| Melissa Jo Peltier | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Alma Mater: | Pomona College |
| Occupation: | Producer, author, director |
| Years Active: | 1992 - Present |
| Spouse: | John Gray(m. 2006) |
Melissa Jo Peltier is a New York-based American producer and author. She produced, wrote and directed the 1994 A&E documentary mini-series Titanic: Death of a Dream and Titanic: The Legend Lives On, the show Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan. She has also co-authored five books with Millan on the subject of raising and training dogs. In 2013, she published her first novel, entitled Reality Boulevard.
Peltier has won two News & Documentary Emmy awards and received the Humanitas Prize in 1993 for the documentary Scared Silent: Exposing and Ending Child Abuse.
Peltier was born and raised in New England, graduating cum laude from Pomona College in Claremont.
She directed and co-wrote the primetime documentary special, Scared Silent: Exposing and Ending Child Abuse, hosted by Oprah Winfrey, released in 1992. The documentary earned her a Humanitas Prize. Later, she directed and wrote the Breaking the Silence: Kids Against Child Abuse, which won a Peabody Award in 1995. In 1994, she was producer, director and writer of A&E’s four-hour miseries, Titanic: Death of a Dream and Titanic: The Legend Lives On. Peltier received the News and Documentary Emmy Award for this documentary for outstanding documentary writing.[1]
In 1996, Peltier co-founded MPH Entertainment with two other business partners. She executive-produced the TV show Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan (2004-2012).[2] She also wrote and directed multiple episodes for the series.[3]
In 2010, she produced the movie White Irish Drinkers, which was directed by her husband.[4]
Peltier has co-authored, with Cesar Millan, five books[5] all of which became New York Times Bestsellers.[6] She also co-authored The Mommy Docs Ultimate Guide to Pregnancy and Birth in 2011.
In 2014, Peltier wrote the novel, Reality Boulevard. The story of the novel is based on what happens to a group of idealistic filmmakers after their long running documentary series is cancelled and they are thrust into the assembly line world of reality TV. The book was named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2013.[7]
| Year | Title | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Scared Silent: Exposing and Ending Child Abuse | Director, co-writer | |
| 1993 | Break the Silence: Kids Against Child Abuse. | Director, writer | |
| 1994 | Titanic Death of a Dream & The Legend Lives On | Producer, director and writer | |
| 1996 | The Real Las Vegas | Executive producer, writer | |
| 1998 | Eco-Challenge Australia | Executive producer | |
| 1998 | Lusitania: Murder on the Atlantic | Producer, writer | |
| 1999 | The History of Sex | Executive producer, writer | |
| 2000 | Founding Fathers | Executive producer, writer | |
| 2002 | Founding Brothers | Executive producer, writer | |
| 2002 | My Big Fat Greek Wedding | Co-executive producer | |
| 2003 | Nightwaves | Screenwriter | |
| 2004 | The New Roswell: Kecksburg Exposed | Director, writer | |
| 2004 - 2012 | Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan | Executive producer, writer and segment director | |
| 2010 | White Irish Drinkers | Producer | |
| 2022 | The Game Is Up | Director, writer |
Peltier is married to John Gray, a screenwriter, director and producer.[8]