Melanie Butler

Melanie Butler is a media professional and activist with extensive experience in documentary film campaigns and social movements. She currently serves as the Program Lead for Film Campaigns at Peace is Loud, where she creates strategies to harness the power of documentary films for building social movements.12

Melanie has a strong academic background, holding an MA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia and a BA in Cinema Studies and Political Science from the University of Toronto.1 Her expertise spans various areas, including:

1. Documentary film campaigns
2. Social movement organizing
3. Media strategy
4. Impact producing

Prior to her current role, Melanie worked as a consultant for New Day Films, a documentary collective.3 She has also been involved with other organizations in the media and activism space, such as The LAMP and Peripheral Vision International.4

As an activist, Melanie was a founding member of Occupy Wall Street and has used media to advocate for various causes, including gender justice, LGBTQIA+ rights, and opposition to war and occupation.1 Her writing on media and activism has been published in peer-reviewed academic journals, textbooks, and magazines like Ms. and Shameless.1

Melanie is based in Canada, specifically on Vancouver Island, where she lives as a guest on the unceded lək̓ʷəŋən Traditional Territory of the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations.14 Her work demonstrates a commitment to using media and film as tools for social change and movement building.