Since graduating from the Makeup Artistry Program, Kate Blythe has been working in the film industry for more than fourteen years. Kate is an incredibly accomplished makeup artist and we are so proud of how far she has come.

She didn’t really think about makeup as a career option until she started working with a makeup artist at a Production Company she worked at. She would spend loads of time in the makeup room with her looking at everything and seeing how she worked. Her goal was to always work in Entertainment in some capacity. When she went to University to study Media Production, which actually really was helpful for her in the end as she learned about all the backstage positions associated with theatre/film/tv. She started working as a runner (PA) in the UK on shows like Big Brother, and she landed a job working for the largest independent production company in the UK at the time called Princess Productions, she was hired as a trainee Graphics Operator (which she had no clue what she was doing). But working continuously on shows for 5 years and seeing all the different departments she felt more in love with Makeup as a career. She’s always been good at it on her own face, but the cost associated with retraining in London was insane. So, she put herself through a night school program at The London College of Fashion. The company she worked for let her assist the makeup artists there on smaller shows which gave her a good start. And this past year she started being the HOD on a few shows.

Kate has just finishing up a movie with Casey Affleck called ‘Every Breath You Take’. This is her first big feature as the HOD, so she was super nervous going into it, but it’s turned out great!

Whenever she gets to do an awesome collaborative makeup and it turns out well. Being in the department is all about teamwork and seeing something she has done collectively on screen is always a highlight. The Man in the High Castle and Altered Carbon both had a lot of cool characters that a couple of us teamed up on, whether it was blood effects or fantasy work, that stuff is always satisfying.

For the new cosmetic students, her advice is: "Get yourself on The Makeup & Hair Trailer Page on Facebook. There’re always postings of independent work on there. Volunteer if you have to. Also, remember that there will be moments where you aren’t working as much as you would like in the beginning, but keep at it, truly because when you get there you will be so glad you did. The hours in the film are long so making sure you look after your body, it’s not all about being the greatest makeup artist, you’ll be required to be outside in the cold for long periods of time. Don’t forget to look after yourself. Eat well and exercise!"

She thinks people who are creative like to be learning all the time, and from a makeup standpoint the time we have at school is limited so we learn what we can, but then they maybe don’t use some of those skills for a little while. Stepping Up is there to bridge the gap between school and the working world, to keep them current in their product knowledge and their application techniques.