Mela Hudson
| Mela Hudson | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Nicole Marie Marinucci 24 July 1987 Poughkeepsie, New York, U.S. |
| Residence | Los Angeles, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Actress, Producer |
| Years active | 2009-present |
| Height | (5 ft 0 in (1.52 m)) |
| Website | www.melahudson.com |
Mela Hudson (born July 24, 1987) is an American actress, and producer best known for her roles in Men in Black 3, The Sisterhood of Night, and Hits.[1] Hudson made her producer debut in 2013 for such films as Presence, and Resident Evil: Red Falls, which was highly recognized by CAPCOM and the Resident Evil franchise.[1]
Personal life
Hudson was born and raised in Poughkeepsie, New York to a Michael Marinucci Jr., and Carol Ann Dalrymple. She has a brother, Michael, who is five years older, and a twin brother, Vincent.[2] At the age of four, she belonged to the Estelle and Alfonso Performing Arts Program, and the Betty Jean Studio where she performed on stage in huge venues such as the Mid-Hudson Civic Center. She started acting at the age of eight when she was cast as the lead in her elementary school's play. She attended a private Catholic school called Holy Trinity from first grade to third grade, then finished elementary school at Brinkerhoff Elementary. She then attended Van Wyck Junior High, and then John Jay Senior High School where she continued to act on stage, as well as build sets for the productions. She graduated from high school in 2005.[3]
Progressing to motion picture, she then studied acting at Dutchess Community College where she focused her skill in multiple student films. In 2009 she was introduced to the New York Talent Club where she started to obtain professional on-set experience working in independent films, TV commercials, and music videos that were being shot locally. She has also trained professionally at the John Pallotta Studio of Acting, and Jordan Bayne's Permission Playground in New York City.
Career
Mela Hudson originally picked "Nikki Holister" for her stage name because she felt her real name would get her typed-cast. After long thought, she announced via social media that she was permanently changing her name to "Mela Hudson".[2]
On September 11, 2012 Professional Models and Actors Consolidated announced that out of 75 nominees nationwide, Mela was the People's Choice Award winner at the Coleman Awards.[4]
Hudson appeared in Deborah Harry's music video for "Mother" as an 80's zombie.[5]
Mela appeared in David Cross' film Hits which premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2014.[6][7] Rather than selling the film rights to distributors, the movie was sold to Bit Torrent through their "bundles" program.[8] According to The Verge, it is the first feature film to be distributed in such a way.[8] Cross also launched a Kickstarter campaign at the same time for the movie's general release using a pay what you want methodology which would then distribute the movie to more theatres.[8]
In October of 2014, Hudson announced that she was creating her first animation film, Tomboy. She had written it as a short story at first, but then soon after decided to adapt it to screen. The film is currently in pre-production, and will hit the festival circuit once completed.[9]
Philanthropy
In September of 2013 Mela started volunteering her time annually with the Toys for Tots Foundation,[10] as well as Guns and Hoses, a local organization created in honoring policemen and firefighters who lost their lives in 9/11. In an interview she said, "These things have always been important to me in my life. It is important that we use our position to do good in the world."[1] Some of Hudson's charities include those devoted to fighting hunger, domestic violence, and suicide prevention.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Z Day | Katherine | |
| 2012 | The Curse of Ba'al | Natalie | |
| 2012 | Men in Black 3 | Downtown Hipster | |
| 2013 | Presence | short film
Executive Producer | |
| 2013 | Resident Evil: Red Falls | Co-Executive Producer | |
| 2014 | Hits | Juli's Friend | |
| 2014 | The Sisterhood of Night | Secret Sisterhood Girl | |
| 2015 | Where Is My Golden Arm | Alisha | short film |
| 2015 | The Brain Hunter | Detective Mills | |
| 2015 | Hybrid Vigor | Associate Producer | |
| 2016 | Tomboy | Jenny (voice) | short film, animation
Lead role, Producer, Screenwriter |
| 2016 | Candles | Ellen Rowden | |
| 2016 | Share with Me Your Brightest Colors | Executive Producer | |
| 2017 | Key Revenge | Roxie | Lead role |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-2012 | I Just Want My Pants Back | Bartender | 2 episodes |
| 2013 | Death's Chronicles | Megan | Episode: "Mac the Mechanic" |
| 2013 | Blue Bloods | Helpful Stranger/Commuter | Episodes: "Unwritten Rules" & "The City That Never Sleeps" (uncredited) |
| 2014 | Celebrity Paranormal Lockdown | Herself | Episode: "Madison Seminary" |
| 2015-present | Not So Random | Shannon, Elmo | 2 episodes |
| 2015-present | Deadstar: The Animated Series | Rahj, Miranda, Citizen | 3 episodes |
Awards
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nomination/Win |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Coleman Awards | People's Choice Award | Won |
| 2015 | The Shorty Awards | Best Actress in Social Media | Nominated |
| 2015 | The Broad Humor Film Festival | Best Supporting Broad | Won |
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Mela Hudson". IMDb. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
- 1 2 "Mela Hudson". IMDb. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
- ↑ "Mela Hudson". Mela Hudson. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
- 1 2 "Nikki Holister | Miami Talent Magazine". miamitalentmag.com. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
- ↑ "Mela Hudson - Other works". IMDb. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
- ↑ Indiewire. "Sundance 2014: World Cinema Dramatic Competition". Retrieved 2015-09-06.
- ↑ "Hits | Director David Cross | Filmmaker Magazine". Retrieved 2015-09-06.
- 1 2 3 "David Cross' new movie will be the first feature film distributed in a BitTorrent Bundle". The Verge. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
- ↑ Metzker, Laura (October 6, 2014). "Famous Fix / WDW".
- ↑ "Nipora, 5th Annual Toys for Tots".
- ↑ "Mela Hudson". IMDb. Retrieved 2015-09-05.