We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amanda Melby a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Amanda, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
When I moved from California to Phoenix in late 2004, I was looking for an acting class for professional actors that I could participate in as a student. In California, the rule is – if you aren’t working, you are in class. It’s a great way to work your creative muscles, to challenge yourself with new and exciting roles and to have a space and time to be working your craft and technique. I couldn’t find a class here that was led by someone with more experience than I had, so with the encouragement of an acting friend that had lived in Phoenix before moving to LA, I decided to start a class for experienced actors. In August 2005, Verve Studios was born with one Scene Study class.
Today, 18 years later, it has grown into a fully developed professional training program for aspiring adults, high school and middle school actors as well as a place for working professionals to exercise and train.
Amanda, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My parents met in college in the theatre department and my Mom’s parents met doing a play as well. So, performing is in my blood! I grew up watching them do community theatre and perform as musicians and was always inspired by their talent and creativity. My Mom also had a passion for directing and teaching and she and my Dad owned a music store in Minnesota. I played instruments from a very early age and had a cello scholarship to college, but majored in Speech Communications Theatre Arts and English.
After college, I was fortunate to get an internship at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, which was a transformative experience. I learned incredibly valuable work skills that I still employ today, and I consumed so much culture and entertainment during the 6 months I was there – more varied than I had ever been exposed to.
I lived and worked as an actor in Minneapolis, MN, Fargo, ND, Washington, DC, Cleveland, Ohio, and then to Los Angeles, CA, San Diego, CA, and finally settling down in Phoenix. I still work as an actor in Phoenix, Los Angeles and even New Mexico.
In addition to acting myself, I teach acting through my studio, Verve Studios, and advocate for all actors through my volunteer work as President of SAG-AFTRA Arizona-Utah local.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
It’s not so much that I had to unlearn it, but more so that I had to teach it to myself. And that is that if I really want something done, I have to do it myself. No one else is going to do it for me. I am a huge team player and believe in the power of collaboration, but when it comes down to raising money, producing, building community, I can’t sit back and wait and hope that someone else will pick up the ball.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
Being a creative isn’t really a choice. It’s in us. Creatives have to be creative! I’ve tried over the years to have a 9-5 job that had a steady paycheck, but it just made me miserable because there was so little joy in what I was doing. I am fortunate now that my “day job” is teaching acting!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://AmandaMelby.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandamelbyactress/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmandaMelbyActress
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandamelby/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/amandamelby
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1659063/?ref_=tt_cl_t2
Image Credits
Raising Buchanan film Director of Photography: Bret Kalmbach. The Last Bell Director of Photography: Zoe Lubeck