Vanessa Issa was born and raised in Lebanon. She started her acting career at 14 and has worked on theatre plays, short films, TV shows and commercials. At 18, she started professionally working in the film industry in the MUH, casting, art and production departments in Beirut - alongside a career of entertainment management in the Gulf, while training through acting workshops in Europe. She was the official representative of Michael Chekhov Europe Training in Lebanon and held/produced a series of workshops.
At 22, Vanessa moved to Doha, Qatar and became the General Manager of a talent agency The Talent Factory, where she also worked as a Casting Director, Fashion Show Director and Stage Producer. At 25, Vanessa resigned from her position and moved to Vancouver, BC to shift the focus on her own craft and acting career. She graduated from Vancouver Acting School and Langara College Film Arts, won the Vancouver Monologue Show, and started booking projects. She strives to pave the way for the authentic representation of Middle Eastern women on screen.