Jan Selby Biography

Jan Selby
Darn Good Documentaries
Marketing Strategist/Producer
612.889.3640

Jan Selby, a marketing communications strategist and project manager with 25 years experience in consumer, business-to-business, high tech and medical device marketing, is co-founder of Darn Good Documentaries with Melody Gilbert.

After graduating from Tufts University with a degree in philosophy, Jan began her career as an advertising copywriter and account executive at D. A. Porter & Company in Boston. From there she moved to Apple Computer Inc., in Cupertino, California to work on marketing communications to support the launch of the Apple //c. Launch materials included a “man on the street” documentary, “What is a Computer, Anyway?”, which won an industrial Clio award.

At Apple, Jan’s career included managing Apple’s presence at national consumer trade shows and being Director of the Apple Computer Clubs. This $1,000,000 market development program leveraged Apple’s leadership position in the education market as the company moved into the home computer market.

In 1989, Jan moved to Minnesota to take a position at Guidant, Inc. where she managed the development of marketing communications materials to support international and domestic product launches, market development initiatives and sales support programs. In this capacity, she was the Senior Producer for a historical documentary about the life of Michel Mirowski, the inventor of the first implantable cardiac defibrillator.

From 1995 to 2007, Jan built a successful marketing and communications consulting firm, Selby Marketing Associates (www.selbymarketing.net). During this time, she managed teams of experienced professionals to meet the needs of firms in numerous industries, with particular focus on the medical device industry. In 2006 and 2007, Jan’s team led the marketing communications planning and implementation to support the largest product launch of 2007 for Boston Scientific.

In late 2007, Jan moved her focus to establishing and building Darn Good Documentaries. DGD supports a number of film and educational organizations including IFP Minnesota Center for Media Arts and Minnesota Women in Film and Television.

Beyond her professional life, Jan has served as a member of two local Montessori school boards: Lake Country School and Great River School.