Makeup: Graduate Highlights
Television and Film
Amanda Gangoso
Makeup Artistry Graduate
Early Morning Makeup Artist for Citytv's Breakfast Television
Every student at Blanche Macdonald learns that for makeup artists working in the television or movie business, early call times are a harsh reality of the job. For Amanda Gangoso, makeup artist for Citytv's Breakfast Television, those call times are taken to extremes.
“I have it down to a precise schedule,” she laughs. “I shower the night before and get my breakfast ready and packed. I wake up at 4.15, splash some water on my face, get my things together, call a cab and I’m at the studio before 5am.
“I’ll sleep in on days I’m not working at Citytv. But even then, waking up for a 6.00am start is normal. I’ll think, ‘Awesome, I get to sleep in until 5.30!’”
Early starts lead to early finishes. But Amanda rarely climbs back into bed when Breakfast Television wraps for the day. She fills the rest of her time bringing her makeup skills to commercials, films, web projects and bridal clients. That’s the life of a successful freelance makeup artist. Every week is different. Even the ones that start before dawn.
“I’ll arrive at the studio at 4.50 and have to get five people TV-ready in an hour,” she explains. “On a slow day we’ll only have a couple of guests, but sometimes we’ll do a fashion show and there could be four models, plus a bunch of guests. It’s about making people TV ready. You don’t have to spend an hour on their makeup. Speed is something you learn; what’s necessary and what isn’t for any particular moment.
“I’ve had the privilege of meeting some really interesting people. People don’t tend to be super-peppy first thing in the morning, but you can usually have a nice conversation. Paul Brandt, the country singer, was just here. He was lovely. Jay Baruchel was very energetic and a lot of fun. Kat Von Dee came in – but she was 100% powdered and ready. She does have her own makeup line. That might have had something to do with it.”
Read more about Makeup Artistry Graduate Amanda Gangoso
April Boyes
Gemini Award Winner
Leo Award Winner
Never underestimate the power of a stiff drink.
Not that Blanche Macdonald would ever condone excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, you understand. But for makeup graduate April Boyes it was a night of partying that began a journey that’s taken her to the corners of the galaxy with Stargate and Caprica, and brought her back to Vancouver to pick up a Leo Award for Best Makeup in a Feature Length Drama.
“Back in 2000 I was 20, studying criminology and working in a coffee shop with a girl who was going to Blanche Macdonald,” explains the native Vancouverite. “I was planning on a career working with criminals. Then we went out for Bellini Tuesday. By midnight I was yelling, ‘I’m going to makeup school!’ I called first thing the next day, and there were two spaces on the program left. I was there at 3pm with my deposit.”
Deciding to commit to makeup artist school was anything but blurred logic. That night of fun made April realise that the opportunity to pursue a passion was too good to pass up.
Read more about Makeup Artistry Graduate April Boyes
Ashley Forshaw
Makeup Artistry Graduate and Makeup Faculty Member
Freelance Makeup Artist
You can do anything with a Makeup Diploma from the Blanche Macdonald Centre. That’s what we’ve always believed. Turns out we were underselling ourselves. Ashley Forshaw is proving that you can more than anything. You can do everything.
Since graduating from Canada’s top makeup school in 2003, Ashley has demonstrated how exciting and varied a creative life can be. She’s an on-set movie and TV makeup artist, having worked on John Tucker Must Die and the forthcoming Donovan’s Echo. She is a regular contributor to the ghouls and gore in Theta Effect special effects lab. She’s a stage makeup artist, having keyed the summer’s prestigious Bard On The Beach season in Vancouver. She’s one of Canada’s leading body-painting artists, with clients including Mercedes-Benz. And on top of all that, she’s returned to the school that launched her career as one of Blanche Macdonald’s industry-leading makeup instructors.
I’m interested in all aspects of makeup,” she explains. “I didn’t know if I wanted to do fashion or film when I was at makeup school so I tried to enhance my skills in all areas. If I feel confident applying something with a brush for beauty, I feel that I should be confident applying it for effects too. The skills should balance each other. And by opening yourself up to more aspects of makeup you’ll continue to challenge yourself, and have a better respect for other artists’ skills.”
If there’s a philosophy behind Ashley’s success, it’s a continual dedication to grow as an artist.
Read more about Makeup Artistry Graduate Ashley Forshaw
CEline Godeau
Makeup Artistry Graduate
Gemini Award Winner
Céline Godeau has won a Gemini Award for Best Achievement in Makeup for her work on Island of Shadows: D’Arcy Island Leper Colony 1891-1924. Since garnering the award, she has gone on to work on the television series Tin Man, Stargate: Atlantis, Special Unit 2, the MOW Saint Sinner, and the Canadian feature Tilt. She is amassing an impressive list of film credits with such blockbusters as Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Watchmen, Snakes on a Plane, X-Men: The Last Stand, Slither, Underworld: Evolution with Kate Bekinsale and Scott Speedman, Fantastic Four, Elektra (starring Jennifer Garner) and White Chicks.
Read more about Makeup Artistry Graduate Céline Godeau
Colleen Conroy
Makeup Artistry Graduate
THEY Representation Inc., Vancouver Canada
At the age of sixteen Colleen Conroy started her career in the cosmetic industry working professionally at a retail capacity. Two years later, Colleen decided to pursue her love of makeup and study Professional Makeup Artistry at Blanche Macdonald. Over the past few years Colleen has developed a diverse career working as an artist for MAC Cosmetics, becoming an IATSE member and ACFC permit holder, which presented her with opportunities to work on such productions as Battlestar Galactica, Reaper and Disney’s Snowbuddies. When Colleen is not busy freelancing on photo shoots, she fills her time working at the counter, doing bridal and graduation parties, and from time to time working on set. Colleen’s undying passion for exciting new make up trends to create for her clients has been fueled by her travels to London, Paris and Toronto.
