Melanie Yonks' career spans a broad range of experience including work in Strategic Corporate Communications, Marketing, Event Planning and Film & Video Production. Melanie launched Green Strategic Communications (GSC) in 2021 to help businesses and organizations become more environmentally and financially sustainable and use better actions to maximize the benefits for reputation and brand. GSC was put on the backburner when she took a fulltime position as Corporate Engagement Director for her largest  client, VolunteerNow.  Her primary responsibilities were in planning the annual fundraising and marketing events along with a multitude of Corporate Volunteer Service events. She remained there until June of 2024 after relocating to Georgia. 

 

March 2017 through October 2021, Melanie took a staff position at EarthX, the world’s largest environmental experience with annual in person crowds peaking at almost 200,000 in 2019.  There she served as Director of Education and Community Outreach for EarthxFilm and later with the launch of EarthxTV, also as a TV producer.

  

At EarthX, Melanie found the perfect opportunity to blend her production experience, desire to mentor and give back to youth, with her passion to fight for our planet and the humans who inhabit it. Melanie developed, wrote, directed, and produced the award-winning TV series Planet911 Youth Reports, which garnered five Telly awards in its first season. Offering a unique format, youth ages 8 to mid 20s from around the world led discussions on important environmental topics, interviewing climate activists, environmental experts, elected officials and planet heroes. 

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A graduate of the UT Austin, RTF department, Melanie has experience on feature films, live broadcasts, local TV production and years as a writer producer for video, live broadcast and print, as well as corporate executive level communications at two fortune 500 companies. 

 

Some of her most rewarding experiences; however, were as a volunteer.  Melanie has served on over 25 boards including as a Founding Executive board and Secretary for Women in Film and Television U.S. (WIFT US), on the WIFTI (international board) one of 8 members serving the 40+ chapters on six continents, as a WIFT-Austin founding Advisory board member and as past President of WIFDallas.