ABOVE: Melanie Posner. Photo by Abby Baker.
Muralist and reality star Melanie Posner is the voice of reason on Amazon Prime’s docuseries “Tampa Baes,” currently streaming on the popular platform. The show offers an inside look at an “it crowd” of lesbian friends across Tampa Bay.
While locals may know Posner from her pinup girl mural on the Hollander Hotel in downtown St. Petersburg, “Tampa Baes” viewers now know her as the peacemaker with a bigger-than-life laugh.
The 28-year-old Libra often stayed out of the show’s infighting and drink-throwing frenzies, but says filming wasn’t exactly peachy for a working creative.
“My anxiety during filming was up to the roof, my mental health totally depleted,” Posner explains. “It was very stressful and I will say, I love how the show came out, but at the time I was wary.
“With reality TV, you never know,” she continues. “They can always change things and skew them. There were great moments too though.”
The Pennsylvania native moved to Tampa eight years ago to study art therapy at the University of Tampa and never left. She was a longtime bartender at The Honey Pot, Ybor’s now-shuttered LGBTQ club, an iconic community staple that Posner frequented with many of her castmates.
“We all knew each other outside of the show before filming. We went to parties together, bars together, events,” Posner says.
“The show definitely brought some of us closer together,” she continues. “I feel very close to some of the cast members and I’m so happy when I get to spend time with them.”
Amazon Prime’s series was filmed over 10 weeks in the midst of COVID-19 and features the girls laughing, fighting and having heart-to-hearts about loyalty at local favorites such as Caddy’s on Treasure Island, White Lie in Ybor and Ferg’s Sports Bar & Grill in St. Petersburg.
The season finale of “Tampa Baes” even features Tampa Pride, which made its return earlier this year. The celebration welcomed more than 70,000 people to Ybor City on May 22.
Posner took a break from painting to talk to Watermark about the show’s recent premiere on Amazon Prime.
WATERMARK: What was the hardest part of filming?
Melanie Posner: Filming for 10 weeks … wow, the hardest part was dealing with all the drama from the girls. I’ve gotten so many questions about if the show was planned … or if they asked us to do anything but no, it was all organic and unscripted and it was a lot.
Have you dated any of your cast members?
No. I never have and I never will because I don’t mix business with pleasure.
I don’t have a love interest on the show. I feel like I know a lot of the lesbians in the community but that also makes it hard for me. It’s like “I’ve seen you do this at my bar” or “I’ve already seen you with this person before.”
Do you have any deal breakers when it comes to dating?
Honesty and communication are everything to me. I feel like if you’re shady, or have a f**ckboy mentality, then I’m over it. I find there is a lot of that mentality in the community.
When did you first come out?
I came out when I was 13. I was in love with – no, I lusted – so hard after this girl. My family thought I was crazy, that it was a phase, but I knew and I still know.
My entire room was collages of Victoria’s Secret models, so really they should have known too. Totally normal, right?
How do you describe your persona on “Tampa Baes?”
I was very neutral. A lot of the drama was between the two couples of the show. I didn’t want to get involved in the drama, I don’t like confrontation and I want everyone around me to be happy. The show really depicts my friendship with Olivia [Mullins], who gets a DUI.
I was there for her a lot. And of course, I’m the artist of the group.
Was there a villain?
Oh for sure. It’s [Brianna] Murphy. It’s a no brainer, she is a very rash person. In the show she gets into arguments with quite a few of the girls.
What about an argument with you?
Not on the show. Outside of the show, yeah, spoiler.
Were there any parts of the show that you were not looking forward to rewatching?
It was the DUI scene. Reliving that. The show represented that really well and it was a lot. I had cameras on me for over 50 hours straight just with Olivia and us dealing with everything.
There were some great heartfelt moments. Those moments have continued to let the friendships grow.
“Tampa Baes” received some backlash for a lack of diversity. What are your thoughts on that?
I was really upset when I started reading those initial comments online. There are two girls on the show that are biracial, and after what we went through last year it felt like people were undermining that because they are light skinned.
A lot of people are not aware that we are a pre-existing friend group, it wasn’t a casting call. They weren’t trying to get certain lesbians that have a certain look. I think that’s important to know.
What do you hope comes out of the series?
I think about “The Real L Word” and “The L Word’ and how that was amazing for the community years ago when it came out. I think it’s an honor we were a part of this. People can see the show and relate to us.
We talk about our coming out stories and our cultures, and the good and the bad. I think and hope the younger generation of gay women will feel heard and be inspired.
All eight episodes of “Tampa Baes” are now streaming on Amazon Prime. To learn more about Posner and her art, visit MelaniePosner.com.