Read more about Makeup Artistry Graduate Colleen Conroy
Cori Ohirko
Makeup Artistry Graduate and Makeup Faculty Member
International Makeup artist with over 100 TV Commercial Credits
Cori Ohirko is a makeup graduate and faculty member, has established an international career as a top makeup artist. Her TV commercial credits exceed over 100 and include clients as diverse as AT&T, CIBC, Bayer, Hershey’s, JC Penny, Mercedes Benz, Micorsoft and McDonalds to name a few. During the 2005-2006 national political campaign, Cori attended to then Prime Minister Paul Martin. Cori has also worked on the faces of Nelly Furtado, Elvis Costello and Charles Barkely.
Read more about Makeup Artistry Graduate Cori Ohirko
Doug Morrow
Makeup Artistry Graduate
Freelance Makeup Artist for Film and TV
Doug moved back home to Winnipeg after graduating from Blanche Macdonald, and his career has never looked back. He’s currently head of the Winnipeg branch of the IATSE union and he’s the first person movie producers call when they’re filming in town. Doug’s resume is long and impressive, ranging from Adam Sandler’s swollen eye in Happy Gilmore to murder victims in Capote to the subtle aging of the actor portraying Don Cherry in the forthcoming mini-series chronicling the life of the Canadian hockey legend.
“The number one tip I can pass on to young makeup artists is practice,” he explains. “I liken what I do to what a ballet dancer does. She practices every single day to be the best that she can, because it’s so competitive and so many people want to do it. You have to keep up with all the new knowledge and all the new techniques. And the only person that can do that is you.”
Read more about Makeup Artistry Graduate Doug Morrow
Gabriela Benito
Makeup Artistry Graduate
Silver Ariel Award Winner for Best Makeup Artist - Mexico
Gabriela Benito’s career as a makeup artist for film and television in Mexico has been prolific. Since graduating from Blanche Macdonald Centre, Benito has accumulated a star-studded list of clientele including Ricky Martin, Thalia, Boys Zone, All Saints, David Usher and Alejandro Fernandez (who happens to be the most memorable celebrity she’s worked with so far, alongside Keifer Sutherland and Ron Livingstone).
In 2008, her talent was recognized by the Mexican Academy of Film where she won the coveted Silver Ariel Award for Makeup Artistry for her work on the movie Kilómetro 31.
In addition to working behind-the-scenes of feature films, Benito has also branched to television commercials for major products and labels such as Bacardi, Coca Cola, Gatorade, Nissan and McDonald’s.
“Every project is very different so it’s always exciting,” she says. “The best part is that you don’t really know what sort of character you are going to create next.”
Benito says her experience at Blanche Macdonald Centre was “a playground where I was able to practice my art on a daily basis and have experienced instructors demonstrate new techniques to improve my skills. Being in school was great because it made it easier for me to do my job in terms of speed and effectiveness. I learned a lot about products and their function for different media. It was a great introduction into the special effects world.”
Read more about Makeup Artistry Graduate Gabriela Benito
Holland Miller
Makeup Artistry Graduate and Makeup Faculty Member
Gemini Award Winner, 2 time Emmy Nominee, Prosthetics and Special Effects Artist
Holland Miller, a prosthetic and special make-up effects artist, recently won his first Gemini Award for Best Achievement in Makeup for Stargate Atlantis. He was also nominated for a Gemini for his work on Stargate SG-1. Some of Holland’s other credits include the series The X-Files, X Men 2, Millennium, and The Outer Limits, as well as a number of movies Reindeer Games and Scary Movie (for which he helped create a likeness of the severed head of actress Shannon Elizabeth).
Today, he is an instructor at Blanche Macdonald, imparting his knowledge of special make-up effects in a very important section of the curriculum. In addition, he has established an excellent reputation as a make-up effects artist on shows such as The Haunting in Connecticut Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, X-Men: The Last Stand, The Fog, Scary Movie 3, Stargate: Atlantis, The Chronicles of Riddick, and White Chicks. Holland is also a two-time Emmy nominee for Outstanding Make-up. Currently, he is working on the Sci-Fi, mystery series Sanctuary.
Read more about Makeup Artistry Graduate Holland Miller
Jonathan Seti
Makeup Artistry Graduate
Head of Hair and Makeup for the Las Vegas production studio DreamVision
Since graduating Blanche Macdonald's Makeup Program in 2006, Jonathan Seti, Head of Hair and Makeup for the Las Vegas production studio DreamVision, has become one of the busiest and most highly respected makeup artists in the city. He had the incredible honour of getting Barack Obama, plus Senators John Edwards and Hilary Clinton, camera ready for the historic 2008 Democratic Party National Debate. Jonathan was the key makeup artist for the MTV Music Video Awards and the Latin Grammys and was chosen by CNN to work at the NBA All-Star weekend, where he prepared Wolf Blitzer, Magic Johnson and Charles Barkley for the cameras.
He's worked with comedienne Ellen Degeneres, for her variety show Ellen¹s Really Big Show and was recently named as Barry Manilow’s personal Makeup Artist for the singer’s Vegas residency.
Read more about Makeup Artistry Graduate Jonathan Seti
Kevin Priebe
Makeup Artistry Graduate
Leo Award Winner, Movie Producer, Zombie Expert
Kevin Priebe, a Leo Award winner in 2006 for Remembrance: A Soldier’s Story and nominee in 2008 for The Collinwood Campaign has not let being in a wheelchair stop him from expanding his love of special makeup effects. Some of his other credits include the independent films Edison & Leo, Grand Opening, Ashes Fall and the Chicago International film festival winner Notes From the Space Time Continuum. A special congratulations to Kevin for achieving his goal of being accepted into the makeup union for IATSE 891 as a Makeup & Makeup F/X prosthetics permittee.
Read more about Makeup Artistry Graduate Kevin Priebe
Leanne Rae Podavin
Makeup Artistry Graduate and Makeup Faculty Member
Emmy Nominee, Special Effects Artist
Leanne Rae Podavin, an I.A.T.S.E. Local 891 member, was a part of fellow grad Toby Lindala’s Emmy-nominated team for The X-Files. A tenured Blanche Macdonald instructor, Leanne has done makeup effects on many high-profile features: Ginger Snaps 3, X2, Santa Clause 2, Bones, 13 Ghosts, The Sixth Day, and Scary Movie 3, just to name a few.
