Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Melissa Center. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Melissa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the best or worst investment you’ve made (either in terms of time or money)? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)
The best investment I’ve ever made has been hiring a coach! Specifically, hiring a coach to guide me through the crowdfunding process for my solo show Marrying Jake Gyllenhaal. Not only did I successfully fund my project, I was able to translate my success into my current business. Here is the backstory –
I am, first and foremost an actor. I have always been in love with storytelling – on stage & on screen – and the capacity to use my whole being to bring a story to life is an extraordinary gift. I am also one who is very driven & does not like waiting for the phone to ring. So, years ago when I wasn’t satisfied with the opportunities I was receiving, I decided to take matters into my own hands.
The very first project I self-produced, as a vehicle for myself as an actor, was a web series called “Missed Connections Live.” Remember Missed Connections on Craigslist? I would find the juiciest posts, translate the writing into a character, and deliver the post essentially as a monologue. Each episode was a different character and a different Missed Connections posting. It was a blast. As I went along, I saw opportunity to grow! So I launched my very first Kickstarter campaign. I had no idea what I was doing and I was terrified, but the process of taking agency over my own expression was so fun and empowering, so I committed fully to it.
After raising $8000 on Kickstarter, I bought my own camera and started to expand how I was storytelling. I essentially taught myself how to produce and direct with this project, and soon I was invited to be an original member of the WGAe’s Digital Caucus. I felt so excited to be seen as a legitimate creator! I knew I wanted to continue on this path.
A few years later I moved to LA and found myself in a creative lab amongst a group of super talented actors, writers and directors. I felt inspired by the work I was seeing and really wanted to develop a project so we could all collaborate. It was always a dream of mine to make a feature film, so I pitched an idea to a handful of my colleagues and next thing I know, I’m co-writing my very first feature film: “All I Want.”
I planned the story for a single location in order to keep our budget super tight. I also was extremely lucky to be surrounded by generous humans who agreed to take part as a labor of love – one has to start somewhere, right? But movies do take money, so once again I found myself on the crowdfunding train. I thought if I modeled my campaign after similar projects that had reached their goal, I would reach mine. Given I had an ensemble cast, I thought they could share my campaign periodically on social media, and we’d attract support. I was wrong. It was a slog. Thought I did manage to pull together the financing, I never wanted to crowdfund again.
Until…
I wrote a solo play called “Marrying Jake Gyllenhaal.” I HAD to tell this story. Once again, I needed funds, and crowdfunding was the only viable option. I refused to fail, so I hired a coach. I managed to raise 155% of my goal (in the height of the Pandemic, mind you). Because of my success, friends and colleagues reached out to ask for my support with THEIR campaigns. So I partnered with my coach to take on clients.
2 years later and I’ve helped artists raise over $1M for their projects!
In this process I learned the power of fully committing to myself and my voice. I learned that investing in a coach can make all the difference in terms of concrete results. I also learned there are ways in which women need a specific kind of support in asking for money, especially asking for money for our own art. I’ve also learned that we are our own best advocates and we must take action into our own hands if we want proper representation on stage and on screen.
As such, I’ve developed a new program called 50 Women – $50K. In this next year I will be supporting 50 women on their journeys to raise $50K so that they can share their stories with the world because our voices matter & need to be heard.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am an actor, award-winning filmmaker known for intensely relatable and visceral women’s stories, published SPEAKer, and crowdfunding queen (!) who has helped artists raise over $1M for their passion projects. Along with my work as an artist, my mission moving forward is to help women, especially Jewish women & queer women, raise funds to share our stories with the world on our own terms.
My work as an actor has been vast and varied! I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Northwestern University’s Theater Department and was a part of their highly selective Musical Theater Certificate Program. My professional career began in Chicago with productions of “A Chorus Line” and “Singin’ in the Rain,” followed by a dramatic pivot with the Irish tragedy, “Riders to the Sea.” I moved to New York and pounded the pavement. I did several more productions playing Maggie in “A Chorus Line” including a tour to Hawaii, many Off-Off Broadway plays, originated a stage adaptation of Lois Lowry’s “The Giver” directed by my mentor, the late, great, Wynn Handman, and then began my journey as a creator with my web series “Missed Connections Live.”
I moved to LA to increase my opportunities for tv/film work, and made my tv debut as a Nurse on “Grimm,” followed by a recurring role on “Grey’s Anatomy,” At the same time, I began to teach myself the art of screenwriting, and eventually co-wrote, produced, and starred in my first feature film, “All I Want” (Prime, Vudu, TubiTV, itunes). My next film, R.v, went viral & screened across the country and internationally given its subject matter – the threat to women’s reproductive rights.
The time period in which I wrote, produced, co-directed & starred in R.v was eye-opening in terms of gender inequity & overall misogyny. As such, I committed to shedding light on the female experience. I wrote & directed a short film called “His Name is Niv” about my own experience as a victim of sexual assault. I followed that with a solo musical called Marrying Jake Gyllenhaal, which is currently in development for an Off-Broadway run.
I continue to be most proud of my work as an artist because it is the most vulnerable, and most authentic to who I am at my core. The artist’s life is never a clear path, but it can be so rich and fulfilling if you learn to embrace the uncertainty, listen to the whispers in your heart, take giant leaps, fall a lot, and never give up.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
Our systems are broken. Obviously. I wish there was more infrastructure to support and sustain artists. Unfortunately, the US is sorely lacking in this area. However, there are ways in which society can help.
First – people must recognize that the content they engage with on a daily basis is content created for them by HUMAN artists. Because of how tech has taken over our economy, I think there is a disconnect with the product and the humanity behind that product. Clearly. Look what’s been happening with our strikes!
Then – art and creative works must be recognized as WORK. Nothing about art-making is frivolous. And without it, our spirits die. When the world shut down in 2020, where did everyone turn to make it through the days? To us.
Then – contribute financially! Whether that means subscribing to your local theater’s season or finding emerging artists on Kickstarter, Seed&Spark or IndieGogo – there are actionable ways to help fund individual artists and help your cultural institutions stay afloat. Corporations and big tech are doing fine. Consider putting your resources where they are needed and appreciated.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
This is a great follow-up question!
The creative journey is not a linear path. There are no clear directions. And zero sense of security.
Oftentimes people mock artists for being weak or lazy or too sensitive or unreliable. This couldn’t be farthest from the truth! We have to constantly adapt, constantly reinvent ourselves, oftentimes juggle multiple jobs to sustain ourselves. We don’t have luxuries that many jobs offer automatically – health insurance, paid leave, a 401K. As such, we have to be extra savvy with our spending & saving. We are often wearing MANY hats on top of our creative life – we are marketers, salespeople, admins of our own careers. There are zero guarantees.
A person may ask – why the heck do you do it then? Why not get a job with benefits?
I’ve asked myself this many times. I’ve had “day jobs” in more traditional settings before. In general, however, there is always a need to create that follows me wherever I go. I think about our world and I think about how we all work together in an ecosystem. There are doctors and lawyers and teachers and farmers. There are engineers and accountants and construction workers. There are also painters and dancers and singers and storytellers. We all play our part collectively. No one person is more or less valuable than another. It’s through our collective contribution the world goes round…
Contact Info:
- Website: melissacenter.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissacenter/
- Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@officialmelissacenter
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/themelissacenter
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissacenter/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/melissacenter
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mfc414
Image Credits
Headshot by Leslie Hassler