Today we’d like to introduce you to Melanie Reneé.
Melanie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started out in the entertainment business at 12 years old. I was a backup dancer for a contemporary Christian artist. I toured around the country performing for people like Reverend Bernice King, rubbing shoulders with Gospel greats like Mary Mary, as well as artists like 3Lw, Ruff Endz and even dancing half-time for the Orlando Magics. During that time I would take local opportunities as well, which would sometimes require me to act and sing in youth choirs.
My parents were very instrumental in exposing me to opportunities that let me know that I could actually make a living doing what I love. This sparked a sense of drive in me that never left regardless of any challenge I would face in the future. Expressing myself creatively always brought me peace. It was my safe haven from the crazy things that can sometimes happen when living in this world. So I held on to it throughout my adult life as well.
This led me to move to back to my hometown to pursue my studies at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC. At the time I was a young, struggling single mom with a cosmetology certification and very little money. I didn’t know what would happen, in fact, I hadn’t even been officially accepted to AMDA. I had just auditioned, but it was one of those audition moments that felt electric. Prior to the audition, I kept hitting walls just trying to navigate being a young black woman in this country. I remember praying and afterward feeling that it was time for change and that studying at a conservatory would help me get closer to reaching my goal of being a working artist. It just so happened that after that prayer I began researching schools, saw AMDA and oddly enough they would be in Atlanta in two weeks. So the way that things lined up let me know it was ok to take the leap.
So I left to go get set up in NJ where I had relatives and where I could easily commute to the city. I had support from friends and family when I arrived. Eventually, I got the call from an administrator at AMDA letting me know that I had gotten into the school and I had received scholarship money as well. I was ecstatic. I was getting a fresh start again.
The move back to my hometown changed my entire life, and studying at AMDA gave me the courage I needed to jump into the business again. I later studied at several more schools and with many other amazing coaches. Did small theater productions in NYC. I got an agent and started auditioning for acting jobs.
During those years of pursuing my goals in NYC I met my husband. We got married and had two boys. One day I was recovering with my first son when I was presented with the first opportunity to audition for a Pampers print campaign. It came at a crazy time because I was struggling with postpartum depression after a really complicated pregnancy. So I wasn’t sure if I was ready but I fought through, and we went. My son and I booked the campaign, and opportunities to work with my whole family kept pouring in. We booked more commercials and print ads together. I was so determined to not let living my life as a mom and wife stop me from working as a creative because many times women are told they can’t have their careers and a family. I wanted both. So being able to take my babies with me gave me that opportunity, and it exposed my family to a world that was inspiring for them as well.
We kept this up for a while. When I wasn’t auditioning by myself for opportunities, my family would audition as well. Eventually, we felt it was time to move back to Atlanta where my mom and other family members were to give the kids the experience of living in the South. Well, we came one year before the pandemic hit. As soon as I got settled and thought that I could begin pursuing my career in Atlanta the world went crazy! Luckily for the kids, we had already started the process of homeschooling my oldest daughter, so it was natural to just begin homeschooling the boys as every parent in the country had to grapple with whether or not to send their kids in person or keep them home at the height of the pandemic. Having a daughter with an extreme case of ongoing asthma and little toddlers, the only option we saw was keeping them home. This was extremely challenging for me as go-getter mom. So I began blogging about it. I knew there were so many things I had learned as a mom managing my career and my children’s daily affairs that I could offer to other moms. I began sharing tools and encouragement for moms who were managing their kid’s activities and the crazy things that would come up parenting during a pandemic.
While blogging, I interviewed a mom who was a voice actor. I had already started studying voice acting in NY before we moved. So I was already very interested in it. She was so adamant that I should not be giving up on my pursuit of voiceover, because she thought I had a very marketable voice. I felt a nudge again to really give voice acting a shot. So I began studying again, reaching out to working voice actors, joining voice actor Facebook groups, coaching on the business of voice acting. I turned my closet into a sound-proofed booth, got my first demo, and I began seeking work.
Everything I had learned in NYC prepared me for that moment in my life, where I had to pivot and figure out a way to work from home as a creative. With God’s help and the support from my husband and kids, I have been able to work from home as an actor ever since. Life is full of ups and downs throughout our journey on this earth. When you believe firmly that you are supposed to be living in your purpose, you have to be willing to be open to receiving opportunities that will help you grow, even if it doesn’t look like what you originally planned.
Voiceover has changed me in such an amazing way. I am now so empowered as an artist who happens to be a mom. I finally know that I will always find a way to be true to myself as a creative woman and be a great mom to my babies even when life throws obstacles at me that I had no idea were coming. I’ve been blessed to have opportunities to prove this to myself many times, and in this season of my life, I get to prove this to myself from my closet! Moms will always find a way.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In this business there is a lot of rejection! There have been several times, both in my on-camera career and with voiceover where I auditioned for the same casting director multiple times and didn’t get the job. I have had to learn how to keep empowering myself so that I don’t lose all of my self-esteem in pursuit of the dream jobs. This business requires you to believe in yourself. Even if you are living through challenges in your life outside of your career, your head has to be in the game when it’s time to work. So I do therapy, journal, take classes, and I don’t wait on the dream jobs. I keep working until they come. Even if it means working in spaces like E-Learning or IVR which weren’t in the original plan, but these jobs sustain me and allow me to practice what I’ve learned in a coaching session until the commercials, promo or animation jobs come.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m an actor/ voice actor. I currently do commercials, E-Learning, IVR for phone systems, and I’ve been able to do a few animated characters as well. I have managed to take my experience from being an on-camera actor, particularly in commercials, and bring those skills into my booth as a voice actor. It has really been a lot of fun.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
I would say that the most important lesson I’ve learned is to let go of micromanaging how I will reach my goals and just do the work to hone in on my skills so that when life brings me an opportunity I wasn’t planning for in my career, I’m willing, and prepared to embrace it. Most of the time it’s the opportunities I didn’t expect that change my life, or they are usually important life lessons that are necessary for the next big opportunity. The same has also often been true in my personal life. Since I’ve learned to not spin out of control when life throws curve balls at me, I’ve been able to pivot with a better sense of ease when necessary. It has not been easy to get here, and sometimes I still have moments where I have to remind myself to relax if something unexpected comes up, but it is something I’m working on every day because it keeps me healthy mentally.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.melanierenee.net/; https://themomagerblog.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melaniereneecook/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHQtC7OG1onTmI8gsezH0w7Pc-SLBNxf3
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/themomagerllc/
Image Credits:
Jack Jeffries
