Eric A. Pitz
Ph.D. Student, Cinema and Media Studies
Eric Pitz (he/him) is a PhD student in cinema and media studies at UCLA researching the history of the Fleischer animation studio, analyzing the studio’s shift away from vaudeville and jazz-derived sensibilities and aesthetics from the 1920s until Paramount Pictures’ takeover of the studio in 1942. To do so, he is examining the studio’s technological innovations in conjunction to its utilization of Black and Jewish performers and performances, as well as the studio’s move from New York City to Miami. In addition to his research in cinema and media studies, he is also working on a graduate certificate in English writing pedagogy.
Pitz’ work has been accepted for presentation at conferences put on by the Society for Cinema and Media Studies and the Popular Culture Association. He has previously been awarded the Kemp R. Niver Scholarship in Film History and the Anna & Rich Lundin Summer Research Fellowship. Beyond his work as an academic, Pitz has worked with the Highland Park Film Festival, the Fresh Coast Film Festival, and the Sherman Grinberg Film Library.
Research Interests
Media industries, American film history (silent and classical Hollywood cinema), film genres (comedy), animation studies, race and ethnicity, convergence culture, gender and sexuality studies, film censorship
Education
M.A., Cinema and Media Studies, UCLA
B.A., English and Spanish, Northern Michigan University
PhD., Cinema and Media Studies, UCLA (in progress)
Selected accomplishments and professional work
Pitz, Eric A. (2025). Pitz, Eric A. “Ho-di-ho-di-Ro-to-scope: Black Performance in the Fleischer Studio’s Minnie the Moocher.” Paper presented at the Popular Culture Association Conference in New Orleans, LA.
Pitz, Eric A. (2025) “Queer Coding and Cross-Dressing: The Censorship of the Kiss in Hollywood Gender Impersonation Cinema, 1925-1959.” Paper presented at the Society for Cinema and Media Studies Conference in Chicago, IL.
Kemp R. Niver Scholarship in Film History (UCLA, 2024)
Anna & Rich Lundin Summer Research Fellowship (Northern Michigan University, 2019)
