Mel Swope

Two time Golden Globe winner, Mel was chosen as the first Gilliland Chair of Telecommunications at San Jose State University. He has received four Emmy Award nominations, one Humanitas Prize nomination, two NAACP Image Award nominations, and two MPSE Golden Reel Awards. As a Producer and Executive he has supervised hundreds of productions in the USA and around the world. From summer stock Musicals, to Comedy and Drama, Mel has shepherded 'story telling' from his beginnings in theatre to the world of television, as we know it today. Mel is a member of the Directors Guild of America, the Producers Guild of America and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He serves as the Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees of the California State Summer School for the Arts and is President-Elect of the Rubicon Theatre Company. He is a former Vice President of the British Columbia Institute of Film Professionals. As a leader in international production he has been invited to speak to groups including: Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television - Association of Film Commissioners International - Croatian Film Community, Zagreb, Croatia - Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Czech Republic Minnesota Film Commission - Munich Film Symposium - San Jose State University and U.C.L.A. Mel has extensive international production experience including: Argentina, Australia, Canada, Croatia, France, Greece, India, Italy, Mexico, Philippines, Slovenia, Sweden, Tanzania, United Kingdom, Russia and Yugoslavia. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Drama and Television from San Jose State University and was a member of the 'Directors' Unit' of Actors Studio, Hollywood.