Meet the Team Behind The MelRish Studio

The faces behind the
human stories.

A small studio of storytellers in Al Quoz. Seventeen years of watching people, finding the moment that matters, and pressing the button at exactly the right time. Here's the crew that does it.

Melon Perez, co-founder of The MelRish Studio Arish Perez, co-founder of The MelRish Studio
Our story

More than a business. A testimony.

It started, as the best things often do, with disappointment. The photographers and videographers at Melon and Arish's own wedding missed the moments that mattered. So they picked up cameras, shot friends' weddings to learn the craft, and in 2009 took on their first paying client.

The years since have not been a straight line. Financial pressure, broken partnerships, seasons where quitting would have made perfect sense. The studio is still here anyway. Not because everything went to plan, but because the team kept showing up, kept doing the work, and kept believing there was more ahead.

Seventeen years later, with a team of twelve and a few thousand stories told, one belief still runs underneath everything: the moment matters more than the perfect shot. This story isn't finished. And now you're part of it.

Melon + Arish Perez
Co-founders, The MelRish Studio
The creative crew

Highly contagious with
creative ideas.

Hover over a face to see what they actually do, and the fact that makes them, well, them. Tap on mobile.

Melon Perez, MelRish Studio co-founder and head of creatives

Melon Perez

Co-founder · Head of Creatives
Melon Perez
Co-founder · Head of Creatives

The visionary. Melon directs the look of every project, sets the creative tone for the studio, and is usually the one quietly making sure your team looks human, not posed, in every frame.

QuirkWill rearrange your entire boardroom for one shot, then put everything back exactly where it was.
Arish Perez, MelRish Studio co-founder and head of operations

Arish Perez

Co-founder · Operations
Arish Perez
Co-founder · Operations

The one who makes it all actually happen. Arish runs operations: timelines, logistics, delivery, the moving parts that keep a seventeen-year-old studio running smoothly. If your shoot lands on time, this is why.

QuirkCan sequence a ten-stop shoot day in his head before the kettle has boiled.
Ryann, MelRish Studio production lead, photographer and videographer
Ryann
Production Lead · Photo/Video

Runs the production side and shoots both stills and motion. The calm at the centre of every shoot day, even when the timeline starts running away.

QuirkAlways chill. The room could be on fire and he would still be checking white balance.
Seth, MelRish Studio videographer
Seth
Videographer

Quiet on set, sharp in the edit. Seth notices the frames everyone else misses, then lets the footage do the talking back at the studio.

QuirkSays ten words a day. Six of them are useful, four are jokes.
Dana, MelRish Studio photographer, videographer and album specialist
Dana
Photo/Video · Album Specialist

Shoots, films, and turns the finished work into the wedding and event albums clients keep on their coffee tables. Detail-obsessed in the best way.

Known forCooking the best food in the office. Bring a Tupperware.
Gilda, MelRish Studio album assistant and photo editor
Gilda
Album Assistant · Photo Editor

Works alongside Dana on albums and runs the photo edit. Picked up the craft fast and now finds the keepers in a five-thousand-image gallery in record time.

Known forLearning a new tool on Monday, mastering it by Friday.
Eunice, MelRish Studio sales and account executive
Eunice
Sales · Account Executive

The first voice you will probably hear from us. Eunice handles new enquiries, runs accounts and makes sure briefs land in the right hands without friction.

QuirkJoyful by default. Even at 9am, even on a Monday, even after the third round of revisions.
Danny, MelRish Studio social media executive and content creator
Danny
Social Media Executive · Content Creator

Lives on the social side. Reels, short-form, BTS, scroll-stoppers. Knows the difference between content that gets watched and content that gets skipped.

QuirkEasily entertained, which is exactly the energy you want from someone making content. Indian, speaks English only.
Ismael, MelRish Studio photographer and videographer from Cuba
Ismael
Photographer · Videographer

Cuban photographer and videographer with a steady stream of ideas the rest of the team did not see coming. Brings a different eye to every shoot.

Known forSuggesting the angle nobody else thought of, ten minutes before the shot.
Siddhi, MelRish Studio videographer
Siddhi
Videographer

Small in stature, fierce on set. Carries a camera bigger than she is and gets the shot every time. Do not underestimate her, the brief is in safe hands.

Known forOut-working anyone in the room, then asking what's next.
Malou, MelRish Studio front desk and admin assistant
Malou
Front Desk · Admin Assistant

The reason the studio runs on time. Malou greets clients, keeps the schedule tidy and quietly makes sure nothing gets forgotten between brief and delivery.

Known forRemembering everyone's coffee order. Including yours, after one visit.
Johny, MelRish Studio production assistant
Johny
Production Assistant

The reason shoots run smoothly. Johny handles equipment, sets up the kit, and assists on every shoot. The team's quiet utility player, always one step ahead of what's needed next.

