Versatility is probably the best feature that describes Melvin Gregg, an American actor, and internet sensation.
Melvin gained immense popularity as a YouTuber and Viner, which brought him to recording TV commercials for brands such as Nike, Sony, Google, Gatorade, and many more.
He also appeared in the show “Whatever”, which initiated his upcoming acting roles.
Step by step, Melvin starred in movies “A House Is Not a Game” and “Alpha House”.
Speaking of YouTube, he has over 332,000 subscribers on YouTube and 3.8 million followers, while he is active on all social media – Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter as well, on which he has 5.2 million, 3 million, and 119,000 followers, speaking individually.
Many youngsters nowadays are using social media as a platform for getting rank to be a celebrity, or reaching circles that can take them to becoming one.
Gregg earned his audience with his innovative content, and he is proving day after day he deserved it all.
Early Years
Gregg originally comes from Portsmouth, Virginia, even though he possesses Africa-American ethnicity. He was born on September 22, 1988.
His mother, Constance Gregg, possesses North American ethnicity, and her husband, Melvin Vaughan, had 7 kids – Gregg and his 6 sisters.
Gregg graduated from Old Dominion University and acquired his education in marketing, which helped him a lot in the future, as social media are all about marketing.
Career Development
Melvin appeared in the show “Whatever”, where he acted for 4 episodes, and that is when everything started.
Gregg started recording his Vine videos after the show. Actually, he soon became one of the 100 top personalities on Vine.
He made many friends on Vine and collaborated with other popular Viners, such as Logan Paul, Curtis Lepore, Anwar Jibawi, and others.
As he presented commercial brands Nike, Sony, Google, etc, he gathered numerous followers and fans on his social media accounts.
Some of his starring movies and TV shows are “Sharknado:3 Oh Hell No!” and “Unreal”, “Freakish”, and “American Vandal” going from 2015 to 2018, so his roles are still fresh.
When Gregg moved to Los Angeles, he tried his best to make something big, but he knew it would take many baby steps to achieve what he dreamed of.
He wanted to create a connection with the audience and his followers, and he was doing it for two to three years when things started moving on.
At first, he was involved on Jimmy Kimmel’s show, and on one of the sketches, he met Will Smith.
Gregg appreciated Will a lot, as he watched his all movies as a kid, and he thought it would be hard to play it cool in front of him, which he managed.
However, meeting him was an important lesson for Gregg. He realized that we all are just people, no matter if we are in Los Angeles, Portsmouth, no matter if we are actors or YouTubers.
However, Gregg realized that he would have to move back into a traditional space at one point, as smaller roles would never take him where he would want to be.
It was true – those small roles couldn’t get him the recognition he needed.
Then, at the end of 2017, Gregg decided to focus on traditional stuff from that moment on, and pull back on social media.
Even though Gregg was a bit sidelined by the competitive industry, he became a rising star of the “American Vandal”, where he got the chance to express his talent.
As he already had a solid fanbase from Viners and YouTube, being on the show brought him to an opportunity to shine in the public eye, but he wanted to prove himself as an actor.
In the midst of his efforts to achieve greater success, his agent called him to ask him if he wanted to go to an audition for the next Netflix’s show American Vandal.
While reading the script for the show, Gregg felt the connection with DeMarcus. He strived for an interesting acting role, and this one was right for him, as he knew it would take him to achieving some of his personal goals.
Social media played a big role in the second season of the show, while Gregg’s previous experience was a bonus to the whole story.
He talked about his practice, and how did he use social media to grow his own popularity.
Gregg explained he simply figured out what works best for him on each platform. If people respond to your content, that is bingo.
There has to be a lot of transitions and changes, and you got to keep moving, and to find something in what you would be appreciated.
Now, when DeMarcus’s story is over, it is obvious Gregg has achieved popularity he dreamed of.
Yet, this doesn’t mean the story is done for him now, as the fellow is far from finished.
One of the projects he is working on in 2019 is High Flying Bird.
Tarell Alvin McCraney is the writer of the Moonlight, while the director of High Flying Bird is Steven Soderbergh. Do you remember Oceans’s Eleven?
Ray Burke, a sports agent, has just one task – to resolve a basketball lockout, and he is investigating high-profile players.
One of these high-profile players is Erick Scott, and guess who is playing this role? That is right – Melvin Gregg.
However, Gregg already played a character known for his basketball prowess six months ago before filming the second seasons of American Vandal, as he portrayed Demarcus Tillman, who is a character very similar to Erick Scott – a black athlete at a prestigious school.
What is more, Gregg is not just a basketball player, and he is not someone who can read lines without a mistake – he is the whole package.
That means he is convincing at both ends, as he managed to perform each part of the scenario as one singular character, no matter if the act is on or off the basketball court.
After all, it is impossible to ignore the fact Gregg made a transition from social media superstar to being a Hollywood actor.
He didn’t want to wait to be discovered, as there is no fairy tale like being someone who has magically become a part of Hollywood. Gregg is the type of person who created his own lane.
Yet, he is still trying to find new ways of creating long-form content through writing, creating, being a director for example, etc.
He has that idea of a new concept, and he already created the character, whom he would develop from now on.
In the end, it is clear that pursuing traditional roles inevitably influenced his acting career and upgraded it to another level.
Still, that doesn’t mean he would cut off his relationships with his fans through social media, as it would make him become even more recognizable in the future.
Even though he still hasn’t achieved any awards or trophies in his acting career, he did achieve a silver and a gold play button by YouTube.
Personal Life
Gregg is, indeed, very charismatic and handsome young man, who tries to keep his love life as private as possible.
He told that he was having a girlfriend, even though nobody ever saw him with one.
Because of this fact, the audience thought he was gay at first, even though there is no proof of that, and Gregg claims he is totally straight, but that he doesn’t want to reveal his love life status.
He broke up his last relationship back in 2012, but no one knew who this girl was, as well as the current one.
Quick Summary
Full Name: Melvin Gregg
Date of Birth: September 22, 1988
Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia
Age: 31
Profession: YouTuber, Viner, actor, TV sensation
Height:
Weight: 79kg
Net Worth: $2.2 million