Nancy Porter has been writing, producing and directing documentaries for over twenty-five years.

Known for her sensitive portrayals of character and for her creative use of dramatic storytelling, she has won numerous awards including a National Emmy, two Cine Gold Eagles, and in 1999, the first Women in Film and Video Image Award for Vision and Excellence.

Earlier in her career, Porter was a staff producer at WGBH-TV until 1992 when she established her own production company. Her films, Houdini, Alone on the Ice, The Wright Stuff, and Amelia Earhart were produced for AMERICAN EXPERIENCE. Her films for NOVA include Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Will Venice Survive Its Rescue?, and her most recent award-winning production, The Most Dangerous Woman in America, about Typhoid Mary which aired on 10/12/0.and was nominated for a national Emmy in 2005 in the category of Best Historical Programming.

Along with Co-Project Director Harriet Reisen, Porter is currently working on a documentary, Louisa May Alcott: The Real Woman Who Wrote Little Women, which received development funding from NEH, PBS and NEA and a production grant from NEH in 2005. Production began in fall 2006. While raising funds to complete the budget, Reisen and Porter are working with ICM on a new biography of Alcott and developing a website and educational outreach materials to accompany the broadcast.