Melodee Hagensen

Melodee Hagensen is CSW's documentarian and currently produces podcasts, vodcasts, and articles for communities across the nation, and directs large, diverse groups of citizens in the production of collaborative, participatory documentaries. A graduate of the University of Michigan-Flint, Melodee has spent years working in media, including hosting a political talk radio show on WKUF-LP, co-producing a variety show for public access television, and reporting for local newspapers. Melodee co-founded and remains on the board of the Michigan public media project, Public Development, which empowers Michigan's communities to create media productions and gain access to the press and airwaves to tell their own stories. Melodee's in-depth writing about community challenges in Flint received national attention, and her ethnographic work has enjoyed an international audience. Melodee's documentary film-making has focused on such topics as the reactions of autoworkers to the struggles of the auto companies, regional collaboration and economic transformation in Mid Michigan, and developing inner-city youth leadership.