Jacob Floyd

Jacob Floyd is an assistant professor in the Department of Cinema Studies. He holds a PhD in English with an emphasis in Screen Studies from Oklahoma State University and a Masters of Arts in Cinema Studies with a graduate certificate in Culture and Media studies from NYU. An enrolled citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and of Cherokee descent, Floyd’s primary research interest is Indigenous media, particularly how Native American media makers represent themselves, and have used screen media for their own interests throughout history. His current book project, under contract with the University of Nebraska Press, examines how Native actors in Studio Hollywood performed off-screen to influence the promotion and reception of their films, challenge their on-screen depictions, educate audiences, and advocate for Native causes. He is also interested in how contemporary Indigenous media makers work within, critique, and reinvent film approaches and genres, especially documentary film and horror.

His writing has appeared in journals such as JCMS and the American Indian Culture and Research Journal, and recently in the edited volumes The Evolution of Horror in the Twenty-First Century and The Routledge Companion to Gender and the American West. Floyd also has a background in film production. His work has appeared at festivals including The Margaret Mead Film Festival and the American Indian Film and Video Festival.

Prior to NYU, Floyd was an assistant professor in Visual Studies at the University of Missouri. In 2021, he was named a 40 Under 40 by the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development.