A Los Angeles native with over 20 years of experience in branding and marketing, Melissa Dishell is a multi-hyphenate creative executive who has worked with top tier talent and brands to bring their ideas, projects, and products to life.
A former professional hip-hop dancer, Dishell began her career representing a “who’s who” of music personalities such as Choreographer Fatima Robinson, Director Chris Robinson, and the cabaret dance troupe the Pussycat Dolls. Dishell most notably represented Burlesque Queen and International Fashion Icon Dita Von Teese for nearly 15 years, inking deals with brands like MAC Cosmetics, Perrier and Cointreau; overseeing her expansion into her own brands such as Dita Von Teese lingerie and fragrance; and securing her touring deal with Live Nation.
Throughout her years in the industry, Dishell expanded into event design and creative production where she activates for music, fashion and film clients such as Hulu, Apple Music, Searchlight Pictures, Christian Louboutin, Giorgio Armani, Jennifer Fisher Jewelry, Pharrell Williams, Justin Timberlake, and Maroon5. She has also produced live shows such as “Pussycat Dolls Live At the Roxy,” Dita Von Teese’s “Burlesque: Strip, Strip, Hooray!” as well as Dita Von Teese’s guest star appearance at Crazy Horse Paris, as well as the DVD of the show.
From 2015-2020, Melissa was in house at Pharrell Williams’ creative collective, i am OTHER, where she worked on strategic and experiential marketing for Mattel, Barbie, Netflix, American Express, Adidas, Southwest Airlines, BMW, and G*Star Raw, as well as the development and execution of festivals and trade shows like Complexcon and Something in the Water.
For the last two years, Dishell served as the Creative Producer for Creative Director Fatima Robinson for the New York Knicks City Dancers at Madison Square Garden, and most recently was the Creative Producer for Dita Von Teese’s Las Vegas Residency which is currently running at Voltaire at the Venetian.
Artwork by Donald Drawbertson