Sarah Teitler is an ethnographer and new media professional specializing in ethnographic research and documentary production.

contact : sarah . teitler at gmail . com

Ethnographer
Practica Group (2003-Present)

• Conduct ethnographic consumer research and analysis (at-home and contextual interviews, shop-a-longs, store intercepts, etc.) for clients in consumer and business market sectors
• Write, edit and present reports and/or videos highlighting key findings and insights

Ethnographer
Catalyst Group (2011)

• Conducted contextual interviews exploring how individuals manage range of personal accounts for use in developing a web-based financial management system
• Created topline of findings and insights with accompanying video excerpts

Ethnographer
Cradle Research (2010)

• Conducted case studies of individuals with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease for use in developing new medicine delivery systems and care routines
• Conducted case studies of individuals with congestive heart failure for use in developing symptom management strategies

Interviewer, Tracker
Envirosell (2010-Present)

• Tracked shoppers and customers in a variety of environments to gain critical insight into how space, signage and customer service influence behavior and beliefs
• Conducted exit interviews to gather contextual data and to match consumer self-reports with observed in-store behavior

QA Testing
American Society for Mechanical Engineers (2011)

• Reviewed American Society of Mechanic Engineers website and documented content, graphics, and coding errors for correction during development of new site

MauroNewMedia (2010-Present)

• Analyze studies of websites and touch screen kiosks to determine and rank usability issues
• Create videos demonstrating usability issues for client presentations

Mercy Corps inaugurated the Action Center to End World Hunger in the fall of 2008 with a mission to radically alter the way people think about the world and their role within it. An important component of the space was the Field Dispatch Wall, housing a series of interactive videos from around the world about projects that combat global poverty.

Multimedia Producer / Mercy Corps' Action Center to End World Hunger (2008-2009)

• Trained field-based staff to develop and produce Field Dispatch videos on global relief and development activities for display online and in center
• Co-taught and managed the budget and logistics of a week-long video training for international Mercy Corps staff in Amman, Jordan
• Managed workflow of video producers, from story concept through postproduction
• Resolved technical issues associated with video production and delivery of raw assets
• Post-produced videos from raw media assets (editing, subtitles, music, compression for various platforms)
• Updated video displays in center and portion of center's website using Content Management Systems (CMS) including Drupal and custom-designed systems
• Managed cataloguing, circulation and backup of videos

In addition to producing and editing videos for non-profit organizations and universities, I've produced award-winning documentaries and web-based programs that have played at festivals in the United States and abroad. Highlights include:

• The Silent Show with Sound, a live web-based program streamed weekly in 2000 (and sporadically thereafter) and performed at PS1/MOMA in New York and Net Congestion Festival in The Netherlands
• All Roads Lead to the Sea (2005), a documentary about the city of Havana, Cuba, screened at Big Muddy Film Festival, Chicago Latino Film Festival, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, 15th Latin American Film Festival (London), and Latin American Studies Assoc. Film Festival (winner of Award of Merit), among others. The video received support from the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Jerome Foundation, and the Lucius and Eva Eastman Fund.

I've developed and taught multimedia and documentary production classes at New York University (Interactive Telecommunications Program, 2006-2008, 2002), SUNY/Purchase (School of Art and Design, 2005-2006), and City College of New York (Media and Communications, 2000).

I have received grants from the Jerome Foundation, the Lucius and Eva Eastman Fund, and the Manhattan Community Arts Fund. In 2000, I was the recipient of the Interval Research Fellowship, a yearlong artist-in-residence position at NYU. I have reviewed grant applications for the City University of New York and was a juror and organizing committee member of the Salon y Coloquio de Arte Digital in Havana, Cuba.

I was the video research resident at the Interactive Telecommunications Program (2002-2004) managing video labs, overseeing streaming activities, mentoring students and advising department on issues relating to digital video.