See Management Agency Visits MUD NY Campus

See Management Agency guides the careers of art directors, photographers, set designers, prop stylists, fashion stylists, groomers, hair stylists, make-up artists and manicurists. Brent Smith, Talent Manager from See Management, stopped by our MUD New York location last Thursday and gave an inspiring lecture.

The classroom was packed with make-up artists currently enrolled at MUD as well as graduates who had been in the industry for a few years. He spoke candidly about what it takes to get an agent’s attention. Here are a few of his tips:

• Even though students at MUD are encouraged to be persistent, remember that agents are extremely busy and may not be able to look at everyone’s e-mails. Calling constantly or e-mailing more than once a month can be irritating. However, if they happen to go through your e-mail and look at your website, they may just keep you in an e-mail folder and contact you in the future.

• Contacting agents via e-mail and not knowing the correct spelling of their name or their title is unacceptable.

• Agents may not immediately choose to represent you because of your lack of experience as a key make-up artist. Try to find ways to gain as much experience as you can. For example, you can ask to assist your favorite make-up artist on an upcoming project.

• When contacting agents, talk about an artist you admire on their roster or about a specific image you’ve seen by that artist. In other words, they have to see that you have done the research, know about the industry and know about the agency.

• Know the industry inside and out – a favorite make-up artist, the color for the season, artists that are making an impact, the names of other agencies, etc. Make-up artistry is more than just doing make-up; it is a business so research it, live it and breathe it.

Brent also critiqued the portfolio of Melanie Volkart, an international student from Switzerland. Melanie was brave enough to have her work critiqued in front of the entire room! Brent was kind but honest, looking at every single picture and pointing out the flaws he saw, and also pointing out when he thought her make-up was flawless. He talked about the flow of the book and how one picture lead to another. At the end of the critique, he said that he would consider having her assist with his agency. Melanie has been in contact with Brent and is excited about the possibilities!

Our next lecture coming up will be on May 11th. Kellie O'Bosky-Haas, Director of Hair and Make-up at Jed Root Inc. will be doing individual portfolio reviews at the MUD New York campus. Come out and join us!