OM DETTA AVSNITT
A DRAMATIC EVENING WITH MELISSA ARCHER
A Next Generation Entertainment Soaps Special Event
What an incredible evening with Melissa Archer.
From Natalie Buchanan to Serena Mason.
From Llanview to Salem.
From faith to frivolity.
From daytime television to a whole new chapter as a creator, developer and entrepreneur.
Melissa Archer joined the Next Generation Entertainment Soaps family for an evening that became so much more than a walk down soap opera memory lane.
Melissa was open, candid, vulnerable, funny and refreshingly honest as she revisited the characters, stories and people who helped shape more than two decades of her life and career.
And right out of the box, Anthony threw the hosting microphone to Maryland.
Cohost Candice took over so we could talk about one of Melissa’s newest projects, Haven Falls, a brand new audio drama with its first seven episodes available now.
Melissa plays a lawyer in the series whose path has not quite crossed with Candice’s character yet, the self proclaimed saint of Haven Falls.
Yet.
We will definitely be listening.
Then, of course, we went back to Llanview.
Melissa took us all the way back to that first scene opposite Erika Slezak, the legendary Victoria Lord, and reflected on the experience of stepping onto One Life to Live as Natalie.
From there, the memories came quickly.
We revisited some of Natalie’s biggest storylines, relationships and unforgettable moments. But what made the conversation particularly special was hearing Melissa look back at them from where she stands today.
She shared her impressions of her own performances, talked about the actors who challenged and elevated her work and reflected on moments that look and feel different with the perspective that only time can provide.
Then we traveled from Llanview to Salem and Serena Mason.
And yes, we talked about Serena’s memorable demise.
When the conversation turned to acting bucket lists, Melissa revealed that getting a great soap opera death scene had actually been on hers.
Mission accomplished.
We also looked ahead.
Melissa shared a little about her upcoming movie, Awesome Gals, based on a true story that is both poignant and beautiful.
It is another project we cannot wait to see.
But this evening was never going to stay entirely on our television and movie screens.
We talked about faith.
We talked about life.
We talked about change, creativity and what happens when one chapter of a career leads somewhere you might never have expected.
Melissa, a self proclaimed dork, introduced us to another side of herself that some longtime soap fans may not know nearly as well.
The digital creator.
The developer.
The entrepreneur.
Melissa shared the excitement and passion she has discovered building websites, applications and digital tools.
One of those creations is Invoiceabill, the back office for freelancers that Melissa created from her own experience and needs.
But another part of our conversation really caught Anthony’s attention.
Melissa shared some of her research into remapping and retraining the brain and introduced us to NeuroRewire, the app she created around those concepts.
NeuroRewire is designed around the idea of rewiring and reframing thought patterns, helping users work with the brain to develop new mental pathways, perspectives and habits.
Anthony was fascinated.
In fact, he is diving into NeuroRewire today.
We could try to explain Melissa’s work and the thinking behind the app here.
But we are not going to.
You need to hear Melissa explain it herself.
Her excitement is infectious, her passion is unmistakable and hearing her describe this chapter of her life in her own words is one of our favorite parts of the conversation.
And because this is Next Generation Entertainment Soaps, we also had to have a little fun.
Anthony Corona led the conversation, joined live by cohosts David, Candice and Sue Ellen.
Cohost Ashley had a prior commitment and could not join us live, but she made sure we had a fun collection of questions to ask Melissa on her behalf.
Our audience got into the act too.
Audrey wanted the truth about one of the great institutions of daytime television.
The soap opera slap.
What is the technique?
How do actors make it look and sound so real?
Has Melissa ever accidentally slapped someone too hard?
And has anyone ever landed one on her a little harder than planned?
Melissa walked us through it all.
And yes, there is a technique.
This conversation had a little bit of everything.
Memories.
Laughter.
Faith.
Honesty.
Reflection.
Soap opera history.
Audio drama.
Movies.
Technology.
Entrepreneurship.
And a woman who may have spent years entertaining us on our television screens, but clearly has plenty more chapters to write.
Whether you first knew Melissa Archer as Natalie Buchanan, discovered her as Serena Mason, are listening to her newest work in Haven Falls or are just discovering Melissa herself, this is a conversation worth spending some time with.
LISTEN TO A DRAMATIC EVENING WITH MELISSA ARCHER
A Next Generation Entertainment Soaps Special Event
MELISSA ARCHER ONLINE
Official Website
NEUROREWIRE
Rewire. Reframe.
Melissa Archer’s app exploring the possibilities of retraining thought patterns and creating new mental pathways.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/neurorewire-rewire-reframe/id6791077125
INVOICEABILL
The back office for freelancers.
Melissa tells us her apps will also be coming to the Google Play Store soon.
NEXT GENERATION ENTERTAINMENT SOAPS
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