Ryan Stoldt

Assistant Professor, Advertising

Ryan Stoldt is as an assistant professor of advertising in the Drake University School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Stoldt earned his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa and previously had an award-winning career in digital marketing.

Stoldt’s teaching and research interests focus on how data is used to make decisions in creative industries. He primarily teaches courses that focus on advertising, digital media production, and media studies. These courses seek to develop students into more critically informed producers and consumers of media.

Stoldt’s teaching is heavily informed by his research. His dissertation examined how metadata, or the data created about other data, influences the algorithmic distribution of film and television content. This work was awarded by best dissertation award by the International Communication Association’s Global Communication and Social Change Division in 2022. He has also published research on social media influencers’ production of sponsored content and on interactive television. Additionally, Stoldt serves as a member of a multi-institutional research team focusing on the sociocultural effects of algorithms. In 2020, the U.S. Department of Defense awarded this team a $1.2 million grant to research algorithms and political radicalization. In 2023, the research group was awarded a second grant for $1.7 million to study the sociotechnical vulnerabilities of platforms within strategic information operations. His research has been published in the Communication, Culture, & Critique; the International Journal of Communication; Information, Communication, & Society; the Journal of Media Ethics; and Social Media + Society.

Before coming to academia, Stoldt worked as the digital marketing manager for Visit Wichita and consulted with numerous clients on digital marketing strategy, including Papa John’s, the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission, the Johnny Bench Awards, and the Prairie Fire Marathon. He holds awards for his work from the Public Relations Society of America and the Travel Industry Association of Kansas.

Stoldt earned a bachelor’s degree in integrated marketing communication and a master’s in communication from Wichita State University as well as a Graduate Certificate in College Teaching from the University of Iowa. He serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Communication Inquiry.

You can learn more about Stoldt at ryanstoldt.com or connect with him on Instagram or Bluesky @ryanstoldt.

Contact Information

Email: ryan.stoldt@drake.edu
Phone: TBD
Address: 2805 University Ave Des Moines, IA 50311

Office: Meredith 116
Office Hours: Monday: 9:30 to 10:30am, 3:30 to 4:30pm, Tuesday: Noon to 2pm, Wednesday: 9:30 to 10:30am, 12:30 to 1:30pm, Thursday: By appointment, Friday: By appointment