Emily Parent

Emily Parent is a media educator, filmmaker, and community media advocate based in the San Jose, California area whose work centers on expanding access to media-making tools and skills across diverse communities. She studied creative writing at Emory University in Atlanta, where she also worked as a filmmaking equipment rental assistant - her first hands-on experience with media production technology. After years of independent filmmaking, podcasting, and graphic design projects, she brought that creative practice into the community media field professionally.

At Midpen Media Center in Palo Alto, Parent joined as a podcasting instructor and quickly expanded her role into developing and scheduling a broad range of community-based media education classes and events, working closely with the studio production team. She has designed media education programs for community media centers across the country and has been recognized for her innovative approach to bringing new producers into the field.

In 2022, Parent received the Alliance for Community Media's Emerging Leader Award at the ACM National Conference, which recognizes professionals under 40 who demonstrate the values of building community through media and show leadership at the local, regional, or national level.