Melanie Bracewell has quickly carved out a path in the comedy scene with her impressive list of credits, showing she has a writing skill set well beyond her years.
Bracewell has worked as a writer on all three seasons of the smash hit show ‘Wellington Paranormal’ - from the minds of Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi. She wrote full episodes covering everything from an out-of-touch 1930s ghost cop haunting the Mt. Victoria tunnel to ferocious alien plants that abduct cows.
From the moment she took the microphone for the first time, Melanie has been in hot demand, performing regularly in both Australia and New Zealand. A popular contestant on ‘Have You Been Paying Attention’, she has managed to convince the Australian public to
look past her accent and realise she’s bloody funny (even if she is a Kiwi). You may have also seen her being asked about her dating life on The Project or probed about her celebrity interactions on Triple J.
There are very few successful New Zealand comedy shows that Melanie hasn’t been a part of. She’s contributed as a writer on 7 Days, Have You Been Paying Attention (NZ), Wellington Paranormal and Mean Mums all while performing award-winning shows all around the country.
Other notable performances include opening for Jim Gaffigan, opening for Norah Jones - yes, she really did comedy before a Norah Jones concert - and performing at a pro showcase with some real heavy hitters at the Gotham Comedy Club in New York.
If you haven’t seen her on the stage or the screen yet, you’ve probably at least seen one of her tweets. They pop up everywhere, from Buzzfeed, to Playboy (the funny bits not the nude bits) and even The New York Times. She also reached worldwide fame when her impressions of Jacinda Ardern went viral, the story was covered by The Guardian and the BBC.
Finally, Bracewell also is an experienced radio announcer. She has worked at the popular radio station ‘Radio Hauraki’ for 6 years, both as a producer and an announcer with her own weekend show.
In 2021, Melanie had a sell-out season of ‘The Rumours Are True’ at Melbourne International Comedy Festival winning the Director’s Choice Award, was a regular panellist on ‘Have You Been Paying Attention (AU)’ and the host of the Network 10 series, ‘The Cheap Seats’. Melanie was a winner at the NZ Television Awards, Best Script: Comedy for her episode on ‘Wellington Paranormal.’
In 2022, Melanie toured through Australia with her new show, Ooh La La, off the back of sold-out shows at Melbourne International Comedy Festival, returned with Season 2 of ‘Cheap Seats’ on Network 10, which was nominated for Most Popular Comedy Program at the TV Week Logie Awards. Furthermore, Melanie was also nominated for Graham Kennedy Award For Most Popular New Talent.
In 2023, Melanie performed a special encore of her show ‘Ohh La La’ at The Athenaeum in Melbourne and has returned to Australian screens with Season 3 of ‘Cheap Seats.
Furthermore, Melanie returned to New Zealand to host the prestigious New Zealand Comedy Festival Gala and toured her show, ‘So Funny’, to sold-out audiences and will be seen on New Zealand screens in the upcoming season of ‘Taskmaster NZ’.
Building on this success, Melanie is set to take ‘Forget Me Not to the renowned Just for Laughs festival in Montreal and in 2024 will tour the UK, solidifying her status as a rising star on the international comedy circuit.
