MONICA MEDELLIN IS the creator and AN executive producer of Surf Girls ON PRIME VIDEO.
Her work has been featured by the Emmys, Forbes, Sports Business Journal, Elle Magazine, and Shondaland, among others.
She has developed, directed, produced, filmed and edited content for companies including Nike, The Olympics, LA28, Prime Video, Hello Sunshine, TOGETHXR, Red Bull Media House, Skydance Sports, World Surf League, Vans, and McDonalds. And she has collaborated with celebrities like Reese Witherspoon and Gabrielle Union, as well as Olympic athletes like Alex Morgan, Sue Bird, Chloe Kim, and Simone Manuel to bring her film & TV concepts to life.
Monica has also worked with global sports leagues including the World Surf League, producing video content around professional surfers for its audiences, and as a video producer for the Los Angeles Times. She holds a degree in journalism from the University of Oregon.
Born and raised in Santa Monica, CA, Monica first began filming surf and skate videos on her family camcorder at a young age. In 2017, Monica co-founded a creative collective called The Gnar Gnar Honeys, who were on a mission to fill the gap of female representation in action sports content. The Gnar Gnar Honeys began organically as a group of friends filming themselves skating and surfing on the weekends. It later evolved into Monica’s first production company, producing branded content for companies in the action sports space and establishing Monica as a leading female filmmaker of color in the action sports industry.
Monica is passionate about making the art and business of filmmaking more accessible for women.
She has been invited to speak and teach at leading film schools and journalism programs in the country including University of Southern California, Chapman University, Loyola Marymount University, San Diego State University, San Francisco State University, and Brentwood High School in Los Angeles.
She writes a free weekly newsletter called Waves Made Weekly to 2,000+ filmmakers, providing actionable advice and resources for navigating the film & TV industry.
