Josh Nathan Addresses Scholars and Filmmakers

Reading at an Evening Reception

Author Josh Nathan just finished sharing Too Mad to Trust with those at America's first international conference on Celebrity Culture in Manhattan. Discussing the theories behind a book aimed at stemming the growing tide of speech and language disorders like stuttering or selective mutism, Josh was one of only four authors to read from a new release at a conference organized by the Centre for Media & Celebrity Studies (CMCS). 

CMCS Director Dr. Samita Nandy initially invited Josh to serve as a media strategy expert in a professional development workshop there. The two posed for photos with each other's books. Josh was honored to be one of the first to receive a copy of Dr. Nandy's Fame in Hollywood North: A Theoretical Guide to Celebrity Cultures in Canada and she is one of the first to receive a copy of Too Mad to Trust. 

Posing with Each Other's New Releases

     

Serving with Josh on the panel is Dr. Louis Massey, Managing Editor of WaterHill Publishing, and Dr. Samita Nandy. The goal of "Scholars as Critics: A Professional Development Workshop for Academics" was to help those attending understand how the media operates, how to best answer reporter questions, brand yourself, and garner the news coverage you want. The conference's goal centered on "bridging gaps" between academics, those in media, and everyday folks trying to position, and successfully promote, themselves in the market.

Josh Nathan answers questions from conference attendees with Dr. Louis Massey (left) and Dr. Samita Nandy (right) at Club Quarters Hotel, opposite Rockefeller Center, in New York, New York, at Bridging Gaps: Where is the Persona in Celebrity and Journalism?

Josh Presents New Academic Research

NBC News Headquarters

Earlier in the conference, Josh was the first speaker and presented findings from a new academic paper, Implications of Journalism's Tall Tales on a Telling Public. When discussing NBC's Brian Williams, theories collide to explain what happened to one of the nation's most watched news anchors after revealing that he exaggerated stories about his coverage of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. As Williams returns to the air on MSNBC, Josh explains why Williams may still likely have a place in the hearts and minds of viewers.

Filmmaker Veronica Grey

Those at the conference also had an opportunity to screen and discuss the new short documentary Worst Shark Attack Ever featuring Leonardo DiCaprio and filmmaker Veronica Grey. Exploring the carnage humans inflict upon sharks to make shark fin soup, DiCaprio and Grey have been working to shine light on an environmental issue close to their hearts. 

"This conference was rare in that it engendered a genuinely cohesive, collaborative, and supportive group that kept the program running long after the actual event itself ended," Josh told conference co-chairs Dr. Nandy and Dr. Jackie Raphael when making plans to have some of the attendees speak in his courses as "Skype Guests."

You can see more highlights from the conference on Storify and you can follow Josh's tweets through our website, Too Mad to Trust, or by typing in his Twitter Handle @ProfJDN.

As always, if you ever have any questions about Too Mad to Trust--or for one of its authors--we are eager to hear from you and always return emails. You may reach us directly at toomadtotrust@gmail.com and can learn more about Josh, with his recent debut, through AUTHORSdb:

Twitter: Josh Nathan debuts on this week's Top10 Author List