Biography
Marrissa has been active in the entertainment industry for more than 20 years, holding positions ranging from child actor to studio Vice President.
Marrissa began her career in show business as a child actress. She is best known for musical comedy, with over 15 years of theatre credits. Performances range from WEST SIDE STORY to THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM to Gilbert and Sullivan and most of the standard musical comedy repertoire. In addition, she has performed in television, features, and voiceovers, including a now infamous appearance on the SPIKE FERESTEN SHOW. Asked to name her favorite, she would be hard-pressed to choose between frightening audiences as the primary screamer for JAWS 3-D and being chosen as MISS PIGGY's stand-in.
Her musical career extended to the concert stage, as a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In the area of popular music, she worked under an arrangement with a major record label, as an opening act for a number of other artists, and her one-woman cabaret act has played to sold-out houses throughout Los Angeles.
By 16, Marrissa had also and completed the first phase of her advanced education - an undergraduate degree in Mass/Telecommunications Technology. Additional degrees followed in Theatre Arts, Rhetoric and Music from Occidental College and a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Pepperdine University.
Searching for an alternative to the traditional actor's "day job", Marrissa worked as a teacher and Assistant Director of Education for the Los Angeles Children's Museum, specializing in activities and fundraising endeavors that centered on entertainment interests.
She entered the world of full time television production when she joined The Landsburg Company, working on series such as THAT'S INCREDIBLE!, GIMME A BREAK and KATE AND ALLIE as well as award-winning movies-for-television, including ADAM and THE RYAN WHITE STORY.
Marrissa left The Landsburg Company to join the MGM Worldwide Television Production Group. Rising though the ranks, she was named Vice President, Business Affairs and Administration. As a result of her work on IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, THE YOUNG RIDERS, WES CRAVEN'S NIGHTMARE CAFE, FRESHMAN DORM, DARK SHADOWS, and more, Marrissa was named Vice President, Talent and Program Negotiations, and her duties were expanded to include supervision of casting and talent-related activity.
While at MGM, Marrissa established and coordinated an effort between the studios, unions, and the Casting Society of America to encourage alternatives to traditional casting in television and motion pictures. Subsequently, she was recognized by New York's Non-Traditional Casting Project for creating new contract language reflecting this work.
Marrissa was then asked to join New World Entertainment as Vice President, Talent and Program Negotiations and additionally, tasked with development of children's programming. A year later, Brandon Tartikoff was named Chairman of New World and added Comedy Development Executive to her expanding list of responsibilities. The two worked closely on a number of projects for network and syndication, including the highly successful NBC miniseries TOM CLANCY'S OP CENTER and the ABC series SECOND NOAH. Additionally, she was an integral part of the New World team that worked closely with the world-famous Montreal Comedy Festival.
The sale of New World to Fox provided Marrissa with the opportunity to pursue her creative desires with a vengeance. She started wackiland productions and began consulting in all areas of television production as well as graphic and web design. wackiland received a television first look agreement with a division of Paramount and clients have included major studios and independent production entities.
Marrissa found she missed day-to-day work with actors, and subsequently added to her repertoire by working as a personal manager, where she is building and guiding the careers of a number of established actors and writers while continuing to create and shepherd development and production. Her clients have appeared most major scripted television series, successful feature films, and on Broadway, as well as the BILLBOARD recording charts.
Marrissa has never lost interest in the theatre. She most recently served as Co-Executive Producer for the world premiere of HOMEBOUND, which received three DRAMA-LOGUE Awards, two from BACKSTAGE WEST, and numerous "Critic's Choice" commendations. Plans are underway to move HOMEBOUND to Broadway.
