Walt Interviews Mellissa Tong – Tell Your Story

Stand Up and Speak Up

What is the most powerful tool any company can have to connect with their audience? Mellissa Tong believes it is a compelling and engaging story. Why? Because people don’t buy based on facts and logic. They buy on emotions and then use facts to justify their decision. Mellissa Tong is an award-winning director/producer and on camera rock star video coach. She started her career in radio. Later, Mellissa brought her broadcasting skills to the International Channel, one of the first satellite TV stations in the US. She became their TV News Anchor, Reporter & Producer. Besides anchoring the news, she was responsible for a 5-min human interest segment every day. She covered a wide range of topics including science, technology, health, beauty, politics, as well as entertainment news and movie premieres. As a reporter, she interviewed thousands of people from all walks of life, including Hollywood celebrities. She covered over 1200 stories. “At the time, I didn’t realize I was a storyteller, I thought I was just having fun,” says Mellissa. After the International Channel, Ms. Tong went on to work for CBS’ episodic TV show Martial Law before founding DuckPunk in 2000. At DuckPunk, she continues to tell stories, whether it is for a TV commercial, digital campaign, branded content, a film, or a documentary. DuckPunk works with small businesses as well as Fortune 500 clients, including Nissan, Verizon, Wells Fargo, and the California Department of Health. The awards Mellissa won include the Clio, multiple Addys and Tellys, and many more film festival awards from across the country. Besides producing and directing, Mellissa is a public speaker and an on-camera coach. She has held classes for SoCalGas, various Chambers of Commerce and trade organizations. Her most sought-after seminars, “How to be a Rock Star On-Camera” and “Finding, Speaking and Marketing Your Big Why™,” have garnered rave reviews from participants. Mellissa firmly believes in this mantra, a quote by Pablo Picasso: “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.”