Michelle Pedersen
Makeup Artistry Graduate
Gemini Nominee, Makeup Industry Veteran
An industry veteran with an impressive list of credits in television, film, and fashion, Michelle Pedersen has received a Gemini nomination for Outstanding Makeup as one of the key Makeup Artists for The New Addams Family.
After furthering her studies in L.A., Michelle took on a five-year stint as key hair and makeup with the hit series Madison and was department head for the award-winning film The War Between Us. Since then, she has worked on the series Hollywood Off-Ramp, as well as feature films such as Death Games and True Heart (starring Zachary Ty Bryan and Kirsten Dunst). Michelle has also worked on such famous faces as Tom Arnold, Jon Bon Jovi, Tippi Hedren, Stephen Dorff, Morgan Fairchild, Samuel L. Jackson, Charlie Sheen, Will Smith, Ed O’Neill, and Bruce Willis.
NICHOLAS J. DAVIS
Makeup Artistry Graduate
Visual Effects Artist in London, England
As a Visual Effects Artist, Davis has worked on “The Avengers, “Entrapment”, “Enigma”, “Patriot Games” and “Phantom of the Opera”. A consummate professional, his resume also includes “A Knight’s Tale”, “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”,“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”, “Harry and the Half Blood Prince”, “Gulliver’s Travels” and “Prince of Persia”.
“Whether I am making severed human heads for the opening sequence of “Quills”, building a 55 foot working model of a Soviet submarine for “K19” or teaching life-casting to a group of students, the training I received gave me the underlying confidence necessary to complete an assignment successfully”.
“By attending the Blanche Macdonald Centre, I received a firm and solid foundation on which to build the new things you learn every day in your working life. Professionalism, punctuality, cleanliness, colour theory and countless other basics all enable you to seize that ‘lucky break’ when it comes along”.
“I was fortunate that my BMC time was spent under the watchful eye of Todd MacIntosh. With the basics I learned from him I have been able to grasp all opportunities and not waste any”.
“Blanche Macdonald gave me a strong foundation which still provides support to my career today."
Tina Teoli
Movie Makeup Artist and Leo Award Winner
There’s a certain etiquette that comes with winning a Leo, British Columbia’s most prestigious award for its massive movie and television industry. Tina Teoli understood that even before she won the 2010 Leo for Best Makeup in a Short Drama for her work in the horror/espionage thriller, Serum 1831.
“I’d been to the Leo Awards before so I knew what to expect,” she laughs. “I went as part of Natalie Cosco’s team when she won for Smallville. They don’t feed you until eight, so you drink a lot of wine on an empty stomach, which isn’t necessarily good. I was on heels too, so when my name was announced I was concentrating on not falling over. You get a trophy and do your speech, then they walk you off set, take your trophy, give you another one, take a photo and they take the trophy back again. I have no idea where my Leo is right now.”
Tina’s sense of humour makes any time spent in her company terrific fun. But she also knows that an outgoing approach isn’t appropriate for every situation. That’s one of the reasons why, over the course of nearly two decades in the film and TV business, the Blanche Macdonald makeup grad has risen to the top of her profession, including being named head of the makeup department for the last two series of Smallville.
Read more about Makeup Artistry Graduate Tina Teoli
Win Liu
Makeup Artistry Graduate
LA IMATS - Character Prosthetics Winner
Competing against the world’s finest young makeup artists at the biggest IMATS event of the year, Win Liu won an incredible third place in LA’s Character Prosthetics category with her Tudor-inspired take on the theme of Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Qualification alone was a remarkable achievement; Win’s portfolio being selected as one the eight finalists from thousands of entrants worldwide.
Read more about Makeup Artistry Graduate Win Liu
ROLL CALL
A selection of Blanche Macdonald Makeup Artistry graduates and their career placements in Television and Film.
Alyssa Satow, a graduate of 2006, has worked in theatre, film and at events around Vancouver. She has had the opportunity to work on independent feature and short films, creating special makeup effects and prosthetic pieces and limbs for the horror films Gutterballs and Dead Hooker in a Trunk. Alyssa also works at Blanche Macdonald as an Administrative Associate and a Lab Associate for the Prosthetics Lab portion of the Makeup Diploma Program.
Amanda Kuryk, has been an active member of the film community since the beginning of this century. Some of the features and television shows Amanda has worked on in her almost decade long career are Santa Buddies, On the Run, Robin Hood: Beyond Sherwood, Knights of Bloodsteel, The Haunting in Connecticut, Wild Cherry, High Life, New in Town, Stargate Universe, The Box Collector and Walk All Over Me. Amanda has just completed Damage starring former wrestling superstar “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.
Amy Van Wormer, a graduate of 2003, has an extensive career as Makeup Department Head or Key for a variety of film and television productions. Some of her of credits in these leadership positions are Stormworld, Ice Twisters, Personal Effects, Wyvern, Under One Roof, Fatal Kiss, Riddles of the Sphinx, Mom, Dad and Her, Odysseus and the Isle of the Mists, Blood Ties, Past Lies Love Notes, The Perfect Child and I Know What I Saw. Amy has recently completed the Val Kilmer, Cuba Gooding Jr. feature Hardwired.
Andrea Manchur, a Leo Award nominee for Best Makeup in a Short Film – Regarding Sarah, has accumulated a very strong list of credits while working in Vancouver’s film industry. In addition to numerous Movies of the Week, Andrea has worked on the television series Sanctuary, Kyle XY, Supernatural, Stargate SG-1, Andromeda, Poltergeist, Voyage of the Unicorn, and DaVinci’s Inquest. Her feature film credits include X-Men: The Last Stand and Santa Clause 2.
Amber Trudeau has been working steadily in TV and film since graduating in 2005. Her extensive list of credits include Hardwired with Val Kilmer and Cuba Gooding Jr. and Personal Effects starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Ashton Kutcher. Additional credits include Under One Roof, The Boy Next Door, Fatal Kiss, Riddles of the Sphinx, Afghan Knights, I Know What I Saw, Postal, Luna: Spirit of the Whatle and The Mermaid Chair.
