Today we’d like to introduce you to Tamela D’Amico.
Hi Tamela, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I have always been a storyteller who refuses to live in one lane. I grew up in a big, loving New York Italian family that taught me to be generous, relentless, and never bashful about going after what I want. There were hundreds of us. Our third cousins felt like first cousins, and dinner was a full-scale production. That kind of upbringing trains you for Hollywood without you realizing it. You learn how to perform, how to hustle, and how to charm a room before dessert.
My early inspiration came from the black-and-white world of Old Hollywood. While other kids watched Sesame Street, I was glued to The Judy Garland Show and I Love Lucy reruns. I thought they were current—basically, Turner Classic Movies on a loop. Judy Garland became my first acting teacher. She knew when to be still and when to break your heart in a single note. That energy is what I love and what I’ve been chasing in this beautiful, unpredictable business ever since.
I studied film and theater at Florida State University’s acclaimed Film School, continued my acting training at The Lee Strasberg Institute in Los Angeles, and still take master classes with incredible teachers. I worked for powerhouse producers while building my own companies, first La Strega Entertainment and now Bellona Entertainment. My short film, based on my father’s life, landed me as a finalist on a reality series produced by Steven Spielberg and Mark Burnett and led to a first-look deal with DreamWorks. That experience set my creative compass: lead with craft, tell the truth, and make work that lasts.
Audiences know me in many ways because I am proudly a multi-hyphenate—singer, actress, filmmaker, and influencer. From recurring roles on television and independent film to the soundtracks of feature films, I’ve built a career that lives across mediums. On the music side, I launched in jazz with Grammy-winning collaborators, and my electro-swing single “Boring 20s” became an anthem of the post-lockdown era. It continues to surge in 2025, with a remix and I’m reuniting with the Electro Swing Thing team in 2026 for something special.
Filming the U.S.–India co-production One Little Finger (now streaming on Amazon) changed me. We employed more than eighty people with disabilities and centered the idea of “ability in disability.” I advocate for People First Language and for inclusion that feels authentic to the story. When you broaden the talent pool, the work deepens and the audience feels seen.
Last year I opened Bellona Entertainment’s headquarters in Sherman Oaks after waiting out Covid, the strikes, and the LA fires to make it happen. It’s my creative hub where I write, produce, record, and collaborate with brands that align with my EcoGlam philosophy of style, sustainability, and purpose. My Hoover campaigns won a Telly Award because I shoot influencer content with the same care I bring to a film set. I only partner with companies I believe in and actually use. Trust is the real currency.
Mentors matter, and I’ve had great ones my whole life…too many to list. I am very grateful. I always say that Garry Marshall taught me that the writing is in the rewriting. Don Fehr taught me that unhappiness comes from expecting others to behave the way you would. And my wise Italian grandmother said it best: if you are bashful, you lose. That line has carried me through every door I was told would never open.
You get one life. Create your own opportunities. Build community. Tell stories that make people feel something. And never be afraid to roar in your own Boring 20s.
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?
Smooth? Not exactly. But if it had been, I probably wouldn’t have much to write about.
Hollywood is built on long stretches of waiting followed by five minutes that can change everything. Early on, I learned you can’t measure your worth by other people’s timelines. I’ve had projects stall in legal, fall apart in financing, or get reinvented years later in a completely new form. You just have to stay ready. It teaches you how to live in the quiet between those doors opening.
As an actress and filmmaker, I’ve been told I was “too this” or “not enough that.” And now in 2025, after being called “exotic” for years, I’m simply labeled “white,” which is funny considering I come from Italian, Greek, and Egyptian bloodlines. Each year the rules and the labels change, but I wait for no one. As a woman running her own company, I’ve had to prove that creative authority and business savvy can live in the same body. I’ve self-financed films, rebuilt teams, and written entire rewrites at midnight because the only way out was through. When the pandemic hit just as several projects were set to shoot, I pivoted and made a short film at home on an iPhone that went on to win awards—and recorded a viral song about the pandemic that still has legs. I created when the world stood still because that’s what artists do.
What I’ve learned is that in both entertainment and life, trust is everything. People talk a lot about luck, but longevity comes from integrity, persistence, and how you treat people when no one’s watching. The road isn’t supposed to be smooth. The bumps give you rhythm.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’ve always been ahead of my time. Being a multi-hyphenate wasn’t cool until now. I like to say I’m a “PreditOR”—a producer, writer, director, editor, actor, and singer all in one. I move between film, television, music, and branded content with the same mission in every lane: to tell the truth beautifully.
I founded Bellona Entertainment as a home for everything I create and to champion other artists who share that same drive. It’s a female-run production company based in Sherman Oaks, producing film, TV, and music projects that fuse heart, history, and high style. Whether it’s developing a feature, recording a single, or crafting influencer campaigns, my focus is always on storytelling with purpose.
I’m known for my versatility and for blending classic Hollywood glamour with a modern edge. What sets me apart is range with intention. I don’t fit in one lane because I built my own. Bellona Entertainment allows me to merge the classic and the contemporary, the soulful and the stylish.
At the end of the day, I’m a storyteller determined to make people feel something real—and leave the world a little more beautiful than I found it.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
No one builds a career alone, especially in this industry. I’ve been lucky to cross paths with extraordinary people and personal heroes who believed in my voice even before the world fully understood it.
I already mentioned a few people who have shaped me but I’ve also had a circle of quiet champions…high school teachers, college professors, agents, managers, investors, casting directors who kept calling me back, producers and directors who let me shadow their sets, and friends who told me the truth when it wasn’t easy to hear. The creative community is small, and kindness travels fast. Basically, Hollywood is one big high school where celebrities are the “popular” kids. It’s very small.
Behind the scenes, my teams at Bellona Entertainment and the talented collaborators who bring these projects to life are the real foundation. The musicians, cinematographers, stylists, editors, publicists, and interns who show up with passion and ideas make the work better every single day.
And always, my family. They were my first audience, my first production crew, and my reminder that love and laughter are the real currency of any success story.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tameladamico.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tameladamico/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialTamelaDAmico/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tameladamico/
- Twitter: https://x.com/tameladamico
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7GBJeLHS04OjBvxpGMFXYo?si=b3Sd-NJSRPSrONoPBQIvIw
Image Credits
Full length Tamela in white top is –photographer Johnny Buzzerio,
Cropped photo of Tamela in orange is –photographer Eric Sorensen
Boring 20s album cover photo- is Eric Sorensen
