Zoe Fraade-Blanar

“I want to be famous!” For a decade, this has been the most common response to the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Influencers, TV stars, D-listers – the media has exploded with celebrities who could not have existed even 20 years ago. But who actually gets to be famous? It’s certainly not always the most attractive, charismatic, or talented. Why shouldn’t it be us? This production-centric class will create celebrities. We will study the underlying principles, tactics, and technologies that go into generating the phenomenon of fame, and the deliberate strategies of PR and cross-platform narrative that sustain it. We’ll examine the evolution, neuroscience, and cultural positioning of celebrity in modern society. Then we will try it out on each other. And also maybe on some cats, puppies, and ferrets too. Let’s demystify these questions of self-presentation, media attention, fan behavior, and of course, commercial profit. Celebrity isn’t nearly as random as it appears!