Jack Holdcroft

Pronouns: he/him

Jack studies fan and fandom behavior, focusing primarily on fandom-adjacent collectible economies and fan reactions to them (particularly virulent fan reactions to resellers). His research focuses primarily on the Pokémon Trading Card fandom, following an explosion of popularity and secondary market prices in early 2025, and he wishes to provide insight into the institutional structures behind a turbulent fan community.

Jack is a first-year master's student in the Media Culture and Technology program, but he has been at the University of Virginia for four years now, having completed his undergraduate degree in Media Studies here in May 2025. Here at the University, he spends his time reading fiction, going on walks through our beautiful Grounds, and playing video games with friends, where he is a tournament organizer and graphic designer for the Super Smash Bros. at the UVA club. He also enjoys traveling; he and his family have visited over a dozen countries and 40 state capitols, and plan to finally attempt a grand journey to Alaska this summer. In his work here in the Media Studies program, he aims to utilize fan studies practices to understand how people build and defend relationships and communities based on popular media, and particularly how they navigate around increasingly monetized and capitalistic practices in media.

Research areas: fan studies, ethnographic studies

Education:

BA in Media Studies, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, United States, 2025