Biografia
Melissa Martinez was born in northern Colombia, under the splendorous blue sky of Barranquilla's city of Puerta de Oro, on the shores of the Caribbean Sea. Famous for its amazing landscapes, Barranquilla is also the origin of Cumbia and the birthplace of several stars including Shakira, Sofia Vergara and other successful contemporary music and television artists. Melissa absorbed the Caribbean rhythms of her surroundings from the time she was a child. From that, a deep love of and desire for the arts arose within her, initiating a bond that started at the tender age of five years old.
From an early age, Melissa's mom instilled in her a love for the arts and for mass communications. Her mother, theater and television actress Nelly Romero, was her first role model and a source of inspiration.
Recognizing talent and drive in Melissa, her parents helped her develop her creativity through a variety of artistic expressions, such as dancing, singing, acting and modeling. With these teachings in place, she was accepted into one of Colombia's most prestigious female performance groups, "Orquesta Femenina del Colegio Sagrada Familia" at only 15 years of age, an opportunity that allowed Melissa to tour and perform all over Colombia.
This achievement also provided her with invaluable exposure to a variety of music genres, including Bachata, Bolero, Merengue, Salsa and Tropical music, allowing Melissa to become a truly versatile artist.
Within the scope of acting and the theater and after arduous training, Melissa was chosen to participate in a variety of television shows in the regional TV station TeleCaribe.
Shortly after, she went to college and graduated with a degree in Communications from the Universidad Autónoma del Caribe in her home town of Barranquilla, Colombia.
In 2004, she left her native country and beloved family to follow her lifelong dream of moving to the United States and taking a crucial step in the pursuit of her goal of becoming an international artist and performer.
Her perseverance and hard work paid off. She was cast in several short films, including "Death Vs. Life" and "The Crown Beneath her Feet" as well as the theatrical plays "Latino Love" and "El Gran Baron en el Cabaret" in Hollywood, California.
In 2007, Melissa won Miss Congenialidad (Congeniality) at the Miss Grand Prix contest in the city of Long Beach, California, which marked an enormous satisfaction for her artistic career.
In 2008, she performed at the Billboard Awards as part of the dance choreography for AB Quintanilla III, brother of the late "Queen of Tex-Mex", singer Selena. That year, she was also named co-anchor of Telemundo's national television show "Buena Fortuna" alongside Mexican actor Rodrigo Vidal.
In 2009, she was selected to be the Entertainment Anchor for KVEA Channel 52 and KWHY Channel 22 in Los Angeles for NBC Telemundo, both great accomplishments.
Later in 2011, Melissa joined the NTN24 team as the international entertainment correspondent for the network as well as for RCN in Colombia. She also became hostess for the show "Astroloko", broadcast via LATV.
Melissa has also worked alongside famous Mexican pop singer Cristian Castro as the lead female role in the music videos "Lo Dudo" ("I doubt it ") and "Buenos Días Amor" ("Good Morning my Love").
She later returned to her greatest passion, acting, and viewers could enjoy her talent through the TV show "El Pelado De La Noche", broadcast via Azteca America.
Her career as a TV host has led her to her current occupation, where Melissa gets to travel through Latin America as the presenter of the food and travel show "La Cocina de la Abuela" ("Grandmother's Kitchen"), as she discovers and presents to the world the many delicacies and traditional dishes found in every corner of the continent.
