About

Melissa working over the Oxberry machine

at College for Creative Studies (2012)

Born in Lincoln Park, Michigan in 1993, Melissa has lived in metro Detroit all her life. In 2011, she was accepted into College for Creative Studies (Detroit, Michigan) majoring in Animation with a $40,000 scholarship. Midway through her sophomore year, she discovered her niche is in experimental animation and motion graphics. 

Melissa's passion for nature and being inspired by one's environment continued to show in her work through the years; primarily her love for the state of Michigan. Between the years of 2011 and 2013, Melissa worked with Senator Hoon-Yung Hopgood and Senator Darwin Booher on creating a new state license plate in honor of Michigan's Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes, named "The Most Beautiful Place in America" in 2011. This senate bill (SB #72, previously SB #991) is currently in legislature.

After being featured in College for Creative Studies' "The Reel Deal" and "Moving Pictures" during her sophomore year, Melissa continues to expand her knowledge of animation as she ventures on to her junior-year film, which is expected to be released in Spring 2014.

In the future, Melissa Oakley is looking to have her experimental animated shorts featured in film festivals, such as the Academy-Award qualifying Ann Arbor Film Festival, while continuing to work on advertisement motion graphic television spots.

Melissa has recently recieved a summer 2013 position working as a freelance motion graphic artist at Team Detroit.