Mel is Creative Director of Development at Optomen, and former commissioning editor, with extensive experience in formats, reality and popular documentaries, specialising in unscripted development.

At Optomen, she manages the development team and leads the charge on new formats.

In her three years at E4, she worked on reality formats The Underdog: Josh Must Win, forthcoming dating series The Honesty Box and various Married at First Sight spin-offs, including the podcast MAFS: It’s Official. She also led E4’s factual strategy.

In the independent sector, Mel spent seven years at RDF, rising to Director of Development. Her credits include: Shop Well For Less (BBC One), Secret Life of Four Year Olds specials (Channel 4), Lodgers For Codgers (C4), Rock Til You Drop (BBC Two), 100 Year Old Driving School (ITV), Disability and Abortion: The Hardest Choice (C4), Six Puppies and Us (BBC Two) and The Making of Me (C4) amongst others.

Her other credits, in production and development, include: The Met (BBC One), GPs: Behind Closed Doors (Channel 5), Karl Pilkington: The Moaning of Life (Sky One), Emmy Award-winning Hoff the Record (Dave), Iceland Foods: Life in the Freezer Cabinet (BBC Two) and Prison, My Family and Me (BBC Three).

Mel a former Broadcast ‘Hot Shot’, Edinburgh ‘Ones to Watch’ and is an alumna of the Women in Film and TV's mentoring scheme, mentored by Danny Cohen.

She began her career as a print journalist, writing for a range of newspapers and magazines, and made the move into TV through Channel 4’s Production Trainee Scheme.