Melissa Dowler is a visionary director making films that inspire and empower. She is the co-founder of Long Haul Films, a studio making films for and about creators, innovators and entrepreneurs. As part of her mission to diversify the film industry, Melissa is the co-founder of She Sees, an organization that is mentoring the next generation of diverse female filmmakers.

Melissa's purpose as an artist is to make films about change and transformation that inspire people to think differently about the world around them. She's passionate about pushing forward new voices in film; exploring how innovation and creativity are changing our world; and finding the extraordinary in the stories all around us.

Melissa is the director of the award-winning documentary Adele and Everything After, the story of a woman with an untreatable heart condition and the service dog who transformed her life. The film was an Official Selection at film festivals across North America-- including The Cleveland International Film Festival, Long Beach indie International Film Festival, NorthWest Fest and The Chagrin Falls Documentary Film festival. The movie was released by Gravitas Ventures in early 2018.

As Creative Director at Long Haul Films, Melissa sets the vision for the studio’s film work with innovative brands, including commissioned documentary projects for Techstars, Siemens, Opportunity Education, Thomson Reuters and the TD Garden, among others.

Melissa lives in Los Angeles, but spends most of her time in airports en route to shoots.