A native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Natalie   graduated from Bowling Green State University with a Bachelor’s degree in   Education and Music.  She furthered her studies at New York City’s Hunter College completing courses toward a Masters in Social  Work.

For over 30 years Natalie has worked passionately offering aid to children and families for communities in Indiana, Ohio, New York City, and now Los Angeles. Always one to combine her love for social work and the arts, Ms. Manns engaged the youth she worked with by coaching and directing them in choirs, plays, and staged   readings.  

An avid composer, songwriter  and vocalist, she also flexed her own   performance muscles touring   nationwide in two Broadway musicals   and singing in exclusive New York City   jazz clubs including Sardi’s,Tavern on the Green, and B Smith’s.

Ms. Manns’ first feature screenplay, "Truth" (co-­-­written with Vernetta Cousins), was submitted into the 2002 Sundance Feature Film Project competition where it reached the final round of competition. Although it did not win, it garnered interest by a production company who optioned "Truth"  in     2003 to produce it into a feature film.

Natalie and her husband moved to   California in 2004.   Natalie quickly became educated in the art of digital video editing, and found a passion   creating actor’s performance reels.   Seeing the need for creative, affordable   demo reels, Natalie created Yours  By Design, a demo reel editing service for actors.  Through word of mouth and referrals, Natalie has created and edited over 200 demo reels and videos including America’s Next Top Model, Nijah Harris, and the LA County   Department of Public Health  who published a Community Services reel on their website she helped create.

In 2007 Natalie and her husband created and co-­founded MannsMade   Productions, an independent film   production company focused on fostering creativity and positive expression.   Natalie made her film directorial debut   in 2007 with MannsMade Production’s   first comedic short, “Before and After”,   which she also wrote and received a   “Best Comedy” nomination at the 2008 San Diego Black Film Festival.  They   went on to write and produce three   additional short films that found successful runs in over 25 festivals.
MannsMade Productions won the 2010   DV Award for Outstanding Achievement   in Digital Video Production for their   drama “Somebody’s Gonna Pay”.     Their documentary, “The  Five  Acres’ Digital Storytelling Experience”,  a piece written and directed by Natalie about her work with the foster children, won Best Documentary Short at the 2014 Los Angeles Cinema Festival Of Hollywood.

Throughout all of her creative endeavors, Natalie enjoys spending her days working at a “regular job” assisting fami-­ lies and children. Currently employed with the Los Angeles County   Department of Public Health, Ms.   Manns works to reduce individual and community problems through creating   and monitoring evidence-­based   programs designed to promote the health and well being of more than 10 million   Los Angeles County residents.