Mehret Mandefro

About Mehret Mandefro

Mehret Mandefro is an Emmy-nominated producer, writer, and serial entrepreneur that champions the creative arts as a path to developing a more just society. Her body of work across documentary and fiction, film and TV, has appeared on Netflix, Amazon, American Masters, PBS, Apple, and has been released theatrically globally. Born in Addis Ababa, she co-founded Truth Aid Media in the United States, A51 Pictures in Ethiopia, and the Realness Institute in South Africa, a nonprofit that trains African film and television professionals and connects them to the global entertainment industry. A trusted advisor to mission-driven organizations, she specializes in alternative financing models and ethical partnerships at the intersection of culture and commerce. Her body of work scaling media companies and using narrative to shift culture secured her a spot on Variety’s list of most impactful women in global entertainment. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and has a BA in Anthropology from Harvard University, an MD from Harvard Medical School, a MSc in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine as a Fulbright Scholar, and a PhD in Cultural Anthropology from Temple University. She was a White House Fellow in the Obama Administration and is currently Executive Producer of the African Film and Media Arts Collective and Managing Director of Realness Institute. To learn more about her work visit: www.mehretmandefro.com