Monica Lee Bellais
Monica Lee Bellais, an American writer and producer has a remarkable international footprint in London. Her talent transcends boundaries, reaching from the United Arab Emirates to the United States, with influences felt in Italy, France, Japan, and beyond. She has a body of work that exhibits a spectrum of experiences drawn from the cultural landscapes of diverse countries, including Canada, Egypt, Germany, Iceland, Lebanon, and Mexico, among others.
Her story is one of leadership, commitment, and dedication, embodied by her service on the Council of the Writers Guild of America East, a formidable labor union representing a myriad of content writers. Currently in her third term, Monica has emerged as a stalwart voice for thousands. The same passion drives her into her ninth year as an Advisory Committee member for Women in Film & Video in Washington, D.C. – a tenure marked by four years of Board membership and countless hours lobbying on Capitol Hill for the entertainment industry and women in the arts.
2019 saw her championing mental health, as she partnered with the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention and the Entertainment Industry Council to draft a set of comprehensive guidelines on the depiction of suicide in media. Her efforts, both crucial and praiseworthy, were rewarded when Veterans in Media & Entertainment recognized her contributions to veterans' transition into the entertainment industry. In 2017 she was Honorary Guest, along with internationally known Icelandic actress Edda Björgvinsdóttir, at the Northern Wave International Film Festival in Rif, Iceland.
Her path has taken her through the fascinating realm of development, financing, production, and post-production, working on projects such as Buck Run, Shawn Pelofsky: Stretch It Out, Bennie's, and Wakefield. In 2016, she scripted the acclaimed film TRI, bringing to life a captivating narrative set in Washington, D.C.
The journey led her to join forces with Egyptian actor Amr Waked at TeleProductions International, work on over 100 hours of programming at Discovery Channel, including the Emmy® Award-winning series Discovery Atlas, and hone her craft at Lightstorm Entertainment under Academy® Award-winning producers Jon Landau and James Cameron. Before that, she worked in the Office of Jeffrey Katzenberg at DreamWorks, SKG.
At the beginning of it all, Warner Bros. Records was her steppingstone into the industry, where she worked with music industry legends to promote a galaxy of star artists.
Her professional memberships span across BAFTA, NATAS, PGA, SAG-AFTRA, WGAE, WGGB, and several others. With a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communications from New Mexico State University under her belt, Monica continues her creative journey, reshaping and enriching the world of entertainment.
In a relentless pursuit of knowledge, Monica ceaselessly refines her skills, keeping pace with the dynamic landscapes of the entertainment industry and the world of art. Recently, she unlocked a new achievement - a certificate from the prestigious Sotheby's Institute of Art in London, deepening her understanding of the intersection between Art and Technology, exploring realms as diverse as AI and the burgeoning world of NFTs.