Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Balint.
Hi Melissa, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always been drawn to stories about people who don’t fit in and are trying to find their way through systems that aren’t built for them. Coming from the life of a neurodivergent multi-racial kid without many resources, I find them quite relatable. Stories are more than just a touchstone though, they are inspiration.
I started building up my storytelling toolbelt at what my boss at the time called the lowest of the low, production assisting… for post-production. Over a long career I’ve been able to learn and master so many more aspects of TV and film creation than I’d ever dreamed of. What stands out most to me though is that my career has been shaped by collaboration and community.
As a writer/director, from independent filmmaking to shadowing in television to the stories themselves, I’ve learned that equity in storytelling isn’t something extra. It’s what makes the work stronger. I use genre to explore identity, resilience, and belonging, and I like finding the magic or absurdity in moments that feel too big for reality alone.
It’s this spirit that has lead to how I chose to use my skills. I will always help other creators by producing, editing, writing, celebrating, or, yes… even P.A.-ing for their work because community is everything. As a Board Officer for the Alliance of Women Directors, I advocate for lasting change that opens doors for women and gender expansive filmmakers so we all can move forward together with less barriers.
Every project I make or participate in, is personal, but it’s also about creating space for others. I want my work to entertain, challenge, and make people feel seen, especially those who rarely see themselves reflected on screen.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
So many wonderful things have happened in my life and career but I would never describe any of it as a smooth road. Initially coming out of college in NYC and trying to find footing at all was nearly impossible when immediately faced with overwhelming student loan debt. All calculations were clear that I couldn’t live long enough to pay off the loans I accrued trying to create a better life for myself.
Like many, work became my life. Twenty-four hour shifts were not unheard of and no one would blink an eye at sixty hour weeks. Despite all of this, and consistently praised work, across multiple companies, I was passed up over and over again for big projects, for promotions, and no closer to ever surviving my loans.
I decided to pick up with my husband, quit my job, and move to LA where I loved to work and visit. Here I found work and got pregnant with our twins and was hospitalized for a month before their early birth where I finished the last editing of my short film over the beeping of the monitors. When the twins were 7 months old and I had just gotten back to the office and the film was going to premiere at a festival in Atlanta, the pandemic hit. Though the film did win an award at that festival and went on to many more, I still haven’t gotten to see it on the big screen because the whole festival run was during the pandemic.
After that, of course, the strikes, and the contraction ravaged the production work in LA. I had moved to freelance and had a gig I loved and it and everything else seemingly disappeared. I’ve turned this time of struggle into an opportunity to work assisting my mentor who is an episodic TV director and work as a background actor to get first-hand set experience. I also have ramped up my volunteering and have taken Alliance of Women Directors to San Diego Comic Con where I moderated a panel and hosted a mixer as well as started multiple programs including our Virtual Script Reading Program.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a Writer and Director who tells stories with humor, heart, and a touch of magic. My work often focuses on outsiders trying to find their footing in complicated systems, whether that’s a literal place or a world that bends the rules of reality. I use genre, from fantasy to dark comedy, life in ways that feel emotional, entertaining, and a little unexpected.
I’m proud of the worlds I’ve built in my independent films and the community I’ve found through them. My projects have been recognized at festivals for their imagination and character depth, but what means the most to me is when someone tells me a story made them feel seen. That’s the heart of why I do this. What sets me apart is how I balance craft and care. I focus on what’s on screen and on who gets to make it.
How do you think about happiness?
A lot of things make me happy! I am relatively easy to please but I think in the context of this interview I’d say, togetherness. Working together with a common goal or being together with family and friends are easily the best times.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.directormelissabalint.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mofiggy/
