Exclusive InterViEw with ShyLlon MElAtti

Welcome Shyllon! So great to chat with you today. Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started in the entertainment industry?

Hey there and thank you for taking the time to chat with me today! So I always introduce myself to people as “Shyllon like Nylon,” as it helps people learn how to pronounce my name, and it usually always cracks a smile right off the bat. I’m a first-gen Brazilian-American and the newest cast member for Chippendales, I’m a huge plant fanatic and animal lover, having over 60 plants at home, 2 cats, and a new husky pup. I basically have my own ecosystem going on in my apartment. I’ve been in the entertainment industry since I was 10 years old, appearing in episodes of Penn & Teller and Criss Angel’s “Mindfreak”, both Vegas entertainers on the Las Vegas Strip, and later walking the runway and working for brands like Dillard’s, Macy’s, Vans, and Paul Frank to name a few. My mom was my manager as a kid, or momager as I called her, and she got both my sister and I into a few agencies pretty young. 

What has been your favorite project to work on and why? 

Oh jeez. I’m humbled to have been a part of some really cool projects. One of my most favorite was when I played Stefan in the off-broadway adult comedy “Sex Tips to Straight Women from a Gay Man”. This was also my theatrical debut. It was definitely a shift performing live in front of an audience from acting in front of a camera where you can take as many takes as you need to get the right one. I’d say this experience allowed me to dip my toes in a different field of my industry and hone my skills as an actor and a performer all together. I was part of a 3-person cast, so I was in a lot of the show. My character also spoke with a Russian accent so that was definitely fun to play with.

Tell us something interesting that most fans don’t know about you! 

I have dual citizenship: the US and Brazil. I was born in America, but when I was a few months old, my parents flew to Brazil to be with family and I got my papers my first trip. I actually JUST renewed my Brazilian passport a few years ago and it’s funny because I have my new one that looks like me now and my expired one of when I was like 4 months old!

Would you share with us the best advice you have received and how that has helped you in your career? 

Take the risk, because you’ll regret it if you don’t. I don’t think I would be where I am today if I didn’t believe in myself and take the audition or go for a role, even if I didn’t get it. And with that can come failure right? I think that’s something a lot of people fear is failure. But you have to face it head on and give it your all because even if you do fail, at least you failed early and you failed forward. And if you succeed, hey even better! In 2018 I moved to LA to pursue acting and had no idea what was going to happen. I was basically broke and not close to as confident as I am now. I made incredible connections, booked a commercial and the lead in a short film. I moved back to Vegas and I auditioned for my role of Stefan in Sex Tips with no theater experience, but my acting skills and character description secured the role. And I auditioned for Chippendales with no dance experience, but I have hosting skills and I knew how to move my body and keep up with choreography from my years as a kid doing martial arts, so I had something to bring to the table that allowed me to offer my skills and talent in a different way. Literally just go for it! When that happens, you really do gain the wisdom and experience you need to be better at what you do, whether you succeed or not. At the end of the day, I think that’s still somewhat of a success.

What is next for you? 

Vegas took a pretty big hit during the pandemic, and a lot of entertainers have yet to return to the stage. I’m hoping soon after our city opens up a bit more that I too can be in front of an audience on stage again and do what I love to do: entertain and perform!

Where can we find you online and follow along with all you have going on? 

Follow me on Instagram at @shyllonmelatti where you can catch some behind the scenes footage of projects I’m working on, some fitness videos and of course me ranting about my plants and showcasing them whenever I see a new leaf!

End of Interview