Vanessa Baden
Vanessa Baden-Kelly | |
---|---|
Born |
Vanessa Jennifer Baden September 8, 1985 Manhattan Beach, California, U.S. |
Occupation | Actress, writer, director, producer |
Years active | 1994–present |
Spouse(s) |
RJ Kelly (m. 2013) |
Children | 1 |
Vanessa Jennifer Baden-Kelly[1] (born September 8, 1985) is an American actress, writer, director, and producer. She began her career as a child actress in the Nickelodeon television series Gullah Gullah Island (1994–1998) and Kenan & Kel (1996–2000).
Since 2017, she has starred, co-written, and co-produced the web series Giants, which streams on Issa Rae's YouTube channel.[2] Her performance in Giants garnered her a Daytime Emmy Award nomination in 2018.[3]
Early life
Baden was born in Manhattan Beach, California and raised in Satellite Beach, Florida, where she got her start as a model in print ads.
In 2004, she won the Florida District Miss Black and Gold Pageant, representing the Iota Delta Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity at a regional competition in Atlanta, Georgia. She graduated from Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida in December 2007 with a degree in sociology.
Career
Baden began her career as a child actress on television; her first major role was as Vanessa in the Nickelodeon children's television series Gullah Gullah Island. Following this, she portrayed Kyra Rockmore for more than 60 episodes of the teen sitcom Kenan & Kel, which also aired on Nickelodeon.
In 1997, she played a supporting role in the film Rosewood and served as a panelist on the children's panel game show Figure It Out. This was followed by a decade-long hiatus from acting.
In 2011, Baden returned to the screen as Hope in the YouTube comedy series Fail, opposite King Bach. In 2012, she starred as Erin Mult in the television film Chris & Todd. In 2014, she played opposite Jenifer Lewis in the comedy feature film Secrets of the Magic City, directed by R. Malcolm Jones.
Since 2017, Baden has starred as Journee in the web series Giants, created by James Bland, which streams on Issa Rae's YouTube channel.[4][5] Her performance in Giants garnered her a Daytime Emmy Award nomination in 2018.[3]
Baden also works as a writer and producer; she co-wrote and co-produced several episodes of Giants,[2] and has also written for The Huffington Post.[6]
Personal life
On August 24, 2013, Vanessa married RJ Kelly.[1] They have a son named Ryder.
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1994–1995 | My Brother and Me | Janey | TV series; 2 episodes |
1994–1998 | Gullah Gullah Island | Vanessa | TV series; 50 episodes |
1996–2000 | Kenan & Kel | Kyra Rockmore | TV series; 27 episodes |
1997 | Rosewood | Lee-Ruth | |
1997 | Figure It Out | Herself / Panelist | TV series |
2011–2012 | Fail | Hope | TV series; 6 episodes |
2012 | Franchise | Cameo | Short film |
2013 | Chris & Todd | Erin Mult | TV film |
2014 | Secrets of the Magic City | Tracey | |
2017–present | Giants | Journee | Web series; 13 episodes; also writer and producer |
References
- 1 2 "Vanessa and Ronald - Wedding Website - Wedding on Aug 24, 2013". WeddingWire. Retrieved 2018-04-17.
- 1 2 "Vanessa Baden Kelly of 'Giants' on Millennials Leading the Mental Health Conversation". Rebellious Magazine. 2018-02-26. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
- 1 2 "THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES ANNOUNCES NOMINATIONS FOR THE 45th ANNUAL DAYTIME EMMY® AWARDS | The Emmy Awards - The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences". emmyonline.com. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
- ↑ Desk, TV News. "Jussie Smollett-Executive Produced Series GIANTS Returns For Second Season". Retrieved 2018-04-15.
- ↑ "Interview: Daytime Emmy nominated "Giants" series cast". Kontrol Magazine. 2018-04-02. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
- ↑ Kelly, Vanessa Baden (2015-09-26). "Why I Support Michael B. Jordan and Not Internet Hype". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
External links
- Vanessa Baden on IMDb
- Vanessa Baden on Instagram
- Vanessa Baden on Facebook
- Vanessa Baden on Twitter
- Vanessa Baden on YouTube
- Fail on YouTube