Melissa Noel is an award-winning journalist, entrepreneur, and media innovator redefining how Caribbean and African Diaspora stories are told on a global scale. She is Founder & CEO of Mel&N Media, a strategic communications and multimedia production agency. Since founding the agency in 2021, she has grown it into a trusted media agency, partnering with legacy media brands, travel brands, and international agencies—including the ESSENCE Festival of Culture, the United Nations, and the Grenada Tourism Authority—building visibility and influence for diverse narratives while demonstrating that culturally grounded storytelling drives both representation and revenue.
With over 13 years in major newsrooms—including as Senior News & Travel Editor at ESSENCE Magazine, Caribbean Community Editor at Documented NY, reporting roles at NBC News, National Geographic, ABC News, and as an on-air correspondent for One Caribbean Television/CBS Puerto Rico—Melissa saw a gap in how Caribbean and African Diaspora stories were told and, in 2021, transformed it into a bold new media venture, proving that entrepreneurial vision and authentic storytelling can drive both representation and revenue.
Under her leadership, Mel&N Media is producing Destination Diaspora®, a forthcoming travel docuseries that won the Black Travel Summit and BET Plus Passport to Storytelling competition. Known as a connector bridging Caribbean entrepreneurs, global media, and cultural institutions, Melissa has shaped programming as editorial lead for the ESSENCE Festival of Culture, Communications Director of Dance Grenada Festival Inc., and former Co-Chair of the National Association of Black Journalists Global Task Force.
A Pulitzer Center grantee, Ethel Payne International Reporting Fellow for reporting on Africa, and a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Howard University, Melissa has made a significant impact at the intersection of media, entrepreneurship, and social impact.
