The Media Psychology Blog

Pam is the Director of the Media Psychology Research Center. She comes from a background of communication, business management, and media psychology. Pam teaches Media Psychology in the UCLA Extension program and is also a partner at Rutledge Capital, LLC, where she manages and develops financial, economic and investment media.

Pam began her career as Brown Design Studio specializing in brand and identity development programs and media production for financial and educational institutions. She was the recipient the 1988 Gold Medal Award for Creativity from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and won several awards for innovation in Alumni Magazine design.

Pam is also a trained Redecision therapist and with several years experience working with eating disorders, mood disorders, and weight control. In addition, she presented a series of seminars in cross-cultural communication skills for American dorm residents in a Japanese school

Pam does consulting and coaching in visual design, effective communication skills, lifestyle management, and parenting drawing on her professional training and life with five children, two dogs, two cats, and a husband with an insatiable urge to learn about the world be seeing everything in person. They divide their time among Boston, Newport Beach, Las Vegas, Maui, and Beijing.

Pam received a BA from Pomona College in Studio Art, an MBA from the Drucker School of Business at Claremont Graduate University, and a MA and PhD in Psychology with a concentration in Media from Fielding Graduate University.

Her current research interest is the user-experience and meaning of digital media and video games.  Recent research involved the impact of media on measures of cooperation and conflict between the U.S. and China using the Olympics as a focal point. When not working to achieve world peace, she focuses on a Positive Psychology framework to develop media that promotes personal strength and positive identity development. Pam can be reached at prutledge@mprcenter.org or on Twitter at pamelarutledge