Donald Thompson

At Johns Hopkins, Don Thompson serves as a lecturer in the MA in Communication program.

An award-winning producer, filmmaker, educator, playwright, and screenwriter, Thompson leads his production company, nextPix. In this capacity, he has produced, co-produced, and/or co-funded more than 30 narrative features and documentaries, many of which have garnered recognition at top-tier festivals, including Sundance, Cannes, and Toronto. His projects have been distributed widely by Netflix, HBO, PBS, BBC, ARTE, New Yorker Films, Strand, and Journeyman Films.

Thompson’s plays have been staged nationally and praised by The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Baltimore Sun, and The Washington Post. His screenplays have received multiple awards and productions. Honors include top placements at the New York Film Awards, WorldFest Houston (Gold Remi), Los Angeles Film Awards, Filmmatic Screenplay Awards, Fantasy/Sci-Fi Screenplay Festival, and the UCLA Samuel Goldwyn Writing Awards.

As a published author, Thompson has contributed books, essays, and studies to the field. He regularly presents at academic and media conferences, with essays featured in Medium, The Potomac, Life as a Human, UTNE Online, and other publications. His research spans media theory, crisis communication, political communication, and media criticism, encompassing both qualitative and quantitative methods. He is passionate about the positive role of communications and media in society.

A graduate of UCLA’s film school, Thompson also holds a MA in Media Criticism from UCLA. He has taught and mentored at UCLA, the University of Maryland Global Campus, and American University. In 2023, he received the UCLA Alumni Association Distinguished Mentor Award.