Christian Raymond’s adventures in media run the gamut, from writing screenplays in Hollywood for Walt Disney Pictures to producing educational videos and co-creating films across the globe with under-resourced communities in Transylvania. As a director at Austin Studios for eight years, he developed the Austin Film Society’s multifaceted community education program de novo, just down the street from ACC Highland at Austin Studios. Raymond has also taught in high school and college, including in RTF at UT-Austin. As editor-in-chief of the film journal Persistence of Vision for years, he’s written extensively on such topics like alternative digital storytelling approaches for community impact and the creative process.

After joining ACC in 2011, Raymond worked in a leadership role as RTF Department Chair over thirteen years to not only evolve and build dynamic new RTF programs for students, but also in the collaborative development of a new vision-oriented interdisciplinary digital media center, bringing together creative departments at the Highland Campus. During a 2019 sabbatical, Raymond combined a deeper dive into immersive storytelling to write/produce the interactive VR film, Meditation Trek, with research/design of a new interdisciplinary innovation labs program model. Over the last few years, the “Creative Co-labs” has helped connect nearly a thousand students across departments for project-based collaborations.

Raymond’s creative/community initiatives have received support or been honored by the National Endowment for the Arts, CEC Artslink, the South by Southwest Film Festival, and others. His recent award-winning debut novel, Howl of the Ice, among awards, won the top prize in the state from the Texas Author Project, and received praise by the likes of Kirkus Reviews. In 2025, he was recognized at ACC with a national NISOD Teaching Excellence Award. Taking inspiration from the motto “Giving is Living,” Raymond is on a daily basis grateful to learn from, guide, and work with students as well as the greater ACC community.