We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Melissa “Mel” Mederos a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Melissa “Mel”, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?

A year after graduating from college, I finally took the leap and started applying to paid script supervisor positions, and I stumbled upon a listing looking for a script supervisor for a Sony and National Lampoon project.

At first, I thought it was a short film idea inspired by these creative giants. But, my first day on set, I noticed that it was indeed a bigger production. I had worked on big productions before but this definitely topped those.

I stayed true to myself when I applied, and when I interviewed, and that got me the first steps in the door of my paid script supervisor career. The entire crew that I worked with was very welcoming and it was an amazing first paid gig. I even got some friends out of it!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a South Florida native, starting my film career in Miami. I studied at the New York Film Academy campus there, and transferred to the one in LA. Working in film has been a lifelong dream for me. I first discovered my love for film when watching two of my favorite films, Children of Men and The Pianist. Since my last interview, I have graduated with my bachelors at Warner Brother’s lot.

In my last five years of filmmaking, I have dabbled in screenwriting, script supervision, assistant directing, directing, editing and art department. But, my true love in filmmaking always revolves around the script. Writing it, reading it and making sure that everything that is on the script makes it to the screen is what I have learned I am best at. Nowadays, I am a freelance screenwriter, script, supervisor, and entertainment assistant. I love being a part of the action on set, but I also love anything that has to go into the planning stage of any and all media I work on. I always try and make sure that I foster an open and communicative environment with my clients so that I i’m always able to do the best job I can for them.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Your peers!

So many of the jobs that I came across in my early career have been through networking with my peers. And a lot of the jobs that I come across as an adult are the same. Finding your community in your career is not just good for your development as a creative and honestly- as a person. But, it also leads to even more amazing, creative and personalized opportunities.

Also LinkedIn. You connect with so many other creatives in your own community and even in other states and countries. It truly is the best social media for anyone in media looking for opportunities.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

You get to be apart of stories you never thought you would encounter. Since I started this career, my view on the world has been changed so much due to the stories that I have helped put on a screen.

So many stories are untold and those not in this field do not get to encounter such tales of resilience, amazement, and creativity that we do. I truly feel lucky to have interacted with some of the creatives that I have and I know that the connections shared on set- whether it be on camera or off, will stick with me for the rest of my life. These creative spaces also leave a lot of room for people to start great connections with others. I have made some great friends from my co-workers. It leads you to create an amazing community when you say yes to even, what at the moment, seems like a crazy opportunity.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mariposaproductions.univer.se/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAadMPkIaeX-cQKgC4PhYccQFZkvxW0wue5h6oCo_nw2H897cN-37mZpGe9YPtg_aem_26OwifNmCFieNomL-Es8OA
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melmderos?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-mederos-b3a513199?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

Image Credits

Letterboxd/ The Antler