Program Director, Communication; Assistant Professor
Brian Sheridan M.A. ā87, assistant professor and Mercyhurst graduate, has taught in the Department of Communication since 2004, following a long award-winning career in broadcast journalism as producer, reporter, and anchor. Brian is best known for being the only reporter to witness the mysterious death of pizza delivery man Brian Wells in Erie. News outlets from Great Britain, Japan, and Australia featured his work concerning the 2003 āPizza Bomberā story. He is also seen in the Netflix documentary āEvil Genius.ā
During his time at Mercyhurst, Brian co-authored the book āAmerica in the 1930sā for Syracuse University Press, as well as contributing chapters and articles to textbooks and journals. His writing continues to be published in magazines such as The Syncopated Times and Lake Erie Lifestyle.Ā
Brian brings his expertise in writing and performing to various classes within the major including Media Performance, Multimedia Writing, Film Appreciation, and Interpersonal Communication. Brian used his study of mindfulness and meditation with the late Zen Master Thich Nhat Hahn to create the popular Mindful Communication class. He also is the faculty adviser for the on-campus, student-led media organization Laker Student Media (LSM).
- B.A., Mercyhurst University (1987)
- M.A.,Ā Edinboro University (2001)
- History of Mass Media Public Speaking
- Social Media Journalism Mindfulness
- Multimedia Writing Communication in Society
- Introduction to Social Media
- Digital Storytelling
- Mindful Communication
- Oral Communication
- Broadcast Newswriting
- Newswriting & Principles of Journalism
- Film Appreciation
- Media Performance
- President, Meals on Wheels Erie Board of Directors
- āFinding Storiesā In Vincent Filakās (Ed.), Convergent Journalism: An Introduction: Writing And Producing Across Media (Routledge Press, 2019, 2023)
- Deadline (Review), 2019. Journal: American Journalism, Volume: 38, Issue: 04, pages 512 - 513.
- āFrom the Tatami Mat to the Printed Page: Author Barry Eisler & His Fiction.ā In Michael DeMarcoās (Ed.), Asian Martial Arts: Constructive Thoughts and Practical Applications. Via Media Publishing, 2016)
- āAmerica in the Thirties (America in the Twentieth Century Series)ā by John Olzowka, Marnie Sullivan, Brian R. Sheridan, and Dennis Hickey. (Syracuse University Press, 2014)
- āA Picture Palace Transformed: How Erieās Warner Theater Survived A Changing Worldā by Barb Hauck, Brian Sheridan, and Art Becker (Erie Civic Center Authority Publication, 2009).
- Various articles in publications āThe Syncopated Timesā and āLake Erie Lifestyle"