BIO

Jenn Nelson is an award-winning, New York City–based creative executive with extensive experience producing original television series, documentaries, branded content, commercials, digital programming, and live productions. Her claim to fame is that she liberated the Happy Birthday To You song into public domain. 

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With both creative and logistical expertise, Nelson has hands-on experience across every stage of production—from concept development and securing access to producing, directing, budgeting, and shepherding projects through final edit. Her work is driven by a passion for cinematic storytelling that challenges perspectives, explores provocative narratives, and captures the emotional core of the human experience.

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Her independent film Saving Happy Birthday, commissioned by The Guardian, and airing on American Airlines, received worldwide press coverage and won the Best Social Activism Award at the Tech Doc Festival. The film has also screened at the Mill Valley Film Festival, Australian International Documentary Conference, and the Artemis Women in Action Film Festival in Los Angeles.

Nelson’s work has been nominated for Webby Awards, Emmy Awards, GLAAD Media Awards, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, and has aired on major networks and platforms including A&E, HBO, MTV, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, ESPN, Fox Sports, ABC, CBS, NBCUniversal, AMC Networks, PBS, and YouTube.

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She has produced content for some of the world’s leading brands, including Verizon, Amazon, Toyota, Dodge, Volkswagen, and Tough Mudder, American Airlines, among many others. Nelson has also collaborated with world-renowned athletes including Mike Tyson, Serena Williams, Tony Hawk, Annie Thorisdottir, John Elway, Laird Hamilton, and Brian Vickers.

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Nelson’s path to filmmaking has been anything but conventional. After college, she competed as a professional downhill mountain bike racer on the national tour, as well as the inaugural ESPN X Games. She began her film career as a stunt double in the IMAX film Everest and later became the first woman to ride a bicycle to Mount Everest Base Camp for the television series Adventure Quest on the Outdoor Life Network. She was also featured on the cover of Condé Nast Sports for Women as a professional mountain-bike athlete. In addition to her filmmaking career, Nelson is the 2025 National Weightlifting Champion in her category. 

She holds a B.A. in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley and a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.