06
Sep
By Maggie Burrows
Announcements, Events, ,

Industry events you don’t want to miss this September!

We compiled a list of exciting events that are happening this September. We hope this helps you to network, show off your skillset, and be inspired!  The annual Knoxville Film Festival provides a "gathering of lovers & creators of independent cinema from all over the world." The 2019 Knoxville Film festival will take place on September 13th-15th. Read more here. The 4th annual Atlanta Sci-Fi Festival takes place on September 21-22. The perfect festival to network, explore new concepts and experience the world of independent sf films. Read more here. The 50th annual Nashville Film Festival will take place October…
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30
Aug
By Maggie Burrows
Alumni Spotlight, Faculty Spotlight, General,

Recapping the Best of August 2019

We've compiled AMUA's August highlights for you! We're sharing behind the scenes photos of our classroom, what our alumni and faculty have been up to, and upcoming events that we think you will find interesting.  Congratulations to Kevin St. James on his promotion to Program Director of our Makeup for TV & Film Program! Kevin has been with us for six years and it's time to revamp the program. We'll be taking a close look at student feedback, graduate outcomes, and getting input from makeup department heads from New York to Atlanta to Los Angeles to carefully re-craft our beauty…
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Alumni Stories – Claire Mints
23
Aug
By Maggie Burrows
Alumni Spotlight, Alumni Stories, General

Alumni Stories – Claire Mints

We love hearing what alumni have been up to since they graduated from AMUA because they end up doing really amazing things! Today we're featuring Claire Mints, who has completed Makeup for TV/Film, Special Effects, and The Art of Wig Making. Claire shares: "Even while at AMUA I was able to get a lot of jobs, from a few weddings to heading the Special Effects team for a student film to helping with wigs in a Nashville Opera. I even had a small gig with Netflix UK while they were in Nashville doing a PR shoot for Sex Education. Check it…
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Faculty Stories – Ben Rittenhouse
09
Aug
By Maggie Burrows
General

Faculty Stories – Ben Rittenhouse

This week on the blog, we are highlighting Ben Rittenhouse, AMUA’s Director of Special Effects Makeup, and who is an Emmy Award-winning makeup artist.  He shares: "I have always been fascinated by monster movies since I was a little kid. I remember my dad and I watching them endlessly. Then, we would end up trying to make our own costumes and special effects. You can imagine Halloween was always a big deal in my family." When Ben was 21, one of his friends planned to move out west and invited Ben to join him because of the work and career…
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Freelance Series Part 3 – The Importance of Self Care
02
Aug
By Maggie Burrows
General,

Freelance Series Part 3 – The Importance of Self Care

Taking care of yourself is important for everyone, but when you’re your own boss, self care is often put on the back burner because you are wearing all the hats in your business, and, well… there is just always so much to do!  The freedom of freelancing means that you can abuse that freedom as well. So in this article we’re sharing why self care is so important, and how you can start applying this in your own life and business starting today.  Freelancer self care is about figuring out what works for you. How often do you need breaks?…
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Faculty Stories – Michael Meyer
26
Jul
By Maggie Burrows
Faculty Spotlight, General, Wig and Hair Design

Faculty Stories – Michael Meyer

This week on the blog, we are highlighting Michael Meyer, AMUA’s Director of Wig & Hair Design, who has been in the makeup industry as a working artist for 30+ years! He started his makeup journey with a 3-year Cosmetology Apprenticeship and a 2 year Makeup Artist Apprenticeship in Europe. He has worked as a wigmaker, makeup artist, SPFX makeup artist, and animatronics and puppet artist. Michael worked as the #1 assistant wigmaker in the San Francisco Opera before he started teaching as a guest artist at the University of North Carolina School of Arts in 2000.  He was the…
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Faculty Stories – Kevin St James
22
Jul
By Maggie Burrows
Faculty Spotlight, General

Faculty Stories – Kevin St James

We obviously love hearing about the exciting projects our alumni are working on, but we can't disregard the amazing stories of our faculty! So this week, we are highlighting Kevin St James, who is a Beauty/Makeup instructor at AMUA. Kevin began his makeup journey in Theatre at Ball State University. From there, he worked professionally in multiple theatre and film positions - both on stage and behind the scenes. He has toured with multiple theatre productions all over the world. When he moved to Nashville in 2001 he worked in the music video production community for many years, not only…
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Alumni Stories – Morgan Gilmore
12
Jul
By Maggie Burrows
Alumni Spotlight, Alumni Stories, General

Alumni Stories – Morgan Gilmore

We love hearing what alumni have been up to since they graduated from AMUA because they end up doing really amazing things! Today we're sharing Morgan Gilmore's story, who says: "Since I’ve graduated, my career has taken off faster than I could imagine. Although I love doing makeup, working with wigs really got my foot in the door."  Before Morgan completed AMUA's "The Art of Wig and Hair Design" program" under the tutelage of Director, Michael Meyer, she was offered an apprenticeship in New York. Morgan continues, "I worked with Paul Huntley, a very well known wig designer in NYC.…
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Freelance Series Part 2 – What You Need to Start a Freelance Business
05
Jul
By Maggie Burrows
General

Freelance Series Part 2 – What You Need to Start a Freelance Business

Last week we shared why we encourage students to start freelancing while they are still in class. If you missed it, you can read that blog post here. Freelancing is great because you get to use the skills you are building while still in school. This will help you get your foot in the door, make money, network and set yourself up for success after graduation.  In this week’s blog post, we share with you why freelancing is so great in terms of the things you need. Turns out, you don’t need a whole lot to get started!  Here is…
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Freelance Series Part 1 – Why You Should Freelance
28
Jun
By Maggie Burrows
General

Freelance Series Part 1 – Why You Should Freelance

The struggle (can be) real!  Before you graduate, you need to start thinking about what kind of work you want to do, where you want to live, and how to get that dream job you have been preparing for! There are so many decisions to make; it can be overwhelming. Most students at AMUA either start freelancing while still in school, or plan to pursue freelancing after graduation, either as a full-time job, or on the side.  Freelancing definitely comes with certain aspects to keep in mind. But we will also show you why you should try freelancing and how…
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