He earned his Ph.D. in Communication and Rhetoric from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. His interest in digital storytelling has led him to both scholarly and creative endeavors. He is co-author of Folklore, Horror Stories, and the Slender Man: The Development of an Internet Mythology, and, with comic creators Greg Rucka and Rick Burchett, publishes the webcomic Lady Sabre & the Pirates of the Ineffable Aether.Media