April Boyes a 2001 makeup grad who has worked on a variety of TV and film productions. She has been the Head of the Makeup Department for Scooby Doo! The Mystery Begins and The Thaw. Some of April’s other credits include Do You Know Me, Pure Evil, Vipers, Yeti: Curse of the Snow Demon, Journey to the Center of the Earth, About a Girl, BloodRayne II: Deliverance and The Love Crimes of Gillian Guess.
Calla Syna Dreyer nominated in 2005 for the Best Makeup Leo Award for the feature length drama Marker continues to work on a variety of productions filmed here locally in Vancouver. A sample of some of her credits include Ratko: the Dictator’s Son, The Boy Next Door, While She Was Out, Ba’al, Poison Ivy: The Secret Society, Men in Trees, Making Mr. Right, The Uniquiet, Devil’s Diary, Normal, Beneath, Write and Wrong and Blond and Blonder.
Carol Ann Ransaw relocated to New York and has worked on a variety of hit television shows as well as big feature films since graduating in 2000. Some of her TV credits include Gossip Girl, Project Runway, Law & Order – SVU and The Whitest Kids U Know. Carol’s film work: Fighting starring Terrance Howard, I Am Legend with Will Smith, Gardener of Eden, Made In Brooklyn, The House of the Living and The Dead and the Revolving Door to name a few. Carol has also worked on the Tony Award winning Broadway musical, The Lion King.
Cindy Barlow is another industry professional that has gained stature in the film and television community. Some of her credits from the past decade include Smokin’ Aces: Blowback, Caught on Tape, Mr. Troop Mom, Messages Deleted, jPod, Control Alt Delete, Another Cinderella Story, Every Second Counts, Playing for Keeps and Blade: The Series to name a few. Cindy has just completed Deep Cove starring Lucy Hale and Haylie Duff.
Danielle Fowler, a 2007 makeup graduate and faculty member, has achieved success in a short period of time. When she is not in the classroom assisting students in Prosthetics, Danielle can be found working on a variety of locally produced projects. Some of her film credits include Kingdoms of Grace, Whisper and Lies, Betrayals, Confessions of an Innocent Man and The Birthday.
Debbie Lelievre is another BMC grad who is extremely active in the film industry. Debbie’s impressive resumé also boasts training at a makeup school in Australia—where she also worked as an assistant makeup artist on Moulin Rouge. Back in BC, Debbie has worked as a makeup artist for Robin Hood: Beyond Sherwood, Merlin and the Brook of Beasts, Knights of Bloodsteel, Flash Gordon, Kickin It Old School, Partition, Lesser Evil, Stranger in My Bed and many more. She has also been the Head of Department on a number of local features including Firefight (starring Stephen Baldwin) and the award-winning Emile (starring Deborah Kara Unger and Sir Ian McKellan).
Devyn Griffith is both a graduate of and former instructor at Blanche Macdonald. In addition to teaching, Devyn is a member of the film industry. Co-Keyed as Head of the Department with Michelle Pedersen on the Gemini-nominated New Addams Family and was Head of the Department for the hit series Cold Squad, Godivas and Robson Arms. She has also worked on All I Want (Starring Elijah Wood and Mandy Moore), Elektra (starring Jennifer Garner), and Edison (starring Justin Timberlake and Kevin Spacey), which was later named Edison’s Force. Devyn is also a member of both IATSE local 891 and ACFC.
Dorothee Deichmann a 2004 Leo Award Winner for Best Makeup in a Dramatic Series, Stargate SG-1 – Enemy Mine is an active member in the local film community. Some of Dororthee’s credits include Stargate: The Ark of Truth starring Ben Browder and Amanda Tapping, A Dog’s Breakfast, Due East and the TV series Hostage Negotiator to name a few.
Doug Morrow built himself a significant list of credits in the Canadian film industry after graduating from Blanche Macdonald. His recent credits include keying horror film The Haunting in Connecticut with Virginia Madsen, Makeup Department Head for New in Town with Renée Zellweger and Harry Connick Jr., special makeup effects artist for Whiteout with Kate Beckinsale and The Horsemen with Dennis Quaid. Doug’s impressive range of projects as a special makeup effects artist include Hideaway, The Lazarus Project Reindeer Games, eXistenZ, Texas Rangers, Happy Gilmore, The X-Files, The 13th Warrior, Jumanji (where he helped create the “monkey boys”), and a vast array of other features and MOWs.
He is a former Blanche Macdonald faculty member and a long-standing member of I.A.T.S.E. Local 891. Doug has since relocated to Winnipeg, Manitoba where he is the current President of I.A.T.S.E. Local 856. Still a force in the makeup industry, Doug is the owner of his own lab, Doug Morrow Makeup Design. In Winnipeg, he has keyed the award-winning homegrown films Dracula: Pages From A Virgin’s Diary and The Saddest Music In The World (starring Isabella Rossellini and Mark McKinney). Doug is thrilled to have been part of the Makeup Department on the Academy award winning film Capote with Phillip Seymour-Hoffman. Currently he is working on the Don Cherry mini-series.
Elke Winters has worked on several film and television productions as special makeup effects artist. Her most notable work for the short film Spank earned her a nomination for Best Makeup & Hair Design at the 2004 Wild Rose Indie Film Festival. Elke, an I.A.T.S.E. Local 891 member, has also worked on Project GREY, The Shell and Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.
Emanuella Daus has been working nonstop in film and television for the past decade. Her impressive list of credits include the feature films Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, Tooth Fairy, I Love You Beth Cooper starring Hayden Panettiere, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Watchmen, White Chicks and Walking Tall. Her television highlights include: No Heroics, Mistresses, Split Decision, Saved and The Immortal.
Faye von Schroeder has been a longstanding member in the film community. Her career spans over two decades and has worked on a variety of productions. Some of these include the TV series Men in Trees with Anne Heche, Impact, War starring Jet Li, Kyle XY, War, X-Men: The Last Stand, Scary Movie 4, Tru Calling, Cats & DogsThe Outer Limits, Happy Gilmore, and Highlander.
Eva McKenzie, a 2004 makeup graduate has worked on several locally produced features including High Noon, Northern Lights, Promise, What if God Were the Sun, Blue Smoke, Angels Fall, The Muffin Man and The Sound of Willie Nelson’s Guitar. Currently, Eva is working on Santa Baby 2 starring Jenny McCarthy and Dean McDermott.
