
What if anger is a superpower?
Welcome to HOT ANGRY MOM!
I'm Mel House - the writer/creator behind this dark comedy web series. I'm a middle-aged actress, comedian, and mom in a multiracial American family. A few years ago, I had a problem with my RAGE. Maybe you can relate?
Shortly after our nation elected a president who bragged about grabbing women by their genitals, the Weinstein scandal exposed the depth of harm being done to women throughout the entertainment industry. At the same time, the frequency of police brutality streaming into our homes hit a new high. I felt unsafe in my body, powerless to protect my family, and
overwhelming rage.
My rage scared me.
I was taught that good people suppress anger, because it’s ugly and destructive. But if you ignore anger, it doesn’t go away, and it can build into RAGE. But my anger felt sane, even healthy, and I became curious:
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What does healthy anger look like?
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What are destructive anger myths?
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Why has our culture gendered biological emotional states?
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And how does repressing or expressing these emotions shape identity?
I read a lot about anger, practiced somatic body work to change my relationship with my experience of anger, and performed Stand-up comedy as a character called Hot Angry Mom. What I’ve learned is that many people think about anger in ways that I believe cause harm to ourselves and others. But what if healthy anger can actually make us more whole? What if anger is a superpower?
Smash cut to our dark comedy webseries HOT ANGRY MOM that centers a people-pleasing NYC mom who struggles to maintain her dignity, as a video of her unleashing her anger becomes a viral sensation. In 2021, we hired 60+ artists and filmed Season One (8 five-minute episodes). Then, in August 2022 we completed post-production. Throughout 2023, we have been screening HOT ANGRY MOM on the festival circuit, as we seek distribution for our series. We have won 10 awards so far, including Best TV Pilot, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Ensemble Cast in NYC, Los Angeles, Canada, Germany, Italy and Peru. We have screenings coming up in New Jersey, Minnesota, Texas, Spain, New Zealand, and community screenings for our hometown, the Bronx.
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We continue to raise funds for film festival applications, marketing materials, PR, and travel to festivals to screen and promote the film. Renting space, paying technicians, and promoting community screenings is also part of our goals, so that we can host panel discussions, talk backs, and workshops.
HOT ANGRY MOM is our love letter to all the mamas who are struggling to balance their needs with the needs of their loved ones in a chaotic and triggering world. We hope to inspire conversations around healthy anger that support women to access their full power and voices.
HOT ANGRY MOM is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of HOT ANGRY MOM must be made payable to "Fractured Atlas" only and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.