Melanie Fishel, Rodeo Photographer - Beyond the Arena Ep.1

Produced by Real Deal Rodeo, "Beyond the Arena" is a series of short documentary-style interviews with the people who make rodeo happen. From photographers to competitors, vendors to entertainers, the goal of this series is introduce the people who make up the rodeo community and allow the viewer to get a deeper look at the sincerity, honesty, hard work, and dedication of these individuals that I'm lucky enough to call friends. In this episode, I interviewed Melanie Fishel of Mel's Media Solutions. She's a 2x IPRA Photographer of the Year, 56th International Finals Rodeo Photographer, American BullRiders Tour Photographer of the Year, 2x ABT Finals Photographer, 2x Southern Finals Rodeo Photographer. We had a short chat just prior to night two of the Hephzibah Broncs & Bulls 2026 event put on my Southern Rodeo Company. Melanie was a delight to spend time with and is a true professional in the arena. Her images capture the energy and grit of these events like no one else. What/who is Real Deal Rodeo? My name is Matt Spaugh and I started Real Deal Rodeo to share my love of rodeo and the western lifestyle with the world. In addition to creating highlight videos and posting clips of individual competitors, I love to interview anyone who will sit and talk with me about how they came to the sport and what keeps them coming back. My love for the rodeo community is bigger than I could ever express. There is truly nothing like it and I encourage anyone who is interested to find a local rodeo to attend. You won't regret it.