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Faculty Profile

Raquel Victoria Benitez Rojas

PhD, MA, MBA, CMP

Associate Dean, Master of Arts in Digital Media and Global Communications

Photo of Dr. Raquel

Email: raquel.benitez-rojas@unfc.ca
Phone: 1-800-778-3450 

An award-winning media and TV executive with a large experience in children and family entertainment, Raquel Victoria Benitez Rojas holds a PhD in Cinematography, Broadcasting, and Communication from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Raquel also has various audiovisual diplomas from prestigious institutions, a Master in Business Administration from Universitat de Barcelona, and Certificate in Entertainment Law from York University.  

Raquel has worked in a variety of academic and professional positions in the United States, Asia, Canada, and Europe. She has experience as a curriculum developer, guest speaker, and instructor in several international universities and schools.  

Areas of academic interest

  • Digital Media 
  • Artificial Intelligence 
  • Metaverse 
  • Virtual Reality 
  • Film production and direction 

Awards

  • 2022-PhD Cum Ladue 
  • 2014- MCC Toronto Vivid Vision Award 
  • 2006- CCR-Best Screenplay for “Coolcity” 
  • 2005- Best SGAE Short Film for “Sculpture Club” 
  • 1999- Honorable Mention for “Adventures on Wheels” 
  • 1998 – First Prize MIDIA ’98 for the best animated series for “The New World of Gnomes”. 
  • 1996 – Second Prize “Prince Award of the European Environment Agency”. (Sponsored by Spanish Prince Philip of Bourbon and Danish Prince Frederick) for “Cubi’s World”. 
  • 1995 – First Prize NATURAMA’95 from ICONA for “El Mundo de Cubi” 
  • 1994 – First Prize B.R.B. David, the Gnome with “The World of Cubi” 

Publications

Articles published

  • No Commercial Vision: Film Competitions Specialized in Animation in Spain. Book chapter. 
  • The Prosumer Revolution: Youtubers and Instagrammers. Book chapter.
  • Farewell to the beloved Animation Historian and Master Giannalberto Bendazzi for Animation Magazine, United States.
  • Quirino Cristiani and the first animated feature films in history. From Argentina to the world. Academic Journal of Media Studies and Applied Ethics. Republic of Serbia.
  • My health is the main capital I have, Creativity and Stress. Chapter of a book 
  • Cryptoart: cryptocurrencies, blockchain and artificial intelligence. Book Chapter
  • The Vision of Francoism: How to Build the Perfect Woman, Actresses and Female Representation. Web article.
  • Culture, Economy and Education: New Challenges in the Digital Society. Book Chapter
  • Social Networks, Fake News and the Right to Information. Chapter of a book.
  • Evolution and Dynamics of Intellectual Property in Social Networks. Chapter of the book “Cultural Hybridization as a Result of a Disruptive Social Paradigm”. ISBN 978-3-631-91614-8
  • New proposals in the definition, origin and evolution of animation. (To be published in: History of Media Studies). This book will be published in 2024. 

Published books

  • 2004- The Animation Process, the first of its kind in Spanish (now translated into English), detailing the entire production process from the idea until the finished product is ready. ISBN 0-9733158-0-6 
  • 2020- Production 101 ISBN: 0919852785 
  • 2021- The prosumer revolution: Youtubers and Instagramers/ The prosumer revolution: youtubers and Instagramers. Chapter. ISBN: 979-84-18167-56-0 
  • 2021- The New Narrative in the Digital Age. Origin, Evolution and Contributions to New Media – Chapter. ISBN: 978-84-15665-70-0 
  • 2022- Chapter Communication, screens and fiction: No commercial vision: film festivals specialized in animation in Spain. 
  • 2022- Culture, economy and education: new challenges in the digital society. Chapter: Origin, Evolution and Analysis of Production Processes in Animation. ISBN 978-84-1377-585-2 
  • 2022- The Vision of Francoism: How to Build the Perfect Woman, Actresses and Female Representation. Chapter. ISBN: 978-84-09-35499-3 
  • 2022- My health is the main capital I have, Creativity and Stress. Chapter: Complexities and Strategies of Occupational Stress in Business Dynamics. ISBN 97816684. 
  • 2023- The Future of Communications: The Metaverse. Rutledge. ISBN: 1032458844. 
  • 2023- Editor of the monograph of the Revista de Comunicación Miguel Hernández, CFP- Algorithms, AI and automation in Communication/Algorithms, AI and automation in communication. Vol.14 (2). 
  • 2023- Evolution and Dynamics of Intellectual Property in Social Networks. Chapter of the book “Cultural Hybridization as a Result of a Disruptive Social Paradigm”. ISBN 978-3-631-91614-8 
  • 2025 – Revolutionizing Communication: The Role of Artificial Intelligence