Jeff Mellin is an award-winning art director, multi-media artist, writer, and musician. He’s collaborated and recorded with rock bands, rockstars and avant-garde performers, designed for historically significant literary and magazine publishers, and helped to build, promote, and elevate an array of cultural non-profits, start-ups, and upstarts.
He’s also the author of several books of poetry, including Player Piano (Pennyring Press, 2021), Driveway Chalk Stars of Pajama Astronomers (Pennyring Press, 2020) and Skin & Bones (Kolourmeim Press, 2008), and has released multiple albums, EPs, and singles, with groups and as a solo artist, including Smile Like A Lemon Peel, Kiss Like A Paper Cut (wiaiwya, 2013), Three on a Match (Stereorrific, 2011), Love Is Made of Sky (d-pulse/Stereorrific, 2010), Good for A Gander (Stereorrific, 2001), and Saves the World, Parts 1ne & 2we (Stereorrific, 1999).
He currently lives with his family “on the Main Line,” just outside of Philadelphia.
SOAMEL PICTURES: It’s not often that two artists are able to collaborate without getting in each other’s way, and even more rare when those collaborations develop into a creative partnership that lasts for decades.
John Soares and Jeff Mellin met way back in the 20th century when John was shooting portraits of rockstars and Jeff was designing for record labels and art magazines. John’s distinctive photographic approach, a balance of geometry and humanity, was a perfect match for Jeff’s kinetic, story-driven art direction. Their shared love of music, retro aesthetics, kitschy humor, and respect for their subject matter, sealed the deal.
They continue to collaborate, and their collaborations continue to evolve. John brings his portraitist eye for light, color and environmental composition to his cinematography, complimenting Jeff’s musical, dreamlike narrative editing style. They both love a well planned concept and pay meticulous attention to detail, but have the good sense to let it all go and make do with the resources at hand. And they both know that, often, that’s when you get the best results. The stuff they make is fun but thoughtful, retro-inspired but experimentally aspiring, both outré and introspective.
Their works have been shown at the New York City Independent Film Festival, Philadelphia Independent Film Festival, and the Arlington Film Festival.