
Acting
Actress Melanie Haynes (born April 28, 1961) has earned a solid reputation by delivering standout performances across a variety of genres in film, television, commercials, voice-over and more. Originally from a small Kansas town, Haynes studied dance, piano and drama growing up. Later, when her family moved to Texas, she attended Lamar University, winning Best Actress in her sophomore year, and earning a degree and teaching certificate in Theater and English at the University of Houston. After college, she spent several years dancing with Patsy Swayze's Houston Jazz Ballet Company before her passion for acting pulled her in a different direction. Haynes' film and television credits range from big studio and network productions to prominent indies. She has landed opposite several Academy Award winners, starting with Dianne Wiest in The Face of Rage, to more recently Mahershala Ali in HBO's True Detective. She also joined numerous A-listers voicing Sony's Oscar-winning Best Animated Feature, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Over the years, Haynes has gained attention for portraying a wide variety of characters. Most notably, as a wicked doula in Terror Films creepy Blood Born, a cumbersome aunt in the quirky comedy Antiquities, a baseball bat toting Texas bar owner in The Last Mark, and a supportive mother in Lifetime's The Road Home for Christmas. While raising her family, Haynes soared as a voice-over artist and started her own studio in 2002, which continues to thrive today. She has proudly served 15 years on the board of SAG-AFTRA's Houston Local Branch and as the President for two terms. Today, she splits her time between Los Angeles and Houston, and although she is a grandma, Haynes continues to be "refined, not tamed".

When mattress store manager Perry's childhood crush, Lynette, announces she's leaving town, he panics. Desperate to prove himself, he and his reckless best friend, Wyatt, concoct a harebrained scheme to "rescue" her younger brother from a fake kidnapping--only to accidentally pull off a real one.
Filmed in quasi-documentary fashion, the made-for-TV The Face of Rage is set in a rehabilitation facility. Here a group of rapists are required to confront their victims face-to-face. The film concentrates on the bitter verbal sparring session between assaulter Richard (Graham Bechel) and assaultee Rebecca (Dianne Weist). Director Donald Wrye co-wrote the screenplay for Face of Rage with Hal Sitowicz, drawing much of the dialogue from real-life transcripts. The film was first aired as an "ABC Theatre" presentation on March 20, 1983, preceded with an all too appropriate "parental guidance" proviso.

Becky wants to become an actress. After an audition for a dog food ad she has best chances to get the part - but the day after her dog Petey becomes very ill. She has to come up with $700 until 5 pm for the operation - else Petey will be put to death! Lacking only $70, she takes a job as messenger. She needs only one delivery, but her car breaks down and bad luck delays her again, and again, and again...

When a disenchanted New York musician gets stuck on a layover in Kansas, she falls for a local winemaker who challenges her beliefs on everything from guns and vegetarianism, to love and life itself.

The story of Ronald Reagan's press secretary who was crippled in the 1981 assassination attempt on the president and who, with his wife, became the lightning rod for the gun control movement in the years since.

Old uncle Bill who served as the sidekick to the legendary gambler/card shark, Harry tells the story of how they gambled and partied their way from the high rolling days of the 50's to the crazy drug fueled times of the 60's and reveals a dark secret. Harry's son, Hoppy finally finds the courage to escape his bleak future as "a mark" through uncle Bill's story and redemptive kindness.

The Christmas Queens of North Pole, Vermont, Trish and Diana, have won the Best Holiday House decorating competition every year for the past nine years. But days before Christmas, a friendship-ending argument sparks a town-wide feud and draws the attention of a national magazine writer hoping to make a name for herself with her scintillating expose.

A young Oklahoma artist, struggling with a recent death, finds escape in a reckless affair with her brother's girlfriend.

Ellie is a 27-year old whose life is far from where she imagined it to be. Filled with annoying friends, a self-involved boyfriend, and a career that she can’t bring herself to pursue, Ellie feels detached from her life. When she learns that her estranged alcoholic father has died, her world is disrupted and she begins a journey that takes her to a small town in Texas. While dealing with the logistical arrangements of her father’s death Ellie has to confront what happens when the structures and safety nets we build for ourselves come undone.

A profile of the astronauts, crew, and civilians who were involved in the January 28, 1986 flight of the spaceship, Challenger, that resulted in its explosion upon takeoff. The center point of the film is the safety inspections and arguments surrounding the use of the o-rings that ultimately were blamed for the explosion.
