dr. (Izabela) IM Derda

Izabela graduated at the Polish National Film School with a Master Degree in Film and TV Producing and received her PhD in Media Studies from SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Warsaw, Poland. In 2014 Izabela was a visiting scholar at Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where she worked under the supervision of prof. Joseph Taplin and prof. Henry Jenkins.

Her PhD dissertation examined the development of branded content as a complex multi-sided process occurring between participating actors, technology and media platforms, bringing a novel perspective that considered not only changes in media consumption per se but studying them as a type of circulation that does not separate technology, humans, and brands.

Her research interests lie in the investigation of the media as a practice, including networks, relationships and dynamics between the involved stakeholders, experience design and media production practices. 

She is highly interested in how new technologies (like artificial intelligence, computational narrative intelligence, augmented reality and immersive solutions) influence the storytelling design and are able to enhance consumers experiences to meet their cognitive abilites and drive higher engagement and satisfaction. She currently investigates these issues under her KIEM-funded project "Smarfitification of audience experience".

Izabela is also a multi-award-winning media producer and advertising expert. She has spoken on numerous panels and has sit juries of major advertising festivals including Cannes Lions, Eurobest, Cristal Festival and Clio Awards.