Samantha Tecson was born and raised in San Diego County where she enjoyed regular trips to San Diego Comic-Con. Samantha is a current graduate student in USC Annenberg's Ph.D. program. She has a Master's degree from UCLA’s Theater, Film & Television program in Cinema and Media Studies along with a Bachelor's degree in Television, Film & New Media (Critical Studies) from SDSU. Her current research involves examining the relationship between streaming platforms and niche fandoms, questioning how studio marketers and fans negotiate a streaming service’s treatment of fan-favorite content and their audiences. She also interrogates these negotiations’ effects on racial and gender politics within fandom.