Chris Jenkins, head of production and Department of Film and Media Studies instructor at UC Santa Barbara, has been selected for an Alex Trebek Legacy Fellowship by the Television Academy Foundation in Hollywood.
Jenkins is one of 18 professors selected from colleges and universities nationwide for the 2024 fellowship program, the foundation announced.
Named in honor of the late Alex Trebek, longtime host of the hit quiz show "Jeopardy!," the Alex Trebek Legacy Fellowships offer financial support to attendees of the foundation's annual Media Educators Conference.
The conference, being held at the Television Academy's North Hollywood California campus Oct. 9-11, connects college classrooms with the television industry by providing media professors with curriculum-enhancing seminars on the latest in the art, science and business of television with prominent leaders in the industry.
Financial support for fellows includes registration fees, travel and/or hotel accommodations for the conference. Preference is given to attendees from minority-serving institutions.
The Alex Trebek Legacy Fellowships are made possible by a gift from the Harry & Judy Friedman Family Foundation.
Jenkins' exposure to travel at an early age helped shape his passion for cultural diversity, nature, art and freedom.
He studied bronze sculpture and oil painting before picking up a camera and dedicating himself to over two decades of international documentary filmmaking.
He holds a master's degree in documentary film and video from Stanford University, and has been behind the lens of several award-winning feature-length films including "Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars," "The Matador," and Riverwebs.
Jenkins' is work has aired on outlets including Netflix, PBS, NHK, A&E, Discovery, the History Channel, Travel Channel and Sundance Channel.
For the past 13 years, he has been teaching in the Department of Film and Media Studies at UCSB. As the head of production, he oversees a variety of hands-on creative classes and enjoys helping students realize their potential as storytellers.
Prior to receiving his master's degree in production, Jenkins was in East Africa as a United Nations volunteer and in southern Chile as an ambassadorial scholar.
Established in 1959 as the charitable arm of the Television Academy, the Television Academy Foundation is dedicated to preserving the legacy of television while educating and inspiring those who will shape its future.