Amanda Melby

Amanda Melby is an American actress and film producer. She is the host of the Emmy-winning series Screen Wars, and the star and producer of the film Raising Buchanan.

Career After graduation from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, Melby began her acting career with stops in Los Angeles, San Diego, Cleveland, and Washington, DC, working in commercials, theatre, studio films (The Majestic), independent films (Locker 13, Jake's Corner, Netherbeast Incorporated, Madison Hall), and television (Candid Camera, S.I.S., Boston Public, Young & the Restless).

Settling in Arizona, Melby served as the Executive Director of the Phoenix chapter of Independent Feature Project (IFP/PHX) from 2005-2011, building a network for Arizona’s independent filmmakers. From 2006- 2012, she was a board member of the Phoenix Film Foundation and the Arizona Film and Media Coalition (AFMC). She was the Secretary of the SAG-AFTRA Arizona-Utah Board, having served on the separate unions’ boards prior to the merger from 2005-2013.

In 2005, Melby was one of the creators of Screen Wars, an Arizona-based television series showcasing independent film. She hosted and produced 69 episodes over two seasons. The series was nominated for 13 Rocky Mountain Emmy Awards, winning four. Melby was personally nominated for three of these Emmys (for hosting and producing).

Melby was honored with the 2007 Phoenix Film Foundation Board Member of the Year, and with the 2008 Layne Award presented by the Arizona Entertainment Alliance. She was also nominated for the 2011 Arizona Governor’s Arts Award for her contributions to the Arizona Entertainment Community.

In 2019, Melby produced and starred in Raising Buchanan, a feature film co-starring René Auberjonois, M. Emmet Walsh, Cathy Shim, Terence Bernie Hines, and Robert Ben Garant. Melby garnered accolades and awards (for her role as producer and her lead performance) from a variety of film festivals in the United States and abroad.

Selected filmography

Actress Year Title Role 1999 The Language of Kickball Taylor 2001 The Majestic Young Mrs. Trimble 2005-07 Screen Wars (TV series) Host/various characters 2007 The Hoax Expectant Mother 2007 Netherbeast Incorporated Hazel Von Borscht 2007 Farewell Darkness Denise Franks 2008 Jake's Corner Kari 2008 S.I.S. Dorri 2009 Cocktail Wizard Merlina the Doctor 2009 Madison Hall Dispatch 2010 Small Happys Lisa 2010 The Darkness of Light Daphne Sinclaire 2011 Cult Status Marly 2012 Impotent Debra Peterson 2014 Candid Camera (TV series) Self/Guest Star 2014 Locker 13 Erica 2015 Ouroboros Dr. Faye O’Niell 2019 Raising Buchanan Ruth Kiesling

Producer Year Title 2005-07 Screen Wars (TV series) 2007 Farewell Darkness 2009 The Prank 2010 License to Lie 2011 The Dream Role 2012 The Science of Friendship 2012 Path to the Presidency 2012 Got Talent? 2013 Surprise for Goldwater Middle 2014 The League of Anti Smokers 2014 Slam Dunk 2014 Gear Heads Unite 2015 Ditch Day 2017 The Dance 2019 Raising Buchanan

Personal life Melby is a faculty associate at Arizona State University teaching screen acting and is the head coach and owner of Verve Studios, a professional actor-training studio in Scottsdale, Arizona. She is married with two children.