Gianni-Amber North & Melanna Gray

Okay okay, they’re not twins but they finish each other’s sentences, sound just alike, and share a business, home, car, and dog. MELANNA GRAY and GIANNI-AMBER NORTH are sisters, partners, and best friends. They grew up together in Kansas City, Missouri.

Melanna

Actress/Writer/Producer Melanna Gray has been a leader all her life. In high school, she led her track team to two state titles, which earned her a scholarship to USC, where she was a breakout star. While living the Trojan Life, she majored in theatre and eventually went on to be one of only nine students accepted into the UMKC, Missouri Rep, graduate training program.

While gracing grad school stages, finishing coursework, and working part-time to support herself, Melanna was plotting her move to New York to continue her theatre career.

Once again, working during the day and performing at night. She finally got a break when she originated the role “Julia” in a Theresa Rebeck/Alexandra Vassiliros’ play, Omnium Gatherum. Everyone from Mike Nichols, Diane Sawyer, Neil Simon, Meryl Strep, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tamara Tunie, and so many others came to see the show. But her success would be short-lived. When she got word that her grandmother had passed away, she learned she would have to move back to Kansas City to care for her ailing grandfather… a move that was supposed to last a few months but ended up lasting a few years. Once she got her grandfather settled, Melanna packed up her things and moved back to New York, thinking she could start where she left off. She quickly learned she would have to start over. She found another day job and auditioned every chance she could.

She returned to NYC, with no job, no auditions, and unsure of her next move. Her sister Gianni was begging her to move back to Los Angeles so the two could join forces. After months of consideration, Melanna decided to make the leap.

Melanna landed a regional theatre job in Florida, she saw another chance to escape the proverbial desk. It would mean playing a slave yet again. But it was a shot. She quit her job, sublet her apartment and moved to Florida. After a successful theatrical run, Melanna contacted friends and family in Hollywood asking for advice and opportunity. However, when she moved, she learned the definition of the “Hollywood Yes.” Folks have moved on, calls went unreturned, she had to come up with a new plan.  Melanna and Gianni reconsidered their strategy.

At the advice of the legendary Bill Duke, Melanna extended her skill set from actor to writer/producer. She and Gianni wrote their first short and started learning the business of the show. She traveled to Africa as Bill’s production coordinator for the International Accra Film Festival. Addition to a full slate of projects, Melanna is currently developing a one-woman show based on the life of Zora Neale Hurston.

Melanna has proven time and again that she can take a hit, dust herself off and keep going. Her resilience will be an invaluable lesson for the girls and women who participate in the Indiefemme program.

Gianni-Amber

Writer/Director/Producer Gianni-Amber North has been working in the entertainment industry for 10 years. She graduated from the University of Redlands’ innovative Johnston Center program on a tennis and academic scholarship. Gianni’s degree encompassed creative writing and race/ethnic studies.

The university did not have a dedicated film program, so Gianni sought out an internship that would show her how to navigate the maze of the industry. She landed at Edmonds Entertainment and was guided under the tutelage of acclaimed producer, Carol Ann Shine, and award-winning writer/director/producer Patrik-Ian Polk.   She studied the intricacies of the filmmaking process from script to screen and gained her first on-set experience by working as a production assistant for award-winning directors, Niva Dorell and Yvonne Welbon.  The following year, Gianni convinced her university to purchase a camera so she could make her first short film called Shine, the story of a young, African-American teen who struggles with the decision to use non-violence when confronting his neighborhood adversaries.

Not long after graduation, Gianni was hired at Wire Image/FilmMagic (now Getty Images) where she worked with photographers and editors in office and on location at such events as the Emmys, Academy Awards, and the Grammys. Gianni has also worked in the reality television world on such shows as Amazing Race, Hell’s Kitchen, and Celebrity Rehab.

To bolster her directing and camera talents, Gianni completed a 12-week intensive workshop at New York Film Academy.  She has shot 7 shorts to date including Affected, a story of love in the face of the AIDS epidemic.   The film screened at numerous festivals including the Urban Media Makers Film Festival in Atlanta, the Hollywood HD/DV Film Festival, Cinema Mostra Aids in Brazil, and the FESPACO Festival in Ghana.

In 2011, Gianni and Melanna muscled up $3500 and shot their first project together,  Engagement. The film stars her sister and co-writer/executive-producer, Melanna Gray; along with Amir Arison, Aaron D. Spears, and legendary actor/writer/producer Bill Duke; produced by Cheryl L. Bedford.  The film was accepted by Holly Shorts and Sistas Doing It For Themselves Film Festivals, both in Los Angeles, CA.

After enduring an onslaught of industry racism and sexism while pitching their feature film, the duo started IndieFemme in 2017. The company’s goal is to create woman driven content and opportunities for young women behind the camera.