Felix Fox, a 2001 Emmy Award nominee for the children’s fantasy film Voyage of the Unicorn, has an extensive background in prosthetics and special makeup effects. Felix is also a co-founder, with fellow Blanche alum Toby Lindala, of the F/X labLindala Schminken FX Inc. Some of her credits include The Cabin in the Woods, Reaper, Scary Movie 4, Final Destination 3, Elektra and Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical.
Gabriela Polakova, a native of the Czech Republic, has amassed an impressive range of international credits since graduating from Blanche Macdonald in 1999. In addition to over 70 commercials, fashion shoots for Harper’s, Cosmopolitan, and Esquire, and high-profile European TV series such as Napoleon and Les Miserables, Gabriela has worked internationally on such feature films as G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra starring Brendan Fraser and Sienna Miller, Solomon Kane, Henry IV, Babylon A.D. with Vin Diesel and Michelle Yeoh, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Blade 2, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Hellboy, and The Brothers Grimm.
Gillian Scott has worked on a variety of feature films since graduating in 2000. Some of her credits include The Cleaner, I, Robot, X-Men: The Last Stand, Walking Tall and The Chronicles of Riddick. Gillian has also worked on many television series including Supernatural, L Word, DaVinci’s Inquest, Re-Union and Tru Calling.
Gitte Axen is an I.A.T.S.E. member and industry veteran of TV programs such as The Outer Limits. She has established an impressive makeup career with features, compiling a large number of credits on high profile movies. Gitte’s resumé includes Makeup Artist credits on Anne Hathaway’s Passengers,The X-Files: I Want to Believe, Harrison Ford’s Firewall, X-Men: The Last Stand, She’s the Man, Night at the Museum, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, Double Jeopardy, Agent Cody Banks, I Spy, Insomnia, 3000 Miles to Graceland, Neverwas and Elf. Her recent credits include the upcoming feature films Helen, The Uninvited, The Cabin in the Woods, 2012 with John Cusack and Thandie Newton.
Gunther Schetterer is a 2003 makeup grad that has worked as a special makeup effects artist on the features The Muffin Man and Rotten Shaolin Zombies. Gunther also keyed The Sound of Willie Nelson’s Guitar. Some of Gunther’s other credits include Confessions of a Go-Go Girl, The Other Woman, Everest and September Dawn.
Jennifer Forberg graduated in 2000 and has been honing her craft ever since while working on the features Dolan’s Cadillac starring Christian Slater, The Shortcut, Ahh, Youth!, Walled In with Mischa Barton, 45 R.P.M., The Englishman’s Boy, Surveillance, Sleepwalking, Little Mosque on the Prairie, Finn on the Fly, Sabbatical and How I Married My High School Crush. Jennifer has just completed the Marvel Comic’s film Hybrid.
Jennifer Kipps another graduate who has been working steadily since completing the program has added the following credits to her resumé: On the Run, The Tortured, American Pie Presents Book of Love, Damage, Driven to Kill, Knights of Bloodsteel, Kill Switch, Tortured, The Art of War II: Betrayal, Storm Cell, Beyond Lochness, The Green Chain, Blood Ties and My Silent Partner. Currently, Jennifer is working on the Dear Mr. Gacy.
Jennifer Machnee has gained stature as a makeup artist in Manitoba since leaving Blanche Macdonald. She has worked with fellow grad Doug Morrow on Dracula: Pages From A Virgin’s Diary, and has also worked on the acclaimed local feature Hey, Happy. Since then, Jennifer has gone on to work on an incredible range of features and MOWs, most recently gaining credit on The Haunting in Connecticut with Virginia Madsen and Kyle Gallner, Dennis Quaid’s The Horsemen, Full of It, Fear X, The Saddest Music in the World, Society’s Child, The Lazarus Project and Shall We Dance? starring Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez.
Jennifer Powell is a grad of BMC who started her career as the makeup artist for BCTV and CBC. Early in her career, a high point was making up superstar Seal for a pre-Grammy appearance on Gen-X TV L.A. Since then, she has added more to her illustrious resumé with the following credits on various TV series and Feature Films: I.A.T.S.E Local 891 member, Chronicles of Riddick, Slither, Out Cold with Zack Galifianakis, True Calling, X-Men, Twilight Zone, The Sentinel, Glory Days with fellow BMC alumni Yvonne Webber, Night at the Museum, Fantastic Four, White Chicks and Key Makeup on Season 4 of the highly acclaimed series the L Word and the Key Makeup for Painkiller Jane. She has worked on numerous stars such as Kristanna Loken, Ivana Trump, Vivica A. Fox, and Jessica Simpson. Jennifer has returned to BMC to share her knowledge and experience as an instructor and Associate Director of the Makeup Department.
Jen Rothfelder is another valued instructor at the Blanche Macdonald Centre who is another BMC graduate. Her experience includes a substantial portfolio and credits in still photography. Her film and television stints include The New Addams Family and Cold Squad, where she worked alongside fellow grads and instructors Michelle Pedersen and Devyn Griffith respectively.
JoAnn Fowler’s illustrious career in makeup for film and television began in the late 80’s. Since then she has been the Make up Designer for many locally produced productions including Frankie and Alice, New Moon (action unit), The L Word, Final Destination 3, Black Christmas, The Snow Walker, Duets, Write and Wrong, Missing in America, Air Bud 1 & 2, Xmen 2 (action unit) and many more television movies and series. She also garnered an Emmy nomination for Best Makeup for her work on Reefer Madness. Her extensive experience with working with hundreds of makeup lines has inspired JoAnn to develop her own brand, Sappho cosmetics. Described as free of synthetic chemicals including all phthalates and parabens, ethically produced and environmentally packaged, this eco-conscious makeup line has been quickly adopted by many Makeup Artists as well as celebrities including Jennifer Beals, Mia Kirshner and Pam Grier just to name a few. Find out more about JoAnn’s Makeup Line at http://sapphocosmetics.com/.
Juliana Vit, another grad who has been a long-time member of the local film community has credits that span the past ten years. Some of the productions on which she has worked include The Farm starring Famke Janssen, Cole, Nightmare at the End of the Hall, The Auburn Hills Breakdown, Supernatural and The L Word. Juliana is currently working on the sci-fi miniseries Riverworld.
