👋 Hi, I’m
David
Gorshein
I'm a
Creative director and educator with a PhD in Performance, helping brands and audiences connect through story, experience, and innovation.
Creative director and educator with a PhD in Performance, I help organizations communicate stories that deliver measurable impact.
As Group Creative Lead at The Sheppard Group, I’ve shaped campaigns for Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, the US Open, and Chase, directing national activations, videos, and live experiences. My work spans experiential marketing, keynote content, video storytelling, and internal platforms, always built to engage audiences and strengthen brand visibility.
At UCLA School of Theater, Film & TV, I design and teach courses on storytelling, performance, and new media, reaching 1,000+ students annually. These courses draw on the same instincts I use with Fortune 500 clients, showing how narrative can shift audiences and decisions. I integrate generative AI tools into campaigns and curriculum design, but I believe the magic comes from the human in the loop. My PhD in Performance keeps me audience-obsessed, always asking: how will this story move the audience to act?-
Ph.D
Theater and Performance Studies
University of California, Los Angeles -
B.A. with High Honors
Communication
Text to Performance
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
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Biz Bash Event Experience Award
Taco Bell Franchisee Convention: “Unstoppa-Bell”
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GLAAD Media Award Nomination, Outstanding Talk Show Episode
Conan, First same-sex wedding aired on Late Night TV
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Excellence Review
UCLA 2024
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Continuing Lecturer Status
UCLA 2019
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Fellow
Mellon Program on the Holocaust in American and World Culture
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Recipient
UCLA Library Affordable Course Materials Initiative
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Grants
UCLA Office of Instructional Development
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Research Fellowship, Moscow, Russia
UM Global Intercultural Experience
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Research Prize
James Pendleton Foundation
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Debut Prize, LGBT Focus Group
Association for Theater in Higher Ed
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Performance Studies
Northwestern University Summer Institute
Creative Highlights
I’m a Continuing Lecturer at UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television, where I’ve taught 65+ courses, including:
– Introduction to Theater
– History of American Musical Theater
– History of American Theater and Drama
– Global Theater History
– Play Reading & Analysis
– Jewish Theater
– Classical and Medieval Theater
As an instructional designer, I received the UCLA Library Affordable Course Materials Award for expanding access to lower-cost textbooks.
I’ve also served as a UCLA Admissions representative since 2012.
I’ve taught at California State University, Long Beach, where I served as Coordinator of Critical Studies and led:
– Theater, Protest & Social Change
– Dramatic Theory and Criticism
I've taught at Loyola Marymount University:
– Western Theatre History and Literature
– 19th Century US Theater
I've taught at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy:
– Early Theater Traditions
– American Theater History
– Musical Theater History
Publications
• Social
• Peer-Reviewed Academic
– Jews on Broadway
– Transposing Broadway
– The Dig: Death + Genesis + The Double Helix
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(323) 213 9684