Melissa Jo Peltier is a New York-based American producer and author. She is widely known for producing, writing and directing the 1994 A&E documentary mini-series ' and ', the showDog Whisperer with Cesar Millan and for co-authoring five books with Millan. In 2013, she published her first novel, entitled Reality Boulevard. Peltier has won two Emmy awards and received the Humanitas Prize in 1993 for the documentary Scared Silent: Exposing and Ending Child Abuse.
Background and career
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, and Titanic: The Legend Lives On. Peltier received an award for this documentary for outstanding documentary writing. In 1996, Peltier co-founded MPH Entertainment with two other business partners. She executive-produced the TV showDog Whisperer with Cesar Millan. She also wrote and directed multiple episodes for the series. In 2010, she produced the movie White Irish Drinkers, which was directed by her husband.
Books
Peltier has co-authored, with Cesar Millan, five books all of which became New York Times Bestsellers. She also co-authored The Mommy Docs Ultimate Guide to Pregnancy and Birth in 2011.
''Reality Boulevard''
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. Kirkus reviews called the novel "a dead-on satire—with a heart—of the reality TV scene from a knowledgeable, witty insider." The book was also name to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2013.
Selected filmography
Personal life
Peltier is married to John Gray, a screenwriter, director and producer.