Justin Ewart, a Leo Award winner with fellow grad Kevin Priebe in 2006 for Remembrance: A Soldier’s Story and nominee in 2008 for The Collinwood Campaign, is also an instructor here at Blanche Macdonald. Justin’s film and television credits include Wyvern, Blood Ties, Last Day, Because You Demanded It!, The Night Shift and Canadian Zombie.
Karen H. Esprez is a graduate of ours who has experience in theatre, television and film. Karen has worked with cosmetic companies such as Calvin Klein, Laura Mercier, NARS and Smashbox. Her love for hockey and makeup came together by doing makeup on Jim Hughson's "Snapshots" and noted players such as Brett Hull and Igor Larionov. Sports and makeup are a theme in Karen's career as her talents lent itself to the World's Figure Skating Competition when Vancouver was the host in 2001 working with CTV, ABC, German and French Television. Karen has worked with talents such as Dee Daniels, Rod Black and Babz Chula. In combination with all of this work, Karen has been one of the school's leading instructors. It was her success at teaching that caught the school's attention to having Karen play a larger role by becoming the Associate Makeup Director. With her enjoyment of the position and constant striving for the highest achievements of the students and the school, combined with the versatility of talents and experience, Karen is now playing an even larger role as our Makeup Program Director.
Katie McKinnon is a 2007 Leo Award nominee for Trans Neptune: or The Fall of Pandora, Drag Queen Cosmonaut. This 2005 grad has also worked on Bloody Mary, Sanquine and as key for the horror film The Taken.
Kathryn Jarymy graduated from the Makeup Diploma Program in 2007. Kathryn was the Key for her first feature film "Mulligans" just four days after her graduation. By working on numerous television and film productions, she has achieved her goal of attaining full membership in IATSE Local 891. In early 2009, the International Figure Skating Competition "Four Continents Figure Skating Championships” were held in Vancouver. As the Key makeup artist for the event, Kathryn was able to combine two of her greatest passions: makeup and ice skating. This opportunity led to four time World Champion Kurt Browning requesting Kathryn as his personal makeup artist for a media tour in Edmonton.
Kari Zantolas is a grad from 1996. Since that time, Kari has been very busy working on many TV series such as Atlantis and Stargate, She has been Head of the Prosthetics department for 4 years on Andromeda, for which she and her team won a Gemini Award. Additional credits include Dark Angel, Mysterious Ways with Naomi Hirano and numerous feature films such as White Chicks and Little Man. Kari also worked with our very own Makeup Director, Todd McIntosh on Killer Instinct. Kari has returned to her makeup roots as an instructor at BMC.
Kevin Priebe, a Leo Award winner in 2006 for Remembrance: A Soldier’s Story and nominee in 2008 for The Collinwood Campaign has not let being in a wheelchair stop him from expanding his love of special makeup effects. Some of his other credits include the independent films Edison & Leo, Grand Opening, Ashes Fall and the Chicago International film festival winner Notes From the Space Time Continuum. A special congratulations to Kevin for achieving his goal of being accepted into the makeup union for IATSE 891 as a Makeup & Makeup F/X prosthetics permittee.
Kyla-Rose Tremblay is an extremely prolific makeup artist whose nearly decade long career has included some of the most widely known productions filmed in Vancouver. A sampling of her credits include The Haunting in Connecticut, The Day Earth Stood Still, Kill Switch, Far Cry, Lost Boys: The Tribe, Stargate Series: Continuum, The Ark of Truth and Atlantis, 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Fantastic Four, Supernatural, X-Men: The Last Stand, Final Destination 3 and Freddy vs. Jason.
Krista Seller, a graduate from 2000, has worked on a variety of film and television productions. Her credits include Butterfly on a Wheel with Pierce Brosnan, Pathfinder and Monster Island. Krista has also assisted our Makeup Program Associate Director, Jen Powell on the TV series Painkiller Jane and the L Word.
Krista Young, a longstanding member in the film industry, has created a makeup career for herself that encompasses the past two decades. Her early credits include Neon Ryder, M.A.N.T.I.S and The Commish to name a few. Fast forward, Krista has worked on X2, X-Men: The Last Stand, Saved, The L Word, Reaper, Virtuality and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus starring Heath Ledger, in his last starring role, Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell. Currently, Krista is working on the TV drama series, Shattered with Callum Keith Rennie.
Lili Marchenski has established a solid career in TV/Film where she is often times the Head of the Department. Some of the productions Lili has keyed over the past decade include Saved, The Chris Isaak Show, The Secret Life of Zoey with Mia Farrow, Pursued, Mask of Death, Sabrina the Teenaged Witch, Deadly Vows, Sweet Dreams, and Brothers of the Frontier. She has a truly impressive resumé with a long list of credits.
Linda Chang, a graduate of 2003, has worked in a variety of TV and Film productions in Taiwan. Some of her film credits include Secret (starring famous musician/singer/producer/actor/director, 4-time World Music Award winner and Golden Horse Award winner for Best Newcomer Actor, Mr. Jay Chou 周杰倫 and multiple awards winner Anthony Wong Chau-Sang 黃秋生), Eternal Summer 盛夏光年 (starring Golden Horse Award winner for Best New Performer, Bryant Chang 張睿家), The Wall Passer 穿牆人, Catch 國士無雙 (starring Golden Horse Award for Best New Performer, Tony Yang 楊祐寧), God Man Dog 流浪神狗人, Heirloom 宅變 (starring Nominated Golden Horse Award for Best Supporting Actress, Terri Kwan 關穎). Linda has also worked with numerous actors from Hong Kong such as Eric Tseng 曾志偉, and To Man Zak 杜文澤.
Lisa Strong is another Blanche Macdonald graduate who is the Department Head for the sci-fi comedy TV series Eureka starring Colin Ferguson. She was also the head for another TV comedy, Aliens in America. Some of Lisa’s other credits include To Love and Die, The Days, Stealing Christmas, Stealing Sinatra with David Arquette and William H. Macy.
