Life & Work with Melisa Lopez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Melisa Lopez.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My interest in the arts started early in life during elementary school. At the age of 9, my maternal aunt would take me to her university drama classes. I would dream of someday growing up to be an actor like she was. However, it would take a long road traveled to finally get to a place where I can start seeking out my dream of becoming an actor.

Looking back on my life, the road has been curvy and accentuated with periods of reinventing myself. I was a late bloomer in all things dealing with careers. The one area I got an early start on was motherhood. I started a family at the age of 20. On one hand, I juggled motherhood with two rambunctious boys and on the other hand, supported a husband in the U.S. Marines. When my sons entered their tweens and after having a third son, I was itching to get a career going for me. I chose to pursue a path very familiar to me, so at the age of 33, I enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. It’s a rare event to start a military career so late in life, but I enjoy a challenge and breaking barriers. I was fortunate that the military was encourages members to pursue a higher education, I took advantage of the veteran’s educational benefits to get an undergraduate degree. In the early 2000s, I was one of the early pioneers to get engaged in online learning and earned a B.S. in Computer Information Systems from Park University.

Quantum leap ahead 10 years and I found myself in Ohio where my next opportunity presented itself. I started a career in the federal government as a civil service civilian for the Department of Defense. A short time later with 10 years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve supporting Operations Enduring Freedom and Operations Iraq Freedom, I transitioned into the U.S. Air Force Reserves to continue my military career. I currently serve as an Intelligence Analyst. Interestingly, as I’ve met many veterans that found their calling in the entertainment and film industry, a yearning still burned in my heart to someday make a go of it as an actor. As luck would have it, while performing military duties and visiting the on-base library, I crossed paths with a flyer for the New York Film Academy (NYFA). The Los Angeles campus was offering graduate degrees in acting for film and a broad range of other visual and performing arts. It was like a big flashing sign. I went with my gut feeling and right then and there I decided to pursue my passion in Performing Arts and decided to reinvent myself again.(pursue what?) Now that my nest was empty, relocating to LA (Burbank) and enrolling in NYFA would be easier. It was one of the greatest feelings to find myself immersed in coursework that had me roaming the back lots of Universal Studios Hollywood performing in student short films. I was right where I was supposed to be. Everything was going very well and life felt like it was balanced, then COVID happened. All schools across the country transitioned to teaching online. Zoom sessions became the new classroom. At first, I hated it because I craved the personal interaction with other actors, producers, directors, and scriptwriters. However, video conferencing turned out to be a blessing in disguise as you were always on camera (so to speak) and it became second nature to be in frame and develop camera awareness. Adjusting to this approach was less challenging for me than most of my younger colleagues. My U.S. Marine Corps experience taught me to adapt and overcome which in retrospect is exactly what I did. It was almost second nature. I must admit, at times it felt like I was on the “The Truman Show” interacting with my peers, faculty, friends and family over videoconferencing technology. Ultimately, I earned a Master of Fine Arts in Acting for Film and started to navigate the film industry to find work. It is an extremely challenging landscape to navigate for a greenhorn actor. Starting a career in the middle of the COVID era was entirely an uphill battle. Nevertheless, I decided to pursue background acting work as a stepping stone and started networking. I landed my first gig as a background actor in the feature film “Father of the Bride.” I vividly recall being on set after an all-niter watching the sun come on came up over the horizon. It was my 56th birthday and I was over the moon because I was rubbing elbows with Gloria Estefan, Andy Garcia, and the rest of the cast and realized, this is exactly where I’m supposed to be. As Earl Nightingale so keenly noted, “Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” It is never too late to get started!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
A major challenge has been juggling a military career and an acting career. Currently, they overlap and will continue to do so for at least another year when I can retire with 25 years of military service. My commitment to service has found me at times turning down auditioning opportunities. But that proves to testament of my commitment and responsibility. Another challenge is traveling back and forth from Hollywood to Atlanta to chase acting opportunities also places a burden on personal finances. However, as an aspiring actor, I recognize that I must chase the opportunities wherever they exist. As the saying goes, you must spend money to make money.

I find the transition of good old-fashioned networking to an online presence an obstacle. Establishing a professional network has rapidly transitioned to online platforms that require constant diligence to social media on multiple fronts. Not being a millennial makes it a bit more challenging as it does involve a bit of a learning curve. Nevertheless, I have taught myself the basics and continue to lean on a small circle of friends to bring me up to speed.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Aside from juggling my career(s) and continually seeking self-improvement, I also make time to follow my other passions. I love to spend time with veterans and contributing to making the planet a better place. I participate in noble causes for veterans like “The Honor Flight.” This activity escorts veterans across the country to see the monuments that were created in their honor. Many are disabled and in wheelchairs and would otherwise never get to see them. I also visit the Alzheimer’s ward for veterans in VA nursing homes. I find It amazing how they can remember details about their time in military service decades ago. However, we do more than just sit and listen to them talk about times in the past. For example, at one VA hospital, we restored a bowling alley where they get to spend time with their fellow veterans to bowl together and raise their spirits. Besides looking out for older veterans, I enjoy mentoring young military service members to seek higher education. Pursuing a college education will help them gain perspective and continue to expand their mind. Another passion I have is a world traveling. I am an adventurous person at heart and love to learn about cultures and foreign languages. This really helps me understand the human condition. There are some things that education cannot teach you, it is learned through personal experience to gain insight.

Another one of my passions is helping the environment. I have love and compassion for the planet we live on. I participate in two major projects throughout the year: “The Tampa Bay Oyster Preservation Project” which is focused on restoring the oyster reef ecosystem which has significantly diminished over the past 20 years due to erosion, and the “Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful Project” where 2.5 million pounds of trash gets collected annually.

After completing graduate studies at the New York Film Academy, I continued to pursue opportunities to improve my craft and hone my skills. Recently, I completed an improvisation/comedy workshop in LA. I met many great aspiring people like me and learned a ton. In addition, I participated in Shakespeare for veterans workshops and went through several rounds with acting coaches. Currently, I’m not where I want to be yet. I realize that acting is very competitive and it’s going to take time to put in my 10,000 hours. During my off time, I enjoy working out five days a week. I lift weights as a form to sculpt my body. An actor’s body is his/her vehicle and staying in shape is part of the job. I also enjoy riding my Harley. It is awesome to feel the power in my hand whilst feeling the wind rushing through my face and enjoying the pretty country.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
The film industry is experiencing monumental changes in the venue for auditioning, and geographical filming location for production taking place outside of Hollywood. Since COVID, with regard to auditions, self-tape submissions have become a widespread common practice. This is not an entirely new method per se, but the scale has grown tremendously. The equipment, background, lighting, camera resolution, and audio quality is now the responsibility of the auditioning actor. In most cases, actors are amateurs and produce low-quality auditions (not necessarily the performance itself). This approach introduces challenges and opportunities for both actors and casting agents. This is especially challenging for me specifically because I’m not a millennial and there is a bit of a learning curve interacting and managing a social media presence. I’m confident the next several years will experience rapid changes in this area. With regard to filming location, places like Atlanta, GA and Miami, FL are giving production companies filming locations that are price competitive to Hollywood. Proximity to international airports, lower cost of services, leasing arrangements, and cost of living (especially for aspiring actors) are all contributing factors to these growth markets.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: melisa_lopez_la
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/melisalopez718
• Twitter: @Melisa Lopez_Actor

Image Credits
Head-shot photo by: Robert Kaz Photography   Military head-shot by: Keith Pratt Photography