Melody Simmons-Hudson is the CEO and Founder of Head Not The Tail Productions, LLC located in Oakland, California. HNTTP develops, produces, and invests in film/media projects that bring forth “visibility” to the systemic barriers that women of color are far too often navigating daily to succeed in career and business.

Prior to HNTTP, Melody led a successful 20+ year career in Corporate America in both the public and private sector in the SF/Bay Area. Her strategic leadership spans across diverse teams in Banking, Tech, Retail and Entertainment at multinational companies such as Genentech,NetApp, BioRad, Wells Fargo, CBS Television to name a few. She currently partners with organizations and entrepreneurs as an Executive Business and Finance consultant.

Melody obtained her M.B.A. in Finance from Holy Names University, and completed her undergraduate degree at Cal State University Hayward, where she leads on the Alumni Association Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism Committee. Melody is passionate about changing the negative societal views about Black women and girls, and will continue to build a table, where they can thrive and not just survive.

Melody is co-author of, “The Invisible Women: Addressing the Intersection of Pay and Racism in the Workplace”. The book isn’t just a memoir of her life experiences, but also an invaluable source of information and reference guide to help women manage a successful and fulfilling work/life balance and promote allyship. Melody is paving the way forward and shattering glass ceilings by creating safe spaces to empower underrepresented women and girls in her community. Whether it is attending the United Nations conferences, teaching financial literacy, or speaking to college students/ career women, this powerhouse makes it her daily mantra to inspire, empower and lead with empathy and purpose.

In 2023, Melody co-produced The Black Women Thrive Summit. BWT Summit is a powerful day with panels, workshops and fireside chats led by experts, leaders and change agents across industries who are making an impact to foster DEI in health, wealth, business and career. In 2022, HNTTP was presented with a proclamation recognizing October 28th as “Black Women Thrive Day'', and honoring the organization's mission for their contributions to closing the racial wealth gap.