Vanessa Verduga

Vanessa Verduga is an actress, writer and producer. These days, the Los Angeles born, Bronx raised performer-who legitimately includes "singer" and "lawyer" on her resume for those daring to keep score-is making her mark instead as "Justice Woman," the lead character in the popular web series she created and launched in 2012. The show has earned positive reviews by NBC Latino and its first three 10-minute episodes have garnered over 1 million views on its dedicated YouTube channel. Written and produced by Vanessa, "Justice Woman" was inspired in part by her passion for Batman and Robin, Wonder Woman and other superheroes (including the Mexican TV parody Chapulin Colorado) growing up. The concept is also rooted in the disillusionment she experienced as an attorney. The series, which Vanessa envisions going six or seven three episode seasons, follows the story of Sofía Escala, a.k.a. Justice Woman, a spunky Assistant D.A. by day, defender of truth and justice by night. With the help of her office-mate and sidekick Robert (Roberta) Gallion (played by Lee Kaplan), she fights to right the wrongs committed against the innocent and powerless by a corrupt legal system - and naturally winds up in some tight spots along the way. A smart, funny, fast-paced series with a touch of risqué business and perhaps the first Latina superhero and gay sidekick duo ever, "Justice Woman" tackles serious issues, but with large doses of campy humor. Some have likened it to "Law & Order" meets "Will & Grace" via "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" and "Sex and the City." While breaking ground in having a Latina female attorney in the lead role, it pays homage to superheroes of yesteryear with a storyline that involves Sofia bringing to light questionable practices in the prosecution of the city's cases, most notably the incarceration of an innocent migrant worker, Jesus Lopez, and her quest to prove his innocence with Robert's help. Expanding her creative outreach further, Vanessa has developed a "Justice Woman" prequel comic book, which she will debut at New York Comic-Con in 2013. Vanessa also produces and stars in "H.O.M.E.," a feature film by award winning director Daniel Maldonado comprised of three character driven vignettes, loosely tied in theme to the concept of urban alienation through the immigrant perspective. Each story reflects on the meaning of being both physically and spiritually lost in NYC. Based on her work in "Justice Woman," Maldonado cast Vanessa as the daughter of the lead actor (whose only communication is on the phone). Vanessa is also finalizing a comedy feature film she wrote entitled, "The Implications of Cohabitation," which she hopes to start pre-production on soon. She is also an active blogger who writes about current events and the reasoning behind her many artistic endeavors. Destined for a multi-faceted life and career from her earliest days, Vanessa started acting, singing and dancing at age four, encouraged by her mother, a trained dancer in Spanish dance whose own mother (Vanessa's grandmother) would take her every weekend to sing live at the local radio station in her native Ecuador. Coming from a family that valued the performing arts - but also stressed the importance of a strong education and practical career path - it's perfectly logical that Vanessa would eventually find her way back to performing after a lengthy college and law school hiatus. A graduate of both the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and Seton Hall University of Law, Vanessa returned to acting during law school when she joined the theater student group there. With a knack for developing strong yet vulnerable characters, she has appeared in numerous theater productions and films since graduating from AADA. She got into filmmaking as a result of acting and writing. Having appeared in numerous stage productions throughout New York City, Vanessa decided to give film acting a chance and discovered that she loved it just as much as theater. Co-writing the award-winning short film "Danny First" - based on the story of her relationship with her brother Tony, who is autistic - further impressed upon her the power of film to move and inspire a much wider audience. Having traveled and lived abroad, Vanessa - who studied in Paris and worked in Italy during her undergrad days as a computer information systems major at Baruch College (The City University of New York) - brings a rich multi- perspective to her projects, which - speaking of diversity - she can translate into English, Spanish, Italian and/or French, all languages she speaks. Described by her peers as a compassionate fighter with captivating strength and sassy humor, Vanessa aspires to awaken our inner warriors through the art of filmmaking. Creating "Justice Woman" as a web series not only tapped into her work as an attorney, it also drew upon her pre-law school experience as a project manager for a web development company.