Lorena Cabrera, another busy BMC grad, is quickly establishing an impressive resumé in Mexico. Some of her credits include working on Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto, Mexico Fashion Week and ad campaigns for such notable companies as Grupo Sadasi, Universidad Intercontinental, Tetrapak and Coca-Cola.
Lyne DéNommé updates us with her list of makeup credits: The Mrs. Clause, Masters of Horror, Godivas and ZeD. Lyne has been a makeup artist for Pamela Martin, Steve Darling, and Sarah Daniels at BCTV, Brian Williams and Christ Cuthbert at CBC Sports, and additional stints with CBC News and The Comedy Network.
Marianne Olsen is another Blanche Macdonald graduate and instructor. She was quickly accepted into the union after graduation and is currently a member of both the A.C.F.C. and I.A.T.S.E. Local 891. She has worked on both independent films, such as Little Brother of War, and Hollywood features, such as Pathfinder, Snakes on a Plane and The Chronicles of Riddick. Marianne has also worked on the hit TV Series, Smallville and has been involved in doing special character make-ups on the sci-fi series Andromeda.
Megan Harkness is both a graduate of and instructor at Blanche Macdonald. In addition to teaching, Megan is a member of the film industry. She has worked on such films as Snakes on a Plane with Samuel L. Jackson, The Last Mimzy, The Santa Clause II and Chronicles of Riddick. In television, her credits include The L Word, Men in Trees and The Guard.
Michelle Hrescak is another industry professional that has been working in the Vancouver film community for quite some time. A sampling from her long list of credits include Battlestar Galactica, Man About Town starring Ben Afflect and Rebecca Romijn, They, The Chris Isaak Show, Voyage of the Unicorn and Romeo Must Die.
Michelle Lemieux a graduate from 1998 has created special makeup effects for a variety feature films and television series. Her extensive list of credits include Night At the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Smallville, Trick ‘r Treat, Tin Man, Slither, BloodRayne, The Fog, The Sandlot 2, Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical, Traffic, I, Robot, White Chicks and Kingdom Hospital. Michelle has just completed Serum 1831 and Tooth Fairy with Dwayne Johnson, Ashley Judd, Julie Andrews and Billy Crystal.
Natalie Cosco’s impressive resumé dates back to the beginning of Hollywood North. Her early work began on 21 Jump Street with a little known actor named Johnny Depp. Since that time, Natalie has become the Makeup Department Head for the hugely popular TV series Smallville. Some of Natalie’s other credits from the past two decades include Kickin It Old Skool, Dark Angel, The X Files and legendary director, John Woo’s Once a Thief.
Naomi Hirano, Blanche Macdonald instructor and active member in the local film community, has a vast array of credits in her more than decade long career. Some of these include Centre Stage: Turn It Up, Whispers and Lies, Betrayals, Desolation Sound, Life As We Know It, Touching Evil, Peacemakers, The Dead Zone, The Void and My Mother, the Spy. Currently, Naomi is working on Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief starring Rosario Dawson and Uma Thurman.
Patricia Murray is also a current I.A.T.S.E. member, and her resumé is extremely impressive. Beginning as an assistant makeup artist on the Richard Gere film Intersection, Patricia quickly rose through the ranks to work as Department Head on films such as Slapshot 2 and The 6th Day. Recently, she has accumulated credits as Special Makeup Effects Artist on shows such as Space Buddies, Battlestar Galactica, Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, Freddy Vs. Jason, 13 Ghosts, and many, many others. As co-heads of the Makeup department on the Steven Spielberg mini-series Taken, Patricia and fellow grad Rebeccah Delchambre were nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Makeup in 2003. Currently, Patricia is working on Sitter’s Night.
Rebeccah Delchambre is an Emmy-nominated (in 2003, for Taken) make-up artist who has done a great deal of special make-up effects work for major Hollywood shows such as No Heroics, Bionic Woman, Wind Chill, Are We Done Yet? The Santa Clause 2, Freddy Vs. Jason, Scary Movie 3 and 4 and Elf. She has worked extensively with fellow graduate and effects specialist.
Sally Barnes’s nearly decade long career include many locally and internationally produced television series and feature films. Her long list of credits include Lost Boys: The Tribe, Supernatural, Under, AVPR: Aliens vs Predator – Requiem, Postal, Seed, When a Man Falls in the Forest and In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale. Currently, Sally is working on Max Schmeling.
Sara Pickersgill is an award-winning special makeup effects artist. While attending Blanche Macdonald, Sara won the 2004 CNOMA Award for Best Student Makeup Artist: TV/Film/Theatrical/Special Effects. Shortly after, in 2007, Sara was nominated for a Leo Award for Best Makeup in a Dramatic Series. Nominated again in 2009, she won the award for the television series, Sanctuary. Recently, she has worked on movies such as Stan Helsing, The Thaw, Knights of Bloodsteel, Aliens in the Attic and The Haunting in Connecticut.
Sheryl-Lynn Ong has developed an extensive and diverse resumé since graduating from Blanche Macdonald in 2001. She has applied her trade in various theatre productions (including Vancouver’s Theatre Under the Stars), photo shoots, music videos, independent features, and award-winning shorts. Over the past couple of years, Sheryl-Lynn has seen a great deal of television work, notably for MTV Canada where she has worked with recording artists such as Tommy Lee, Nas, David Usher, Evanescence, Matthew Good, and the Swollen Members. Sheryl-Lynn has also worked on the short films: Once a Fish and Why the Anderson Children Didn’t Come to Dinner.
Sofia Phillips has worked on many television productions including The Mrs. Clause, Robson Arms as the Key Makeup Artist, Godiva’s, Till Dad Do Us Part and The New Addams Family.
Stefanie Pirito is a Blanche Macdonald grad that has dabbled in everything from theatre, music videos, short films, editorial, album covers, commercials to indies. Her impressive list of credits include such prominent celebrities as Nelly Furtado, Molly Shannon, Matthew Good, De La Soul, Bif Naked, Sum 41, and the Barenaked Ladies. Her list of film and television features includes The Shell, Double Cross, Say Yes and Canadian Zombie.
