Who I Am, What I Do

I am passionate about visual storytelling through screen media. I hold a BFA (Distinction) in Film and Digital Production and a BA (Hons) in Film Studies from the University of Regina. I went on to complete a MScRes in Film Studies at the University of Edinburgh, and a PhD in Film Studies at the University of Hull (my thesis proposes meme theory as a paradigm for screen-media analysis using The Simpsons and its audience as a case study).

I led, designed and delivered the contextual (studies) modules at Nottingham Trent University for the BA (Hons) Animation and BA (Hons) Filmmaking programs for eight years, during which I received multiple nominations and a 2020 win of the Student-led Teaching Award for Outstanding Teaching in the School of Art & Design.

Though I love academia—and especially screen academia—I am keen to see academic insights reach a global audience whose members crave deeper insight into and knowledge of the media they love.

I bring film school to you.

Qualifications

  • University of Hull, UK, 2016

    Thesis: Craptacular Science and the Worst Audience Ever: Memetic Proliferation and Fan Participation in The Simpsons

  • University of Edinburgh, 2011

    Thesis: Enter Law Fu Lok: Cynthia Rothrock as a Colonial and Nationalist Figure in New-Wave-Era Hong Kong Martial Arts Cinema

  • University of Regina, 2009

    Thesis: Shaking Countries Overseas: Bruce Lee as a Transnational and Polycultural Figure

  • with Distinction
    University of Regina, 2008

    Thesis film: Seishi, which became the first film ever selected from the University of Regina to screen at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Student Film Showcase (2008).

  • with Distinction
    Nottingham Trent University, 2020

    The Postgraduate Certificate of Academic Practice (PGCAP) is a UK higher-education teaching qualification.

  • I am a full Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) in the United Kingdom

Awards & Recognitions

    • NTSU Student-led Teaching Awards 2020 – Winner of the award for Outstanding Teaching in the School of Art & Design.

    • NTSU Student-led Teaching Awards 2019 – Nominated and shortlisted for the award for Outstanding Teaching in the School of Art & Design.

    • NTSU Student-led Teaching Awards 2018 – Nominated and shortlisted for the award for Outstanding Teaching in the School of Art & Design.

    • Queen’s Anniversary Prize 2014 – 2016; I was a key member of the research team whose work on modern slavery was awarded the prize in February 2016.

    • University of Hull International Fee Bursary, Autumn 2011 to Autumn 2014, University of Hull.

    • Jean Oser Essay Prize, Winter 2009, University of Regina.

    • Partners in Motion Scholarship in Media Production, Fall 2008, University of Regina.

    • President's Medal; Short-listed, Winter 2008, University of Regina.

    • Women in the Director's Chair; Work Study Placement and Full Scholarship; Residency as Sound Recorder/Mixer, January 2008.

    • Academic Silver Scholarship and Prize, Fall 2007, University of Regina.

    • Academic Silver Scholarship and Prize, Winter 2007, University of Regina.

    • Duane Spencer Arnott Memorial Scholarship in Media Production and Studies; Winter 2007, University of Regina.

    • Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Student Film Showcase - Official Selection, May 2008: My animated film Seishi was the first submission from the University of Regina to be selected for this annual national honour.

    • Saskatchewan Motion Picture Industry Association (SMPIA) Showcase 2008, Nomination, Best Student/Amateur Film, Dr. Gregory and the Man with Stabbing Stomach Pains, Animation, April 2008.

Publications

    • “The Violentest Place on Earth: Adventures in Censorship, Nostalgia and Pastiche.” In Discussing Disney. Amy M. Davis, Ed. New Barnet, Hertsfordshire: John Libbey Publishing.

      This chapter explores representations of Walt Disney, his work and his legacy in The Simpsons through a lens of postmodern theory.

    • “The Art of Shitposting: How Simpsons fans learned to steam a good ham.” The Conversation, 6 April 2018. Available at: https://theconversation.com/the-art-ofshitposting-how-simpsons-fans-learned-to-steam-a-good-ham-94537

      This article examines the participatory and memetic nature of online Simpsons fandom as it creeps into the mainstream.

    • “How can universities contribute to tackling modern slavery? A report prepared by Jemma Gilboy on Behalf of the Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability, University of Edinburgh”. Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh. Available at: https://www.ed.ac.uk/files/atoms/files/uoe_modern_slavery_and_universities_briefing_oct_20 16.pdf

      This report examines the areas in which higher education institutions are likely to encounter or intersect with issues of modern slavery, and steps that can be taken to monitor HE supply chains effectively.

    • Craptacular Science and the Worst Audience Ever: Memetic Proliferation and Fan Participation in The Simpsons. Ph.D Thesis, University of Hull. Available at: https://hydra.hull.ac.uk/resources/hull:13741

      My PhD thesis, which—using The Simpsons and its online fandom as a case study— proposes meme theory as a viable theoretical paradigm for screen media analysis.

    • “How Time Works in The Simpsons.” Animation: An Interdisciplinary Journal Vol. 10 Issue 3 (2015): 175 – 188.

      This article, co-written with Amy M. Davis and James Zborowski, unpicks the perplexities and contradictions in the passage of time in The Simpsons universe.

    • Gilboy, Jemma, “Shaking Countries Overseas: Bruce Lee as a Transnational and Polycultural Celebrity Figure.” Splice (Summer 2009): pp. 18 – 24.

      My honours thesis for the BA (Hons) in Film and Video Studies, which examines the natures of transnationality, stardom and polyculture as embodied by Bruce Lee.
      It was published in Splice magazine as part of the Jean Oser Essay Prize, which I was awarded in 2009.

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