EDUCATION:
Doctor of Philosophy Media Arts and Sciences	MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Media Laboratory, Interactive Cinema Group Research Area: Software agent assisted nonlinear story authoring and presentation tools Motorola Fellow (1995-97)	June 1999
Master of Arts Communications	STANFORD UNIVERSITY Major: Film Production	June 1985
Bachelor of Science Communications	DREXEL UNIVERSITY Major: Communications with extensive work in Computer Science	June 1982

EXPERIENCE:
RESEARCH ASSISTANT - MIT Media Laboratory, Cambridge, Massachusetts. As part of my doctoral research in the Interactive Cinema Group under Prof. Glorianna Davenport, I studied and collaborated on projects relating to multimedia interface design, AI, narrative structure, and nonlinear storytelling. My thesis project, Agent Stories, is a structural design tool for writers of metalinear stories, as well as a movie orchestration and presentation tool for those stories. My dissertation is entitled Metalinear Cinematic Narrative: Theory, Process, and Tool. (September 1992 to June 1999)
SUMMER RESEARCH INTERN - Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Cambridge Massachusetts. Assisted in the background research, writing and production of an interactive multimedia software prototype, entitled Tired Of Giving In, which was designed as a narrative model for future multi-user immersive environment projects. Worked under Carol Strohecker, Senior Research Scientist (June 1995 to September 1995)
TECHNICAL INSTRUCTOR - MIT Media Laboratory, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Responsible for maintaining the productivity of the Interactive Cinema Group by researching and implementing new computer and video production tools for the students, staff, and faculty. Helped teach video production and HyperCard programming aspects of the Workshop in Elastic Movietime, Fall `91. Also made significant contributions to ongoing group research in the area of digital movie maps and QuickTime movie databases. Other interests include computer assisted storytelling and video documentaries. (September 1991 to September 1992)
AV/MEDIA SPECIALIST - Apple Computer, Cupertino, California. Coordinated the use of various types of media tools for presenting and demonstrating Apple's technology to its developers. Managed the use of video, audio, and Apple hardware and software for developer conferences and workshops. Special projects completed include: production of a 2 screen HyperCard based multimedia presentation using a Ken Nordine soundtrack called Think A Thought and produced and directed a 12 min. experimental video documentary utilizing specially designed state-of-the-art Mac based video editing technology called WWDC-The Movie. (March 1989 to August 1991)
SYSTEMS SPECIALIST/MULTIMEDIA INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER - Apple Computer, Cupertino, California. As Systems Specialist: Helped troubleshoot and maintain the Macintosh computer network and supported the hardware and software needs for the Product Planning and Evangelism department. As Multimedia Instructional Designer: Designed and managed hypermedia projects for the Developer Technical Publications department. Performed all scripting for prototype HyperCard projects, participated in feature decisions, designed and evaluated the results of developer feedback to projects. (November 1987 to March 1989)
CORPORATE VIDEO DIRECTOR ASK Computer Systems, Mountain View, California. Organized, directed, and edited a 1 hour training videotape entitled A STEP FORWARD, on the subject of ASK's new purchasing software. Hired crew and all outside services as well as performed all offline editing. Steve McDonnell producer. (March/April 1987)
TECHNICAL WRITER/COMPUTER SYSTEMS MANAGER ASK Computer Systems, Mountain View, California. As Technical Writer: responsible for editing/revising the 1986 VAX AP Manual. Collected and organized information from software engineers, redesigned technical flowcharts, and prepared text for the production artists. As Computer Systems Manager: supported the documentation department's computer hardware and software including PC word processors, desktop publishing computers, VAX and HP minicomputers. Researched new mini/micro technology including high speed networks, Macintosh workstations, and peripherals. Programmed in VAX/DCL and VAX/TPU. (Technical Writer: January 1986 to June 1986, Computer Systems Manager: June 1986 to November 1987)
WRITER/DIRECTOR/EDITOR Stanford Computer Science Department. Script writer and editor of a videotape for two technical presentations for the Stanford Robotics Lab. Subjects for the 10 and 4 minute video tapes include: robot arm object manipulation, force control, three fingered hand, and computer vision. The 10 min. videotape has been distributed worldwide. Exec. Producer Prof.Binford. (May 1984 to March 1985)
PUBLICATIONS:
"Programming Narrative" Proceedings of the IEEE Visual Languages `97, September 1997. (to be published) (postscript 659K)
"Do Story Agents Use Rocking Chairs?" Proceedings of the ACM Multimedia '96, November 1996. Won best student paper award. (postscript 776 K)
"Agent Stories" Working notes for the AAAI-Spring Symposium `95, Interactive Story Systems: Plot and Character, 1995.  (postscript 1.2MB)
Beecham, F. (1995). "Movies of the Future: Storytelling with Computers." American Cinematographer, April, pp 4-12.
OTHER INTERESTS:
Creative writing and story performance.
REFERENCES AND WRITING SAMPLES:
Online writing samples Other writing samples and references furnished upon request.