Leading a team of four PhD students and collaborating with an interdisciplinary group of Assistant Professors to investigate the institutionalization of collegiate esports programs.
2018-2019 Research Assistant, University of Oregon
Worked with Dr. Amanda Cote editing her book manuscript, Gaming Sexism, regarding women playing video games, the stigma against them, and strategies women used to play enjoyably
2018-2019 Research Assistant, University of Oregon
Worked with Dr. Kyu Ho Youm on his research about global freedoms of press and their impact on successful democracies.
2017-2018 Research Assistant, University of Oregon
Assisted associate professor Dr. Troy Elias prepare a paper for Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC)
2015-2016 Research Assistant, Queens University of Charlotte
Queens University of Charlotte, NC
Assisted Dr. Mohammed el-Nawawy review literature for two projects
Additional Work Experience
2019-2020 Strategic Communication Consultant
Freelance consultant-researcher, developed a directory of potential talent acquisition portfolio of Twitch streamers, YouTube content creators, and other social media influencers for Theorycraft Advising. Reference: Laura Gaba Flanagan, lgf@theorycraftadv.com.
2017-2016 Documentary Producer
Planned, wrote, developed, filmed, edited, and produced two chapters of the Souls of Queens series, examining how race impacts student narratives
2016-2016 Strategic Communication Consultant
Critiqued past SGK Charlotte Facebook content and used narrative theory to devise a strategic communication plan to produce more engaging content
2016- Present Strategic Communication Consultant
Contributed to the design and execution of initial marketing campaign for monthly subscription-based start-up company, SnapWag & Shake It Pup
2016- 2015 Documentary Producer
Filmed, produced, and edited a social justice documentary, Souls of Our Students: Queens University of Charlotte to capture the student body’s collective reaction to Keith Lamont Scott’s death and the events that directly followed. Developed media production skills, and planned a student viewing event to facilitate critical dialogue in the student community
2016-2015 Organization Advisor
Advised student social justice group, The Justice League, on how to increase their reach and impact on campus, planned multiple events for 2017 to ensure the group’s longevity. Developed events to promote discussions of racial inequality and social justice on campus and in the greater Charlotte community
2015-2014 Department Manager
Managed the eBay and Craigslist department for start-up social-commerce company, JLS Trading Company, that resold goods on multiple online platforms. Utilized SEO marketing to increase the listing’s visibility, and drafted rhetorical copy to increase the likelihood of sale
2014-2013 Marketing Intern
Force Management is a B2B sales consultant company that empowers sales teams to increase profitability. Leveraged SEO techniques to increase the company’s digital following on their blog, Facebook, Twitter, and other accounts
References
Dr. Amanda Cote, University of Oregon, acote@uoregon.edu
Dr. Chris Chavez, University of Oregon, cchavez4@uoregon.edu
Dr. Maxwell Foxman, University of Oregon, mfoxman@uoregon.edu
Dr. Deb Morrison, University of Oregon, debmor@uoregon.edu
Lauren Gaba Flanagan, Theorycraft Advising, lgf@theorycraftadv.com