Alanna Schmelter is a film & television editor with a concentration in narrative non-fiction & documentary. After graduating with a degree in film editing from Columbia College Chicago, she started her career by cutting comedy at the world-renowned Second City. She has since edited series for National Geographic, Travel Channel, Ovation and A&E. In January 2016, she finished cutting a feature documentary titled Walk All Night: A Drum Beat Journey (Co-dir: Kate Benzschawel & Mallory Sohmer), about four teenage street musicians from Chicago who embark on a journey to Senegal to explore its culture and their connection to Africa. The film made its Chicago debut at the Black Harvest Film Festival in August of 2016. Her working relationship with Kartemquin started in 2014 as a part-time post-production assistant before eventually taking a position as Co-Editor on America to Me, the ten-part limited series directed by Steve James. It made its debut in the inaugural Indie Episodic category of the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. In March 2018, she joined the Lady Parts Justice in the New World Order team as Editor. She is thrilled to be melding her comedic sensibilities with her devotion to documentary in a compelling & timely female-driven story. In off-time, Alanna travels, rides her bicycle and feeds her cat Tony.