This week, Atlanta Film and TV had an opportunity to interview Professional Makeup Artist, Candace Collier. Candace has “done makeup for all different kinds of people from the neighborhood teen, the corporate executive, to the Oscar-nominated actress.
Could you tell our readers a little about yourself?
I’m a professional makeup artist for television and commercial video here in the Atlanta area. I’ve been working as a freelance makeup artist for about nine years now. I also teach courses for makeup artists interested in working in those areas of the industry. And, most significantly, I’m a mom of two teenage girls!
Girls and young women have a love for makeup. When did you discover your love for it?
As a young teenager in the 80’s—I remember lots of hot pink and electric blue going down. I guess I was around 14 when I realized I had a knack for it because my friends kept asking me to show them how to do the things I was doing with my makeup. But back then my “technique” was purely intuitive-- I had no idea how to explain what I was doing—so I just did it for them. And I guess I’ve been putting makeup on people ever since…but now I am much better at explaining.
When did you know that you had a passion for becoming a makeup artist in film and television?
I’ve always had an interest in the entertainment industry—I even considered a Broadcast Journalism major in college but ended up going in another direction for a while. Most of the years before I started doing makeup professionally, I worked in television doing distribution sales and marketing for cable networks. I was in a suit-and-tie kind of corporate setting, but I was always “peeking over the fence” at the production side of the company and thinking about working over there. When I was in my thirties I decided to take the leap and go all-in with makeup— to eventually work my way back into television.
What was your first industry job?
I started on the production side doing makeup for video shoots for small, local businesses, and that evolved into work with larger, corporate clients. That experience helped me to get some work on commercials, and then I got into television—mostly in the form of news, talk-format and live broadcasts. I think one of my first TV jobs was a Steve Harvey episode---we shot on location inside the home of one of his guests—and I remember the topic of that episode was a little crazy, and NSFW, as they say. It was a day I won’t forget!
Could you share with us some information about your upcoming Makeup Academy, and how could someone go about signing up?
I’ve created an online course for makeup artists that launches in January 2020 called Show Up Like a Pro. A lot of the material is taken from the Media Makeup course I used to teach in person, but with less emphasis on technique instruction and more in-depth training specific to working as a makeup artist in a production environment. It covers in step-by-step detail the things makeup artists need to know to work successfully in commercial video and TV, from beginning to end. The best way to stay informed on the course is by signing up for my weekly newsletter at (https://atlantamakeupacademy.com/subscribe). Then you’ll be the first to know exactly how and when to sign up when registration opens in January.
What piece of advice would you share with someone aspiring to become a makeup artist in the film and television industry?
There’s so much to say on this topic, but if I had to distill it down to one thing, it would be to never waste an opportunity to be that person people want to hire and work with again. Opportunities to get in front of the right people can be hard to come by, so when you get one, you’ve got to be prepared and ready to maximize it. My whole Show Up Like a Pro course is based around this concept.
Where do you see the Atlanta Film Industry in the next 5 years?
There’s been so many gains made over the past few years, and I’m optimistic that Atlanta, and the entire state of Georgia, will continue to build on the momentum and take it to the next level. I’m also hopeful that Georgia residents – specifically talent and crew—are given every opportunity to fully benefit from this employment economy.
For more information about Candace Collier or her Makeup Academy, check out her website.
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