Dr. Lisa Portolan is a prominent Australian researcher, author, and media commentator whose work bridges the gap between rigorous sociology and mainstream cultural conversation. Her career is defined by a unique intersection of academic research, digital storytelling, and creative event production.
In her podcast, Portolan utilizes soundscapes, interviews, and voice-over narration to evoke the atmosphere of the film events she studies. This aligns with what media scholars call "acousmatic sound"—sound that is heard without its source being seen. By stripping away the visual element of the films and focusing on the discourse and sounds surrounding them, Portolan forces the listener to engage with the idea of the film event in a purely cognitive and imaginative way. The podcast becomes a site of "remediation," where the live, communal aspects of the cinema are transposed into a digital, yet deeply personal, auditory sphere.
To understand the significance of Portolan’s audio approach, one must first grapple with the concept of the "film event." In cinema studies, the film event is often defined not by the text of the movie itself, but by the context of its reception—the communal act of watching, the specific time and place, and the social rituals that surround the screening. It is a fleeting moment of collective engagement.
In the contemporary academic landscape, the boundaries of the traditional thesis are rapidly dissolving. No longer confined to the static, printed page, doctoral research is increasingly embracing multimodal formats to convey complex ideas. Lisa Portolan’s PhD thesis stands as a compelling case study in this evolution. By utilizing the podcast format to explore the concept of the "film event," Portolan does not merely document her findings; she creates a new performative space where cinema studies, audio culture, and live experience intersect. This essay examines how Portolan’s work transforms the "film event" from a visual spectacle into an auditory experience, arguing that the podcast format offers a unique phenomenological tool for understanding the temporality and community of cinema.
Launched during the pandemic, this series explored "love in lockdown".
Formerly known as Separate Bathrooms , this podcast features deep conversations with creatives and change-makers.
Description. Love, Intimacy and Online Dating: How a Global Pandemic Redefined Romantic Relationships is an innovative work that e... Routledge Lisa Portolan - Raising the bar Bio. Lisa has two books published including best-selling, Happy As (Echo, 2018), and her third, The Overthinkers, co-authored with... www.rtbevent.com Dr Lisa Portolan, Author at Women's Agenda Dr Lisa Portolan is a writer and academic based in Sydney. Her PhD examines dating apps and digital intimacy (Western Sydney Unive... Women's Agenda Jagged Love: Narratives of Romance on Dating Apps during COVID- ... Jul 20, 2021 —
Dr. Lisa Portolan’s PhD thesis, titled (awarded by the University of Technology Sydney), provides a foundational framework for understanding how digital platforms reshape personal connection. Her work specifically focuses on the podcast medium as an intimate space—arguing that the audio-only, headphone-based, and conversational nature of podcasts creates a unique form of parasocial intimacy.
Portolan’s research gained significant traction during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to her book, Love, Intimacy and Online Dating , published by Routledge . Podcasting: From "Slow Love" to "The Heart Of It"
