Who We Are
Formally established in February 2020, American Dignity is centered and focused on researching, vetting and producing accurately sourced documentary films. Their first project, titled “The Game is Up: Disillusioned Trump Voters Tell Their Stories”, has been in production and shooting since Mid-May throughout the country and in Israel during the global pandemic. Our subject’s bios are below. Along with a host of professional experts, they describe their journey and share their stories of their 2016 support of the current administration and when and why they have changed their minds for 2020.
Founders
Melissa Jo Peltier is a New York-based American producer and author. She is widely known for producing, writing and directing the 1994 A&E documentary mini-series Titanic: Death of a Dream and Titanic: The Legend Lives On, the show Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan and for co-authoring five books with Millan. In 2013, she published her first novel, entitled Reality Boulevard. Peltier has won two Emmy awards and received the Humanitas Prize in 1993 for the documentary Scared Silent: Exposing and Ending Child Abuse.
J. Dirk Schwenk, Esq. graduated with Honors (cum laude) from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1997 and was the recipient of the William P. Cunningham Award as the student who demonstrated exceptional service and achievement while at the law school. He has been in private practice focused on maritime and waterfront property issues since in Annapolis since 2000, and founded Baylaw, LLC in 2010. He is the father of two sons, husband to a fantastic wife, plays basketball and moonlights as a singer-songwriter.
M. Kerry Craven was in production from 1985-1995. She served as a Line Producer, Production Coordinator/APOC and non-guild AD for a myriad of commercials, informationals, corporate, documentary, long format broadcast for TV, as well as narrative long/short and episodic programs. In 2017, she was instrumental in the start of the Political Action Committee, Mad Dog PAC with former White House staffer, Claude Taylor. Mary Kerry currently serves as a corporate partner, Co-Treasurer and Producer for American Dignity’s first project, “The Game is Up: Disillusioned Trump Voters Tell Their Stories”.