Dr. Rutledge serves as Director of MPRC. She is also faculty at Fielding Graduate University, Media Psychology, and principal at Rutledge LLC. She is an Advisory Board Member at UC Irvine Extension and has authored “Positively Media” on Psychology Today since 2007. She received her PhD from Fielding Graduate University and her MBA from the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University.

Drawing on a background in media production, design and psychology, Dr. Rutledge applies behavioral science to media and technology to identify and create more persuasive messaging, improved process and product design, immersive user experience and increased audience engagement.  A proponent of positive media psychology, she is a firm believer that businesses and individuals can apply psychology to take advantage of the changing media environment to achieve their goals while having a positive impact on society.

Her interests are practical, with a focus on educating people about how to make psychologically-based changes for more effective research, products and marketing strategies as well as best practices for a healthy relationship with technology. Rutledge has participated in the design process, strategy development and analyzing audience impact, engagement and experience a range of media projects.

As faculty at Fielding Graduate University in the Media Psychology program, she designs and teaches courses related to social technologies, brand psychology, audience engagement strategies, storytelling and positive media psychology.  She is lead faculty in the Brand Psychology and Audience Engagement Certificate Program, as well as the Positive Media Psychology concentration.

Dr. Rutledge is the Editor-in-Chief of the academic journal Media Psychology Review.  With a penchant for spreading the word about the positive use of media, she is a frequent expert source for the media on social trends and popular culture related to social media and technology use. She is quoted frequently in publications such as The NY Times, The UK Guardian, Seventeen Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, CAPRICHO, Good Morning America,  ABCnews.com,  Korrespondent,  Men’s Health, Toronto Sun,  and USAToday.

Dr. Rutledge can be reached at [email protected] or at http://www.pamelarutledge.com

Defining Media Psychology and Transmedia Storytelling (video interview)