"Being part of the Emmy-winning team for season five of Game of Thrones and being part of the team that created 60 unique Goblin characters for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two are just a couple of highlights from my 35 years in film and TV!"
I’ve spent over 35 years working as a Makeup Artist and Prosthetic Effects Technician in the theatre, film, and TV industries, with my career taking me from New York to Los Angeles and London. My expertise covers everything from sculpture and traditional design to digital design, makeup application, prosthetic makeup, mouldmaking, and casting. I’ve taught at some of the top makeup schools, such as Christine Blundell Makeup Academy, Brushstroke, The Iver Academy, Gorton Studio, and Creative Media Skills. I’ve also given masterclasses worldwide.
One of my proudest moments to date was being part of the Emmy-winning team for season five of Game of Thrones, and receiving a certificate for ‘Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup’. Another career experience that really stands out is working on the Gringotts bank scene in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two. Our team consisted of 120 makeup artists from all over Europe, and between us, we created 60 unique Goblin characters! I spent six months in the mould shop making the masks, before two unforgettable days of filming. It was a magical experience, and I’ll always feel proud to have played a part in it.
At UCB, I teach on the Masters course in Prosthetics for Film and Television, sharing what I’ve learned with the next generation of artists. What I enjoy most about teaching is seeing students take an idea, play with it, and turn it into something real (whether a sculpture, a prosthetic, or a finished makeup). I love sharing stories from my own career, both the successes and the disasters, because I think that it helps students understand that everyone makes mistakes and that’s how you learn. For that reason, my main piece of advice to students is to never take criticism personally.
Humour is a big part of my teaching style because if we can laugh together, then the classroom instantly becomes less stressful and more of a creative environment. From my experiences of working in the industry, I’m also able to share my priorities for makeup application (e.g. what will and won't show on film) and the realities of the industry for students looking to pursue a similar career path to mine.
I’m currently an External Examiner for University Centre South Essex, and I make time to demonstrate at ‘The Prosthetic Event’, an annual industry convention that brings together artists from all over. If you’re curious about what it’s really like to work behind the scenes in film and TV, I appear in the book You’ve Got Red on You (about the film Shaun of the Dead), and I was interviewed for the podcast Shaun of the Dead – An Appreciation on the episode ‘Battle with Bits of Rubber’.
Outside of work, I enjoy watching shows like The White Lotus and Slow Horses. My favourite quote is, “Let’s see what happens”.