We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ian Melamed. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ian below.

Ian, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I think it’s probably Serov, the feature film I worked on. I was completely immersed in the project. I wrote, directed, acted, edited, and composed the music for it. So I really got to see it through from beginning to end. I also had the best team I could ask for. My cinematographer, Brandon Whipple, and I were in lock step with how we shot it. My actors were all incredible! I remember discussing my ideal cast with my friends and we were all like “these are the best actors in our program” and we got em’ all!

I also think the project was a breakthrough for me in terms of what I thought I was capable of. Before we started on the project I was not really in a good place, mental health wise, and I kinda figured that I had plateaued creatively, professionally, personally. But really hammering down on Serov and seeing it through to completion was the victory I really needed to get out of that.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Well, before I was an actor I really wanted to be an astrophysicist. I was one of those kids who got really obsessed with science at a young age. I think there’s this extremely cursed footage from my fifth grade graduation movie where they ask “where do you see yourself in ten years?” and it cuts to me as I’m saying “exploring faster than light travel.” Alas, I did not invent the warp drive at age 21, but I think that kind of desire to really dive into really complex and niche things is what keeps me going.

With Serov I got absolutely obsessed with the history of the Soviet Union. The history is just so weird and compelling. The movie is a fictionalized account of the rise of the KGB. So I found this one little detail I liked while doing research and blew it up into a feature length story.

I’ve also recently begun producing a play in NYC! Myself and my co-producer, Barbara Riethe, and our director, Debora Balardini, are working on Goodbye Doctor by author and psychoanalyst Betty Milan. It’s a whole different kind of crazy cause the play is about psychology and Lacanian psychoanalysis in particular. It’s also a cross cultural collaboration between our theatre company, Psykout!, and the Brazilian Consulate in NYC. We’ll be having a two week run at the Jeffrey and Paula Gural Theatre in late October so you should definitely stop by if you want your brain to melt! So I guess I just end up tackling more and more complex projects, which I like because it means I’m constantly learning.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I mean, I’m not super confident in society just magically deciding that it suddenly values the work artists do more. But there’s definitely a lot that individuals can do. I think one of the best ways to support artists is to encourage people to really care about the kind of media they consume. I feel like it’s getting harder and harder nowadays to be deliberate about that because we’re just constantly bombarded with everything. But I think that a lot of pleasure can be found in really seeking out things you like for yourself and discovering why you like what you like. It’s like a relationship. It takes effort but the payoff is so worth it. I think if people start realizing that art is more enjoyable when they’re actively putting thought and care into what they consume, people will realize the true value of art. That it isn’t just some luxury, but something that makes you happy on a day to day basis, and keeps you going.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I don’t actually think there’s a clear distinction between “creatives” and “non-creatives.” Creativity isn’t just something reserved for people with artistic pretensions. Creativity manifests in everything we do. If you’re an engineer you use creativity to build the most efficient roads. If you’re a scientist you use creativity to design new experiments. For me creativity is just the willingness to try new things and do things in unconventional ways. It’s the antidote to stagnation. It’s a skill you use to make life more enjoyable. And I think people who don’t think of themselves as “creative” can still really benefit from exercising that skill.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ianmelamed.com/
• Instagram: @ianmelamed
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-melamed-a55990177?trk=contact-info
• Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Yt8rkv90-YI&t=4496s

Image Credits

Sasha Reist