Esau Melendez is a filmmaker based in Chicago.
He studied film & video at Columbia College in Chicago and soon after began working with the Spanish Broadcast Network, Telemundo and WYCC PBS channel 20.
He has directed and produced various documentaries, commercials and music videos. His first feature was the award-winning documentary "Immigrant Nation!: The Battle for the Dream" which was featured on PBS nationwide and was funded by Latino Public Broadcasting. The documentary was awarded "Best of Fest" at the Chicago Latino Film Festival and Cine Festival of San Antonio.
In 2011 Melendez was recognized by the Mexico City Congress as "Imagen Positiva de México" for his work documenting the immigrants' experience at the time. He was part of WGBH CPB/PBS Producers Academy in 2013, fellow of Kartemquin Diverse Voices in 2015 and a classic member of New Day Films.
He has been a freelance producer for Local WTTW producing short documentaries for Pilsen: My Neighborhood and Firsthand: Segregation. He has recently started Inspired Views Productions Co., a new production company to focus more on other educational and industrial productions of urban untold stories of social impact.