Brian Siress is a Visiting Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Communication within the School of Communication & Journalism at Florida International University. He began teaching at FIU in 2010 and has more than 20 years of college level teaching experience. He is a graduate of New York University’s (NYU) Steinhardt School of Culture, Communication, Education, and Human Development where he earned his MA in Communication Studies. He also earned his BA degree in Communication Studies from Emerson College in Boston. He has taught classes in communication studies at various colleges and universities including Marymount Manhattan College, the CUNY college system of New York City, Monroe College, and Barry University in Miami. At FIU Professor Siress teaches communication in film, persuasion, non-verbal communication, intercultural communication, business and professional communication, public speaking, and other communication related courses both face-to-face and online. Prior to teaching, Professor Siress worked for various professional business organizations in New York City including HBO where he was a staff writer and production assistant for the Original Programming Department. At HBO his duties included conducting research for the executive producers on several popular documentaries and nationally televised programs. Professor Siress is a filmmaker and musician who has performed with various musical groups and has also produced several of his own recordings. He also regularly contributes to several online forums writing about various communication related topics and pop music history. Research interests include non-verbal communication, persuasion, communication theory, mass media history, music history, and political rhetoric.