All About That Melissa Girl

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Melissa Goad has always loved the spotlight, the camera, and most of all, telling stories.

She began acting professionally at just 12 years old with a small role as Abigail in Lifetime’s Real Witches: An Intimate Portrait, a film about the Salem witch trials. Throughout her school years, she continued studying acting and performing in community theater.

In 2003, Melissa was accepted into the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Hollywood, where she studied theater, dance, voice, and film acting. She graduated in 2005 with an Associate Degree in Theater.

After returning to Washington in 2006, Melissa appeared in numerous independent feature films, short films, and web series. In 2007, she co-founded Inspireworks Productions with two fellow AADA alumni. Together, they wrote and produced their first feature film, Shaniko, which Melissa also starred in. The film went on to win Best Local Filmmaker and Best Director at the Washougal International Film Festival in 2008. The following year, The Bicyclists, in which Melissa co-starred, won Best of the Festival at the Columbia Gorge International Film Festival.

In 2011, Melissa was selected as one of the Top 5 finalists in the nationwide Breakthrough Star talent search, earning the opportunity to audition for Diverse Talent Group in Los Angeles.

Melissa continued both acting and producing, creating, producing, and starring in the SAG web series My Sister in 2013.

After moving to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2018, Melissa’s creative focus began shifting toward directing. In 2020, she relaunched Inspireworks Productions with her friend and business partner, Bob Leone, as a Christian-based production company dedicated to creating stories that inspire, encourage, and point people toward hope.

Melissa directed her first feature film, They Don't Cast Shadows, in July 2021. Based on Bob Leone’s book, Melissa adapted the story into a screenplay and directed the film after first creating a concept trailer to help raise funding for the feature. The film completed post-production in January 2022 and went on to receive more than 25 awards on the festival circuit, including Best Feature, Audience Choice, and Best Director.

Inspireworks’ second project, December to Remember, was a short proof-of-concept film that Melissa directed and produced. The film earned more than 13 awards at festivals worldwide, including Best Director, Best Short, and the Holly Jolly Award for Best Christmas Film at the International Christian Film Festival. Inspireworks is currently seeking funding to create December to Remember as a feature-film.

Most recently, Melissa has jumped back into acting while continuing to develop projects as a director and producer. She is passionate about creating meaningful stories that entertain, inspire, and bring hope to audiences.

Melissa also offers online and in-person acting coaching, specializing in film acting and audition preparation.

Follow Melissa’s latest projects on Instagram @That_Melissa_Girl and learn more about Inspireworks Productions at InspireworksProductions.com.

You can also visit Melissa’s IMDb profile.