Elena Mannes is an award-winning independent documentary director/writer/producer whose honors include six Emmy Awards, a George Foster Peabody Award, two Directors Guild of America Awards, and nine Cine Golden Eagles. Mannes’s first book, The Power of Music: Pioneering Discoveries in the New Science of Song was based on a PBS primetime special that Mannes developed and created. The Music Instinct: Science & Song, a program exploring recent discoveries about the power of music and its connection to the body, the brain, and the world of nature. It won the Grand Prix at the Parisscience International Film Festival, the BANFF Science & Technology Prize as well as a CINE Special Jury Prize for Arts & Culture.
Ms. Mannes’ network credits include: Cover—Up at Ground Zero (ABC/Turning Point) which earned an Emmy for Outstanding Historical Documentary as well as documentaries on the anniversary of Woodstock in 1994, documentaries and segments for CBS Reports, 60 Minutes, and Prime Time Live (ABC). She also directed and produced a program for the Discovery Channel: The Great Gatsby (TLC 1997, Great Books Series). She received a B.A. from Smith College and a Masters Degree in International Politics from Johns Hopkins University.