REFERENCES

GLENN GORDON CARON

“Melanie is that rare individual who possesses the four things that make her an ideal producer. She has an amazing eye for talent (she introduced me to John Ridley almost twenty years ago, insisted I read Alice Munro a decade and a half before she became a literary phenom; and asked me to sit with countless other writers and directors who were on the cusp of breaking through). AND she is excellent at cultivating and sustaining relationships with everyone she encounters (witness this letter of recommendation). Add to that her nose for material and her passion to see things done right (From developing ST. VINCENT to producing SWIMMERS) and you have that rare adult in our business who brings far more to the table than she takes. ”

“It is really a pleasure to email you about Melanie Backer’s expertise, experience and professionalism. I have known and worked with Melanie over many years. Because I was so impressed with her skills in finding material, developing story, working with writers, reaching out to both the creative and financial worlds, I recommended Melanie as a potential producer for a friend’s TV project (Ace Award Winner, WOMEN WITHOUT IMPLANTS) and because she did such an amazing job, she was hired again as a producer for the feature the director made in subsequent years (THE AMATI GIRLS).

Melanie has a very keen eye for strong material. She found a wonderful story imbedded in a script by a novice screenwriter (THE CRIERS) and brought it to me. She really has the ability to assess the talent and potential of writers who have yet to gain a lot of traction, to work with them in honing their scripts and in getting them noticed. She is nurturing and diplomatic but unerring in her instincts about what works. She is also extremely resourceful and is able to marshal interest, support and financial commitments once she has the core of the project well worked out. Her years of attending festivals and repping films has provided her with a very large community of associations and as we well know, many of these film folks – writers, producers, companies, agents, directors –have been heading to television where some of the most interesting and original work is being done. Every one of her vast array of contacts are a conduit to the creative world of television.

Melanie’s experiences in developing television with Glenn Caron and Ted Melfi is important and it is Melanie’s uncanny ability to find and develop writers and material and to create relationships with them also makes her valuable. And, equally important, she is warm and friendly and totally at ease with executives and agents and financial people.

As Director of the Syracuse University Los Angeles Semester Program (I recently retired from the university), I invited Melanie to be a guest speaker and once again, (having invited her to speak to students previously) I was impressed with her ability to share, nurture and understand. Melanie straddles multiple worlds in the entertainment business which come together to create an extremely strong, resourceful producer.

ANDREA ASIMOW