About MELISSA
Pigs Fly
I can sum up my career in three words: Never say never. I’ve learned things I never thought I’d learn, done things I never thought I'd do, and met people I never thought I’d meet. I am nothing but grateful.
Melissa Jordan Grey brings decades of experience as a creative technologist, strategist, entrepreneur & digital media artist. A consummate communicator, problem-solver, and passionate contributor, she sits squarely at the intersection of the logical and creative.
Rainmaker
After earning a degree in music/media studies at Indiana University (Phi Beta Kappa/ Summa Cum Laude), she received an International Radio & Television Society Summer Fellowship and later attended the University of Southern California's master's program in cinema television before leaving to co-found her first company.
Her interest in music led her to co-found The Blue Ribbon SoundWorks, which pioneered music technology, doubling in revenue and profit five years in a row. Her company’s AudioActive interactive music engine won Best of Comdex and soon was acquired by Microsoft.
At Microsoft, Grey served in a variety of leadership roles, including business development, creative direction, marketing & product design. Her group's Interactive Music Architecture found its way into PowerPoint, MSN, Internet Explorer, and Windows as part of DirectX. Pushing the limits, she created Rifff, an online interactive music experience with musicians BB King, Cyndi Lauper, Sir Mixalot, and more. Before leaving, Grey worked in Microsoft's digital media division on personalized, convergence-centric digital media experiences.
After leaving Microsoft, she founded BrandAcuity, Inc.—which ultimately became Mindsight, LLC— to help develop marketing and business development teams of startup companies, such as MixMeister, LLC, ultimately acquired by Numark/InMusic, Inc. Mindsight also delivered music technology to Beamz, a laser-based music device heavily promoted by Flo Rida.
She relocated to San Diego to start, with her husband, Todor Fay, a video graphics company NewBlue, Inc., whose partnerships have included Adobe Corporation, Sony Corporation, Avid Technologies, Telestream, and other video production technologies. Today, she serves as NewBlue’s Executive Chair and Chief Creative Officer.
Creator
A seasoned creative director, artist, writer, filmmaker & songwriter, Melissa has performed on stage as a jazz saxophonist, standup comic, musical improviser, actor, and cabaret performer. As a teen, she played jazz saxophone for weddings, local clubs, and theatrical productions. During that time, she also worked as a session player in local studios.
Grey composed the multimedia score for the City of Atlanta's '96 Olympic bid and recorded musical parodies performed on KIIS-FM’s “Make it or Break it”. Today, her work can be found on San Diego stages, major digital audio streams, and Areasonica Records. Her recent work, “Trial and Error” was featured onstage at the Conrad Performing Arts Center and will soon be found in Shaking the Tree where books are sold.
Changemaker
Passionate about empowering girls, Melissa launched WOW in 2013, now a national STEM-based organization focused on engagement in FIRST Robotics. She’s served on the IRTS (International Radio and Television Society) Foundation board and has been actively involved in her local community regarding issues of first-generation educational access, homelessness, and food insecurity. One of her great joys is mentoring young women and entrepreneurs.
Melissa and her husband reside in La Jolla, California, and are proud parents to two young adults who currently attend Stanford University.