This presentation considers how the artifacts from the Altman Archive complicate the accepted vision of Robert Altman as a New Hollywood auteur. The analysis of archival findings helps us understand the process behind this visionary and subversive American director.

Justin Wyatt is Chair of Communication Studies at the University of Rhode Island. At URI, he teaches regularly in Communication Studies, Film/Media, and Journalism. He has published widely in the areas of media industry studies, LGBTQ+ media, the New Hollywood, and the films of Robert Altman. His most recent book is a BFI Film Classic on Altman’s enigmatic 3 Women (2024). His book Creating the Viewer: Market Research and the Evolving Media Ecosystem (2024) considers key market research methods for understanding audience members and the ways that these protocols have been challenged by the digital environment. Wyatt has over 15 years of professional experience understanding consumer and viewer behaviors through media market research. He has co-edited the anthologies Screening American Independent Film (2023) and Refocus: The Later Films and Legacy of Robert Altman (2021). He is completing a manuscript about Nashville for the University of Michigan Press “Out of the Archives” book series, scheduled for publication in early 2026.