Speaker Bios

Brian Kinney

Brian Kinney is a primetime Emmy-nominated make-up artist and a Journeyman in IATSE Hollywood Local 706 Make-up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild, where he serves as Makeup Craft President and Executive Board Member. Founder of Full Slap FX and the Hurt Box moulds, Kinney has been professionally working in the U.K. and U.S. in film, television, theater and print for nearly 20 years, with credits including Purge: Anarchy, Fear the Walking Dead, Game of Thrones and CSI.

Christine Blundell

Christine Blundell earned an Academy Award and BAFTA for her work on Topsy-Turvy, and BAFTA nominations for Mr. Turner, Vera Drake and Finding Neverland. Her first feature with Mike Leigh was Life is Sweet, and for more than 20 years their working relationship has produced films such as Secrets and Lies, Happy-Go-Lucky, Another Year and Peterloo, due for release this summer. Blundell’s other credits include Legend, Kingsman: The Secret Service, The Fifth Estate, About Time, The Constant Gardener, Wonder Woman, Life and Paddington 2. Upcoming films include Aladdin and The Good Liar.

Craig Reardon

Make-up artist Craig Reardon worked with Rick Baker on projects including The Incredible Shrinking Woman, The Funhouse and An American Werewolf in London. Reardon worked with his idol and mentor Dick Smith on Altered States. Reardon’s additional film credits include Poltergeist, Dreamscape, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Weird Science and The Goonies. His TV movies include The Dreamer of Oz and ’90s TV shows include Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The X Files.

Danielle Roberts

With a career spanning more than 12 years, Danielle Roberts has a background in editorial, fashion and television. She now leads the artistic vision for the UKIRE (UK and Ireland) at Urban Decay in her role as national artistry manager.

Danny Defreitas

A make-up artist and hairstylist working in TV, film, theater and fashion, Defreitas has come a long way in a short time. This is because of his belief that no job is too big or too small—and, also, a willingness to grow and learn through creative enterprise. He is known for creating beautiful looks without compromising the client’s vision. Credits include Vogue.com, Wonderland, Rihanna For River Island, Rita Ora, Jess Glynne, M&S and Karlie Kloss.

David Malinowski

David Malinowski has been a working make-up effects artist since 1996. He worked with esteemed artists such as Nick Dudman, Neill Gorton, Kristyan Mallett, Neal Scanlan, Conor O’Sullivan, Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier at his Coulier Creatures. In October 2000, Malinowski created and founded ATD Creations. His credits include London’s Burning, Merlin, The Wolfman, Iron Lady, The Revenant and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. This year Malinowski won a BAFTA, an Academy Award and a Make-up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Award for his work on Darkest Hour, along with Kazuhiro Tsuji and Lucy Sibbick.

Denise and Janice Tunnell

Denise and Janice Tunnell are accomplished international make-up artists, beauty experts and entrepreneurs. The Tunnell twins have each had 20-year careers that cover many facets of the entertainment industry including film, television, theater and print. Credits include House of Cards, Atlanta, Survivor’s Remorse, Underground, Hunger Games, Furious 7 and Captain America. The sisters have co-hosted an online radio show for the past 10 years called Beauty Talk and are the creators of a cosmetics line for women of color called Illusions Cosmetics.

Derrick Rutledge

With the stroke of a brush and the eye of a master Derrick Rutledge has claimed his place as a premier make-up artist. His art has graced the faces of the legendary and the aspiring alike, creating undeniable looks for the celebrity and unforgettable moments for the everyday. Today as founder of Derrick Rutledge About Face (DRAF LLC), Rutledge has created a team of beauty experts on the subject of aesthetics, make-up application, hair care, styling and imaging. This team of future beauty image all-stars is trained in the DRAF Technique of Perfecting Your Presence.

Diego Schober

Born in Ecuador, Diego Schober grew up in Munich and began his artistic career with an apprenticeship as a hairstylist at the Visage Hairdesign salon. After that he successfully completed make-up training with Beni Durrer in Berlin. Schober has been active in the industry for 20 years: For five years he worked for M.A.C. Cosmetics. Among other things, he trained a 40-person make-up team at Fashion Week Berlin. Since 2009, Schober has represented Make up Factory worldwide as a trainer, make-up artist and in product development.

