Vanessa Vartabedian

• Founded in 2014, the mission for The Mosquito has remained constant– to engage diverse, expansive audiences in the art and craft of live storytelling, while celebrating the commonality and differences of human experiences.
• Impetus for this project was a perceived gap in my local community which lacked inclusive, participatory opportunities that offered catharsis and connection.
• Currently in it's10th year, The Mosquito Story Project has presented hundreds of stories to thousands of people at sold-out events in Cape Cod and Boston.
• The Mosquito is committed to offering year-round programming and storytelling workshops.
• Global access to Mosquito stories are available on The Mosquito Story Slam Podcast.

• Assessed PTV's organization's vision, goals, and objectives to meet current needs of the community , with a focus on relevance and access
• Set organizational goals and objectives to guide and achieve mission fulfillment.
• Developed and managed budget
• Built relationships with donors, government officials and other organizations to secure funding and support for organization.
• Developed strategies, including collaborative efforts with the public to engage and educate our local audience about PTV
• Conducted top-tier media interviews and organized engaging fundraising events , enhancing PTV's visibility and reputation.
• Worked closely with board of directors to guide operational strategy, including fundraising and community relations
• Drove strategic improvements to enhance operational and organizational efficiencies
• Fostered a culture of collaboration and inclusion to for employees and members alike
• Defined company roles and responsibilities to establish and enhance processes.
• Advocated for organization and company mission to raise awareness and support.
• Built and maintained strong company teams by hiring and training qualified staff to create positive and productive work environments
• Represented organization at industry conferences and events.

• Developed integrated project-based Media Education curriculum for a diverse middle school population using The New Media Literacies–cultural and social competencies for successful 21st century participation
• Created learning opportunities for students build upon existing literacies, such as research and technical and critical thinking skills, to engage with exploratory and problem-solving skills, like simulation, play and, negotiation

Central to the development of the undergraduate Digital Filmmaking major at its inception in 2015.

• Originated and instructed 3 core courses and 2 electives
• Increased program visibility through students' successful outcomes and awards
• Served on Junior and Senior juries

• Lead Trainer integrating SMALLab's motion capture, embodied learning technology into school and museum settings.

Worked alongside educators and students to develop SMALLab curriculum and activities strongly aligned with STEM standards to meet the needs of individual school districts.

• Trained museums and other educational organizations to successfully implement SMALLab technology and activities as relevant to their educational goals

Conducted research and delivered reporting on the positive impact of engagement with SMALLab on increased STEM learning and retention.

• Curriculum development and instruction for undergraduate level concerning all aspects of television studio production, including: scriptwriting, technical and procedural skills, as well as storytlling for visual media - and related competencies.

• Provided expertise and support for global network of educators working to foster innovation and entrepreneurship in children through creative play
• Provided guidance in STEM curriculum development and technologies for diverse student populations with a range of educational needs.
• Partnered with organizations to provide new technologies, tools and training to our educators via donations, webinars and mentorship
• Designed and populated blog stories related to our global efforts
• Participated in establishing sustainable training model for global scaling by 2020.

• Developed and delivered dynamic multimedia curriculum for IWitness, the Foundation’s learning platform for engaging students with Foundation's primary source archive of over 52,000 video testimonies
• Trained in classrooms globally on using leveraging platform's capacity to broaden students' worldview, spark curiosity, empathy and civic engagement.
• Led ongoing professional development opportunities for the use of video testimony in classrooms, aimed at helping students understand the manifestations of antisemitism in the world today, and how it relates to them personally
• Conducted pivotal research through classroom pilots in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia
• Presented regularly at national conferences, including TEDx and The Anti-Defamation League.
• Successfully brokered a valuable partnership between USC Shoah Foundation and the U.S Dept of Education
• Wrote and produced About IWitness promotional video in partnership with The Education Superhighway, which screened at the White House

• Awarded $500,000 Gates Foundation funding for implementation of a new model for 21st century learning based on previous research with MIT's Project New Media Literacies
• Co-led PLAY! team toward development, implementation and research of a multi-tiered professional development program for LAUSD teachers spanning two years, focused on innovative teaching practices that support a generation of entrepreneurs
• Created and taught the PLAY! After School Program where students produced variety of interactive media projects within their local communities
• Collaborated on content and user experience for the PLAYground online learning platform focused on participatory co-learning and new media practices
• Published 3 research articles in peer reviewed journals co-authored with Dr.Henry Jenkins and others
• Presented regularly at national conferences including: Digital Media and Learning, American Educational Research Association and Innovative Professional Development.

• In close collaboration with renowned media scholar, Dr.
• Henry Jenkins, designed and Project New Media Literacies' hybrid professional development program for middle school educators
• Produced 12-part series of expert-led, participatory webinars on NMLs for educators worldwide
• Wrote and produced collection of video tutorials for effectively engaging with NML Learning Library website
• Published research in1 peer reviewed journal
• Presented research at various national conferences, including Digital Media and Learning, Education Leaders Institute and Christa McAuliffe Conference.

• Procured funding, and managed the budget to support the needs of the program
• Led advisory board of industry professionals in expanding the scope of the program and its resources
• Developed the comprehensive curriculum for TV and Film CTE Program, a 3-year course of study
• Instructed at all levels of pre-production, production and post-production in television studio and film production using industry-standard technologies and practices
• Mentored students' creative endeavors and areas of special focus
• Supported work-study and internship opportunities, as well as connections with higher education institutions.

• Led advisory board of industry professionals in ongoing development of the program
• Managed lab space, procured equipment and additional budget to support the growing program
• Developed and taught 4-year comprehensive curriculum for the inaugural Film and Television Broadcasting CTE Program
• Taught all aspects of filmmaking and television studio production in state-of-the-art facilities
• Achieved Massachusetts Chapter-74 certification for the program
• Winner of 2007 National Hometown Video Award for Overall Excellence based on student work.