Jess Kelley is a documentary producer, a foster parent, & fierce defender of the Oxford comma.

Raised on the banks of the Ohio River, she launched her career in 2007, developing a local television show aimed at Millennials, marking it the first of its kind in the region. During this period, she studied Mandarin, allowing her to travel to Beijing, China, where she began her Master's in International Media.

After graduation, her career brought her to New York where she was recognized as a pioneer in digital journalism, becoming one of the first producers in the U.S. selected for the Facebook Video Accelerator Program to explore innovative storytelling techniques. 

In 2019, she was recognized as directing the “Best TV Series of the Year” according to the International Association of Culinary Professionals and the New York Emmys. 

In 2020, she received a Peabody for her work on the documentary Long Island Divided and a nomination for best director for the New York Emmys. 

In 2024, she became the youngest member to assume a position on the Board of Governors of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

Today, she is an independent producer working with brands like Disney, ABC, TLC, HBO, and AMC, gravitating toward stories that force audiences to understand themselves better through vulnerable conversations and humor.

If you can’t find her on set, check the beach, she’s most likely there demolishing a bag of salt & vinegar chips.