Don Lanning

Don Lanning was born in the heart of Hollywood’s creature effects community and started sculpting make-ups at 10 years old. He is known for his ability to deliver high quality projects; his work has been featured in more than 70 motion pictures with contributions to Lost in Space, Batman v Superman, Into the Woods, The Avengers, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Predator and Hellboy. Lanning’s Los Angeles-based D3 Studio offers artistic services and has become a premier resource for training the next generation of digital and practical sculptors.

Donald Mowat

As make-up department head/designer on 8 Mile, The Fighter, Sicario, Nightcrawler, Stronger, The Darkest Minds and the upcoming movie First Man, Donald Mowat is one of the film industry’s most sought-after make-up artists. A long time member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, The British Academy of Film and Television Arts and the Hollywood Make-up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Local 706, Mowat has received awards and nominations for several projects, including Blade Runner 2049, Nocturnal Animals and Prisoners. In 2012 he was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his service to the film industry and various charities. Mowat has been associated with the beloved charity The Actors Fund of Canada and Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television which led to the formation of an annual make-up category: Canadian Screen Awards.

Einat Dan

Einat Dan is a multiple award-winning make-up artist working globally in fashion, beauty and body painting. Her clients have included Jean Paul Gaultier, Tommy Hilfiger, Valentino, Fendi, Vivienne Westwood and others, and she has worked on fashion shows worldwide. Her work has appeared in Vogue, Elle, Posh, InStyle, Maxim, Tatler and other publications. She teaches international master classes and workshops for professional make-up artists. In 2012, she created her line of beauty brushes, M.i.A by Einat Dan.

Emily Clayton

Emily Clayton is a talented make-up artist who also goes by the name of Vanity Venom. Clayton won the 2015 NYX U.K. and Ireland FACE (Fine Artistry of Cosmetics Elites) Awards, and from 2017 to 2018, she was the head make-up artist for Cirque le Soir in Dubai. Recently she collaborated with Jean Paul Gaultier on a feature for Elle Middle East, and she was featured in Make-Up Artist magazine (Issue 129).

Fidel Gonzalez

Fidel Gonzalez is a Los Angeles-based make-up artist, photographer and senior beauty editor for XIOX magazine. He has been compared to many of today’s master artists. With his artistic style of make-up there's never a dull moment with Gonzalez on set. He is truly an outstanding make-up artist, who calls himself a painter of light as his style is truly a masterpiece of art.

Frances Hannon

Hair, make-up and prosthetic designer Frances Hannon attended The London College of Fashion and trained at the BBC. She won her first BAFTA for the TV miniseries The Singing Detective. Over the years, Hannon worked on diverse projects including The Gathering Storm (BAFTA win), Conspiracy (Emmy nomination), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Da Vinci Code, X-Men: First Class, The Kings Speech (BAFTA nomination), World War Z, Captain Phillips and The Grand Budapest Hotel, for which she won a BAFTA and an Academy Award in 2015.

Gary Christensen

As a make-up artist and designer for theater, Gary Christensen has won a Drama-Logue award for his prosthetics make-up design for Comedy of Errors at the Grove Shakespeare Festival. Recently, he designed silicon make-up effects for Time Stands Still. In London from 2013-15 he was a demonstrator for Mouldlife and Neill Gorton Prosthetics Studios at IMATS and United Makeup Artists Expo. As a theater make-up instructor, Christensen has taught at several colleges and universities, such as California State University Fullerton and Riverside City College. For two years he served as the “Backstage” columnist for Make-up Artist magazine.

Jane Richardson

With over 27 years of experience in the beauty industry, Jane Richardson is a respected make-up artist who currently fulfills the role of Global Artistry Director for Nars Cosmetics, a position designed to communicate the philosophies and ideals that François Nars bestowed on the company at its inception. Richardson has cultivated an immense repertoire of experience in the beauty industry and has contributed her polished technique to projects for television, runway fashion shows and fashion editorial.

Jennifer Aspinall

With 14 Emmy nominations under her make-up belt and a 2009 Emmy win for MADtv, Jennifer Aspinall honed her make-up skills working in horror films such as the cult-classic, The Toxic Avenger, Spookies, and Street Trash. Most recently she’s been department head on Disney TV’s Walk the Prank and worked on the crews of Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013), Guardians of the Galaxy (2013), and Season 1 and 2 of Westworld. Aspinall says, “I take jobs that are interesting and challenging to me and I want to do them. I don’t really work. I get to do what I like to do and get paid for it.”

