About Melanie Morningstar
(b 4/16/1956 – ). –News producer, narrative producer and journalist
Melanie Morningstar began her career as a theatre publicist for J.C. Williamson in Sydney, Australia. She was tapped by Harry M. Miller to be tour publicist for Jesus Christ Superstar in Australia. She was instrumental in promoting the newly-formed the band AIR SUPPLY. (The original members of AIR SUPPLY were three apostles in Superstar.)
In New York where she a Foreign Desk Editor Assistant at Time Magazine she worked as a local New York stringer for Australian “60 Minutes” and “A Current Affair” (Australia).
Morningstar spent months in central America on leave from Time, sending radio reports to ABC Perth (Australia) She lived in Colombia and, as a producer for Murdoch’s “The Reporters” was minutes away from securing an interview with Pablo Escobar, when he unexpectedly fled the prison he had built; Escobar was killed by local police in Medellin.
She produced many stories throughout Latin America; exposing the criminal activities of the people who ran Rio’s famous Mardi Gras, and was able to produce segments in the favelas of Rio as well.
As a producer for “60 Minutes” Australia, she hunted Robert “Dolly” Dunn, Australia’s most wanted criminal. Morningstar spent three months traversing Honduras and Guatemala before finally tracking him down in Copan, Honduras. A sting was set up with the help of the Australian Federal Police. Liz Hayes of “60 Minutes” still describes this the most tense segment ever made for the show.
In California as a stringer for London’s “Evening Standard” Morningstar reported on the business of California (Hollywood, aerospace, vineyards, Silicon Valley etc.) Morningstar returned to Australia in 2012. She completed a Master of Screen Arts: Producing at AFTRS (Australian Film Television and Radio School).
Morningstar produced two short films. One, “Father” was an official selection in 24 international film festivals, winning four. The other, “Loved” was chosen to screen at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019.
Her films have been Official Selections at the following film festivals:
Cannes FF 2019 (Australian Showcase), White Nights FF (Russia) (Winner, Best Student Film), Worldfest-Houston (Winner, Best Short Film), Melbourne Short FF (Winner), Lerapetra FF (Greece), Indifest FF, (San Francisco), International Short FF (London), Key West FF (Florida), Kinsale Shark (Ireland), LA Short Award (USA), Portland FF (USA), Santa Cruz FF (Argentina), Sioux City FF (USA), Accolade Film Festival (USA), San Tropez FF (France), Down Under Berlin FF (Germany), Newport FF (USA), Australian Short Film Today, (International),Brooklyn Women’s FF (USA), Key West FF (Florida).
Morningstar, as a public service, has created a blog: www.datersguidetothegalaxy.com where she outs bogus profiles on dating sites. She has counseled women who have lost their life savings to a fake “dater’. Women all over the world (no men have come forward to reveal their experiences) have been able to identify scammers by doing a search on her site.
No longer a news journalist, Morningstar has turned her focus to narrative, producing three short films, a screenplay and a four-part television series.
Stories about Melanie:
Journalist – Evening Standard, London
Morningstar at Cannes
The Sting – 60 Minutes Australia