biography

Janet Traynor was born and raised on the Cooley peninsula in the Republic of Ireland, close to the border of Northern Ireland.

At 21, Janet began her career as a studio director and outside broadcast director for UTV Live news and UTV’s Counterpoint. In 1998 she moved to the Irish national broadcaster as Producer/Director on long format documentaries for RTÉ’s flagship current affairs programme Prime Time. Covering both national and international current affairs, Janet spent time in New York in the wake of the September 11 attacks, Iraq following the fall of Saddam Hussein and Beslan in the aftermath of the school terrorist attacks. She later moved on to work for Prime Time Investigates, producing and directing major documentaries for their investigative series. Janet currently works for RTÉ’s Investigations Unit where she produced and directed the award winning ‘Inside Bungalow 3’ and ‘Fatal Failures’. In tandem with her documentary making, in 2005 she directed single-camera drama, spending five years on the medical series The Clinic.

Janet’s documentary films and series have received notable recognition both at home and abroad. She is the recipient of five Irish Film and Television Awards, her most recent success recorded in 2015. In 2014 ‘Fatal Failures’ received the silver award at the New York Festival TV and Film awards. The critically acclaimed series Freefall traced the origins of Ireland’s banking and financial crisis. Her documentary on sex trafficking was the winner of the Celtic Film Festival in 2007. Janet’s exposés on the Leas Cross nursing home and the care of the intellectually disabled were nominated for the Prix Europa in 2005 and 2006 Janet creates programmes with a strong message, and many have contributed to national and political debate. Her work has influenced legislative changes in Ireland for human trafficking and in the care of the elderly. She is motivated by a pursuit of justice and equality.