Today we’d like to introduce you to Melanie Camp.
Melanie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am an Australian-born, Los Angeles-based journalist. I host Beautiful Hollywood, a podcast that explores the stories behind the dream chasers who are making it happen. Right now, I’m running a special series called Woman, ROAR! featuring women in business.
When I was a kid, I used to look in the mirror and say (with a terrible American accent), “My name is Melanie Camp, and I live in Los Angeles, California.” I never actually thought it would come true.
I grew up in Perth on the west coast of Australia. It is one of the most isolated cities in the world. The nearest city is Adelaide and that is 1300 miles away.
My very first job was as a DJ on a regional radio station in outback Australia, and I cried on air during my first shift. But I got much better at radio, and at the peak of my career, the Australian music show I hosted called Australia’s Most Wanted was number one in the ratings.
Before moving to Los Angeles, I was working as a television host. My boss would always give me camping assignments because of my last name. One time while hosting a segment, my cameraman said, “Mel, don’t move.” I had lifted my foot to take a step. I froze with one foot in the air while a giant snake slithered right where I had been about to tread.
When I first moved to Los Angeles, I gave acting a shot and scored a small role on True Blood. I got to say, “I’m just a blood bag, drain me, daddy, drain me ’til I’m dead,” while half-naked.
After this, I started a fake band called TigerTripp. I still have a video on YouTube. Some people thought it was serious and were quite upset. One guy wrote, “I just read the comments, and you people actually enjoy this? The end of the world is near.”
Here’s the video: https://youtu.be/NfkFkDBtjWk
We filmed it at a house in Venice and my friend, the graffiti artist Narrator, helped with the art direction.
Has it been a smooth road?
Beautiful Hollywood is about inspiring people to see their potential and get doing. I didn’t realize when I started, but this was a message I need to hear myself.
The reason I moved to Los Angeles was love. In 2008, I met an Australian guy who lived here. In a bold move, I married him in leopard print in Vegas. We had only known each other seven months.
By no means was it all bad, but he had his demons. He had anger issues and was physically violent. I remember a time I was left hiding, naked in the closet, and decided I needed to leave him. However, at that stage, I didn’t have any of my own money. I had an additional credit card attached to his account and knew if I used that he would know where to find me. So I stayed.
Domestic abuse is so complicated. An abusive relationship is a sick co-dependant tangle between the abuser and abusee. When you are stuck in a victim mindset, walking on eggshells becomes part of everyday life, and you might not like it, but you get comfortable with the chaos.
Eventually, I asked him to get therapy, but he said he would rather get a divorce.
Five months after he left, ten federal agents busted down my door, waving guns in my face looking for him. Turned out, a lot of shady stuff had been going on in the business he was in, and he ended up in prison.
After he left, I had to build my life up again, starting with a job working at the local newspaper in Venice that I found on Craigslist. They paid me $150 a week. I worked every day, and if I heard the LAPD helicopter over my house at night, I’d jump out of bed and literally chase the story.
The first few times, all the Pacific Division officers would freak out at this pajama-clad, Australian woman with frizzy bed-head running toward the commotion. However, they got used to it.
Because so much of my freedom was taken from me in the eight years I was married, I needed to build something that gave me more control. Beautiful Hollywood is a perfect use of all my old skills. Hearing other people’s tales of perseverance has really inspired me, and I’m so grateful to everyone who has shared their story with me on the podcast.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Beautiful Hollywood Podcast – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Beautiful Hollywood is a safe and inspiring community. Hosting the podcast has helped me feel a sense of belonging. Victims of domestic abuse become isolated. You learn to hide the abuse, and it leaves you feeling disconnected. Realizing you are not alone and hearing how others overcome challenges provides the fuel you need to begin to rebuild your life.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love everything about Los Angeles. It is a magical place, a giant sprawling city where you will make friends from all over the world. Plus, you never have to travel far to escape into nature. I mean, I ride horses in the Hollywood Hills what is more beautiful than that!
Contact Info:
- Website: beautifulhollywood.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @beautifulhollywood
- Facebook: facebook.com/thegreatbeautiful
- Twitter: @BeautifulHWood
- Other: anchor.fm/beautiful-hollywood
Image Credit:
Melanie Camp Beautiful Hollywood – Photo by Raf Green; Melanie Camp Host of Beautiful Hollywood – Photo by Alexandra Wagner; Melanie Camp Unicorn – Photo by Raf Green; Melanie Camp Headshot Dramatic – Photo by Paul Smith; Melanie Camp Headshot – Photo by Paul Smith; Melanie Camp Journalist Venice Beach – Photo Yo! Venice
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