Biography

Tressa Azarel Smallwood, founder and CEO of MegaMind Media, is an award-winning television and film producer. Smallwood's production company specializes in creating compelling original content for female audiences. A true trailblazer, this former schoolteacher turned her debut bestselling novel into a multi-million-dollar publishing company, Life Changing Books, that amassed a worldwide following with over 162+ titles to date.

In 2016, Smallwood produced her first book-to-film project. Under the MegaMind Media banner, to-date Smallwood has produced over 27 projects including Secrets, The NAACP Image award nominated biopic First Lady Of BMF: The Tonesa Welch Story, the "Wicked City" (renewed for a third season), Holiday Heartbreak, Trophy Wife, The Sound of Christmas, Sinners Wanted, The Available Wife, Dear Best Friend, and A Rich Christmas, which earned a 2023 NAMIC Award nomination for Best Original Picture. In 2019, Smallwood's film All In received the "Audience Award" for Best Narrative from the American Black Film Festival (ABFF).

An advocate for mental and spiritual health, Smallwood partnered with BET Networks and BETHer to produce a short film series designed to bring awareness to women's health issues. This powerful and important series entitled The Waiting Room and The Couch were indeed a true labor of love in which Smallwood teamed up with directors Meagan Good , Sheryl Lee Ralph and Kim Fields to name a few. In 2023, Smallwood reunited with BET Networks to turn one of the short films into a full-length feature, Black Girl Erupted, directed by Vanessa Bell Calloway (This Is Us).

In seven short years, under Smallwood's leadership, MegaMind Media is rapidly building a brand reputation for creating meaningful and award winning content, providing unprecedented opportunities to up-and-coming filmmakers, and green-lighting projects Smallwood believes matter. Her films may be seen on platforms such as Amazon Prime, AMC+, AllBlack, BET, BET+, BETHer, TUBI, TVOne, and more.

Smallwood is a member of the Producers Guild of America and the Television Academy.