Sylvie Godin, a graduate from back in 1990, has worked on many local projects while building her career as a Vancouver-based makeup artist. She has worked on the feature film Pathfinder, Air Buddies, the mini-series Voyage of the Unicorn, the Canadian feature Suddenly Naked, the TV series The Twilight Zone, and the horror movie House of the Dead.
Tamar Ouziel has been very busy in the TV and film industry since the beginning of this century. She has worked on such blockbuster films as 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Fantastic 4 and I, Robot. Tamar has also been the Makeup Department Head on the productions Seven Sunny Days, The Hit List and The Serious Business of Happiness. Tamar’s credits are also listed for Possession, The Quality of Life, Connie and Carla, White Chicks, The Goodbye Girl, The Sandlot 2, Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, Blade: The Series, The L Word, Smallville and Supernatural. Balancing out her extensive work in TV and Film is her equally impressive fashion portfolio. Tamar is represented by the national Artists Agency, Judy Inc.
Tana Lynn Moldovanos has kept pace with the multitude of TV/film productions made here in Hollywood North. Some of her credits as makeup key include Criminal Intent, Fatal Reunion, Ties That Bind, Shock to the System and My Neighbor’s Keeper. Tana has also worked on the just completed Scooby Doo! The Mystery Begins, Flash Gordon, Captain Cook: Obsession and Discovery. Tanya is currently working on sci-fi thriller The Thaw with Val Kilmer and Martha MacIsaac.
Tania El Zahr another busy graduate and IATSE member who relocated to Calgary has worked on many television and film productions. Some of these include Snowglobe with Lorraine Bracco, Lost Holiday: The Jim & Suzanne Shemwell Story, Moondance Alexander, Blue Smoke, Montana Sky, Angels Fall starring Heather Locklear, Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story and the Directors Guild of Canada nominated film Chicks with Sticks.
Tanya Howard graduated from our diploma program in 2000 and since that time has supplemented her education with various workshops and training seminars, including one by Blanche Macdonald Makeup Director Todd McIntosh. Tanya has proven herself a dedicated artist on innumerable photo shoots, commercials, and independents, and has been Makeup Department Head on several features including Blood Rayne II: Deliverance, Love Sick: Secrets of a Sex Addict. Tanya’s credits include such series such as Andromeda, Jake 2.0, Smallville, and Tru Calling. She has also worked on the high-profile Hollywood features I, Robot (starring Will Smith), Chaos (starring Ryan Phillipe) and the feature film starring Dane Cook and Jessica Alba, Good Luck Chuck. Currently, Tanya is working on Max Schmeling, a biopic about the 1930’s German champion heavyweight boxer.
Tina Teoli did two seasons on the TV series Madison and has also assisted on several films including the award-winning Serving in Silence (starring Glenn Close and Judy Davis) and Fear (with Mark Whalberg and Reese Witherspoon). She has also worked on Like Mike 2: Streetball, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Noah’s Arc, The Chris Isaak Show, Tilt and Freddy vs. Jason. Tina is currently working on Serum 1831.
Toby Lindala’s busy F/X lab, Lindala Schminken FX Inc., created all the special make-up effects for The X-Files up until 1998. This exceptional work was featured in magazines such as Make-up Artist and Fangoria, and garnered Toby and his team two consecutive Emmy nominations for Outstanding Series Make-up. He received a third Emmy nomination for prosthetics on Voyage of the Unicorn. Toby and the entire crew at his lab was featured in a Georgia Straight article entitled “The Gore Hounds”. Since then, Toby has created special make-up effects for such feature films and mini series as V, Supernatural, Alice, Harper’s Island, Smokin' Aces: Blowback, Icarus, Farewell Atlantis, L Word, Taken, Juno, The X-Files: I Want to Believe, Fantastic Four, Elektra, X2, Kill Switch, Good Luck Chuck, Lost Boys 2: The Tribe, Black Christmas, The Wicker Man, Scary Movie 4, Final Destination 3, Andromeda, The Fog, The Santa Clause 2, The Chronicles of Riddick, Eye See You, and The Butterfly Effect.
Trudy Parisien has worked on a variety film and TV productions in different formats including websiodes for the drama series Whistler. Along with this series Trudy has been the Head of the Department for the features Marigold, Mind Storm starring Antonio Sabato Jr., Last Garden of Eden, How I Hate My Brother In-Law and the talk show Urban Rush. Trudy also worked on the action movie LAPD: To Protect and Serve with Dennis Hopper and Michael Madsen.
Vanessa Giles, is another industry professional who has shared her knowledge as an instructor at Blanche Macdonald. Vanessa has been the Head of Department on the movies such as the Jean Claude Van Damme action flick, The Hard Corps and Key Makeup artist for the thriller Hollow Man II with Christian Slater. Her credits include Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief with Rosario Dawson and Uma Thurman, Tooth Fairy starring Dwayne Johnson, Ashley Judd and Billy Crystal, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Watchmen, Lost Boys: The Tribe, Butterfly on a Wheel with Pierce Brosnan, Gerard Butler and Maria Bello, John Tucker Must Die, featuring Ashanti, the second season of the hit Nickelodeon show, Romeo! (starring Master P and Lil’ Romeo). The Chronicles of Riddick, Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch, Sasquatch (starring Lance Henrikson), and Blade: Trinity (starring Wesley Snipes).
Wendy Snowdon has worked on a variety of big feature films shot here locally in Vancouver. Her impressive resumé includes keying Free Style with Corbin Bleu, Martian Child, 4:Rise of the Silver Surfer as the creature effects makeup department head, Night at the Museum starring Ben Stiller, X-Men: The Last Stand and the Fantastic Four with Jessica Alba. Wendy also worked on the Stephen King TV series Kingdom Hospital as the key makeup artist.
Yvonne Weber has become a highly-regarded artist in Vancouver’s film community. She has done extensive work on commercial projects, theatre productions, independent films, TV Series, MOWs, and features. Some of the highlights of her lengthy and impressive resumé include: Once Upon a Mattress, The Robinsons: Lost in Space, Mr. Magoo, Stroke, The Net, Murder At Cannes, Glory Days, The Twilight Zone, and House of the Dead.
Note: this is a sampling of some of our Makeup graduates. Credits and positions may have changed in the interim.
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