QuirkHas two birthdays a year. Nobody is entirely sure how. He celebrates both.
What we believe

Three words. That's the whole brief.

Everything we make has to pass three tests. If it does, we are doing our job.

Real

No pretending, no shortcuts, no fake perfection. We tell true stories through photos, video, books and prints. If it didn't actually happen, we're not interested.

Timeless

Trends fade. Stories last. We don't chase the algorithm. We make work that still means something years from now, long after the platform has moved on.

Personal

Relationships matter most. Great work happens when people feel seen, heard and valued. At MelRish, people always come before projects.

How we work

Four values we
actually live by.

Easy to remember, easy to live by. Not the kind that sit on a wall and gather dust.

01

Faith in the work

We show up on time and prepared, do the work honestly, keep our word, and take ownership instead of making excuses. We trust the process, and we do our part.

02

Growth mindset

We ask questions, take feedback without flinching, and learn from mistakes rather than hiding them. Skills can be taught. Attitude is a choice. Stagnation is not an option.

03

Excellence always

Good enough is not our standard. We double-check the work, respect deadlines, underpromise and overdeliver. The small details build trust, and our name is on every frame.

04

Win together

We communicate early, help teammates when they're stuck, and respect every role. No silos, no "not my job." Nobody builds something meaningful alone.

How we tell stories

We don't direct the moment.
We wait for it.

01

We stay unobtrusive. We let the story unfold and act as witnesses, not directors.

02

We find the purpose of the story before we find the shot.

03

We connect with the people in it. You can't capture a moment you haven't earned.

04

We observe the place, stay present, and chase the best light in the room.

05

We let moments happen naturally, then we inspire the action that makes them land.

06

We know the work matters, and we build relationships that outlast the shoot.

The story so far

Seventeen years
in eleven moments.

2009

The first paid wedding

After shooting friends' weddings for the love of it, the first paying client books a shoot in India. The studio has a name and a single invoice to prove it exists.

2010

First video, first corporate event

The cameras get heavier, the briefs get bigger. Corporate work enters the mix and never quite leaves.

2014

Melon goes full time

Quits the day job, takes the leap, signs the lease on a 700 sqft studio in Business Bay. The first real home for the work.

2015

Arish joins, first hires made

Arish resigns from his job and comes in alongside Melon. The first team members are brought on. The studio stops being a two-person operation.

2017

New studio, Everlast Albums & Prints founded

The team moves to Onyx Towers in Barsha Heights and launches its own album and print line. Beautiful work deserves to live somewhere beautiful.

2019

A decade in, 500 weddings later

The studio crosses 500 weddings shot. The whole team flies to Tbilisi, Georgia, to celebrate. The receipts have been quietly tucked away ever since.

2020

The Shed opens in Al Quoz

Move into a 4,000 sqft warehouse. Production, post, planning, props, all finally under one roof. The studio's current home.

2021

Pandemic survived, social opens

The world shut down, we did not. The studio takes its first social media management project and quietly pivots toward content alongside the photography and film work.

2024

From studio to creative agency

Photography and film were always the heart, but the work had grown. We officially become a creative content agency: strategy, content, social, and the full production pipeline behind it.

2025

AI joins the studio

We bring AI in as a tool, not a replacement. Faster edits, sharper visuals, the human still at the centre.

Now

You, reading this

Hopefully the start of something good.

Pick your team

Find your MelRish match.

Three quick questions. We will tell you who from the crew should be on your shoot.

Question 1 of 3
What are you shooting?
Your MelRish match

FAQ

About the studio,
in short.

Where is The MelRish Studio based?

The Shed, Unit 1, Al Quoz 3, Dubai, UAE. The studio is our home base for shoots, edits and meetings, but the team works across the UAE and the wider Middle East regularly.

How long has the studio been around?

Since 2009. Seventeen years and counting. Melon and Arish Perez founded the studio after their own wedding photography missed the moments that mattered most.

How big is the team?

A core team of twelve, plus a roster of trusted freelance photographers, videographers and editors we bring in for larger shoots. Small enough to be personal, big enough to handle multi-camera conferences and multi-day brand productions.

What kind of clients does MelRish work with?

A mix of global brands (Mercedes, Nestlé, KPMG, UN Women, Uber, ACWA Power, Zoom), event agencies, schools, and individual founders building their personal brand. The common thread is that they care about how they are seen.

Are you available for shoots outside Dubai?

Yes. We travel regularly across the UAE (Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah) and the wider region, and have flown further afield for clients before. Just tell us where and when.

Do you offer internships or hire freelancers?

Yes to both. If you're a photographer, videographer, editor or content creator who can tell a real story, send your CV and a few of your favourite frames to hello@melrish.com. We read every application.

Want this crew on
your next shoot?

Tell us what you're planning. WhatsApp is fastest, we'll come back the same day.

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