Keith Houk
Instructional Associate Professor
Communication Bldg
713-743-0777
khouk@uh.edu
I'm an educator. That is what pays most of the bills and what shows up on my business cards. I have a passion for teaching regardless of the situation in which I find myself. If I'm not teaching then I am trying to learn something new to pass along down the road.
I have been making movies and visually telling stories since I was 12 and that was a very long time ago. I have a Bachelor of Science in Radio/Television/Film from Texas Christian University. My areas of concentration were in media production and film history. I co-owned a film and video production company in Fort Worth and served as writer, director, editor and producer. The company was profitable and I was making a good living, but then I had one of those rare epiphanies in life and came to the sudden realization I was not doing what I was meant to do.
I left Fort Worth and returned to Houston, the town where I was raised. I earned and Master of Fine Arts in Photography from the University of Houston and began teaching in the Valenti School of Communication immediately following graduation. I have taught courses in film history, screenwriting, editing, television production and film production. Each summer I lead a five week film program for High School students that focuses on production, film history and film theory. I am on the board of the One Step Closer Foundation, a charity for people with Cerebral Palsy. I am very passionated about the music I like and I also used to shoot a pretty mean game of pool.
Education
- M.F.A. in Photography, University of Houston
- B.S. in Radio/Television/Film, Texas Christian University
Teaching
- Media and Society
- Fundamentals of Scriptwriting
- Intermediate Television Production
- Digital Cinematography
Selected Publications
- 2006 “Podcasting as On Demand Educational Support” presented at AECT Conference, Dallas Texas
Honors
- 2005-06 “University of Houston Podcast Initiative” - Research study of the pedagogical efficacy of using podcasts as course delivery mechanism