Professor Sean Gaffney of Media Communications
Interview by Paige Miller, Features Editor
What led you to become a professor at Asbury?
“The trite but true answer is God’s alignment. I left teaching and took a position as a full-time writer. My wife and I began to think, ‘Oh, maybe this is what God has for us.’ Then I received a call from Dean [Jim] Owens letting me know about the position here. Within 24 hours, my wife and I both clearly heard from God that Asbury was the thing He was lining up, so off we went.”
Describe your personal college career.
“I attended Drake University for undergrad and did my graduate work at Columbia University in NYC — both in theater. I spent 15 years working in theater in New York and Seattle. Then I switched focus from producing to writing. I spent the next decade-plus in Los Angeles writing theater, film and TV — including some projects with Big Idea. My day job in LA was an administrative support position in the story department of Warner Bros. Features.”
How do you plan on making yourself available to students outside of the classroom?
“My door is open from the moment I arrive on campus in the morning until I depart at night. Drop-ins are encouraged. And for any student that cannot meet during traditional hours, I am open to finding a time that does work.”
What do you want students to know about you?
“Like my fellow faculty, I am here by choice: Serving Asbury is a calling and a passion.”
What are your hobbies, or what is one fun fact about you?
“I’m a proud nerd — comic books, movies, TV, novels. I have works by Alex Ross on my office walls, I am fond of quoting Albus Dumbledore and I will passionately debate for days why the MCU is far superior to the DCU (in the movies only!).”
What is your favorite Bible verse?
“I aspire to Micah 6:8 — ‘He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you? But to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.’”