Jon Rummins

Jon Rummins, International Trainer/Head of Education at Rodial, joined the brand with 10 years of experience working in the beauty industry with premium, luxury brands including Jo Malone and Chantecaille. Bringing a wealth of knowledge from both high-tech and natural skincare, Rummins has travelled internationally to countries including the U.S., Canada and Australia to train retail teams. Also an accomplished make-up artist, Rummins’ expertise lies in creating a softly sculpted, natural and flawless look.

Julie Dartnell

Julie Dartnell learned her love of make-up working in a London theatrical costume shop and apprenticing on shows ranging from Greek tragedies to Shakepeare to musicals. She left the shop to train at BBC and spent nine years working in television doing a variety of programs. Her first freelance film after leaving BBC was Shakespeare in Love (1998) working with BBC colleague Lisa Wescott. Dartnell shares with Westcott a 2013 Oscar and BAFTA award for Les Misérables. In 2015, Dartnell and Frances Hannon shared two Make-up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild awards for The Grand Budapest Hotel. In the past few years, Dartnell has worked on Pan (2015), Victor Frankenstein (2015), Now You See Me 2 (2016), Justice League (2017) and Robin Hood (2018).

Karen Yiu

Karen Yiu graduated from the world-famous London College of Fashion with a distinction in Specialist Makeup Design. With over 12 years’ experience, Yiu is also an accomplished body-painting artist. Yiu is incredibly passionate about make-up design. In 2015, she won the first place for Creative Makeup at the World Bodypainting Festival. She has been invited to undertake the role of make-up instructor at the World Body Painting Academy in Austria. Yiu set up her make-up academy, Hong Kong Makeup Artist, in 2015.

Kate Walker

Founder and creative director of Ruby Rouge Makeup, Kate Walker is an international hair and make-up artist specializing in bridal and fashion makeovers. As a career-driven businesswoman, Walker has sought to build a brand that would combine her perfectionist tendencies and creative talents to deliver an elite client experience. Walker travels internationally to push the boundaries of bridal beauty, focusing on the importance of skin preparation to combat wedding day stressors and the overall objective to “create the best version of you.”

KC Mussman

KC Mussman was born in the U.S., but grew up in Israel “larping” (live action role playing) which led to doing make-up for her friends’ films at university. She moved to Los Angeles to study at Cinema Makeup School and after graduating, Mussman set up one of the first all-female shops in L.A., Nocturnal Designz. Mussman was a finalist on the 2017 summer season of Face Off. As a shop owner, she says, “We get the craziest phone calls all the time. ‘We need 17 zombies tomorrow morning.’ We talk with, and sometimes educate, our producers and directors so that they know exactly how much time it’s going to take and what the budget will need to be.”

Kelseyanna Fitzpatrick

Recognizable in the make-up industry for her unexpected play on texture, color and shape, Kelseyanna Fitzpatrick approaches beauty as high art, using the face as her canvas. After completing Blanche Macdonald Centre’s Global Makeup Artistry Program, Fitzpatrick pursued a concentration in advanced special effects at Cinema Makeup School in Los Angeles. She has been featured in numerous fashion publications, global campaigns and on the runway. Fitzpatrick emerged as the Best Makeup Artist Finalist at the 2016 Canadian Contessa Awards.

Lan Nguyen-Grealis

The youngest winner of Kryolan’s 2013 Golden Mask Award for Make-up Art, Lan Nguyen-Grealis is a self-taught make-up artist and internationally published author. The beauty editor of Phoenix magazine, her editorial work has appeared in Vanity Fair, Glamour, Elle UK, Cosmopolitan and Russian Vogue; she has also served as head make-up designer for key fashion shows. Nguyen-Grealis presents a journey through her art at IMATS London, prior to launching her latest book, Art and Makeup.

Leah Carmichael

Leah Carmichael has been a make-up artist for over 15 years, working extensively in beauty and fashion. Carmichael assisted the legendary Francesca Tolot and is no stranger to music videos either, having worked on Beyoncé’s Grammy Award-winning visual album Lemonade. Carmichael’s signature skill: comprehensive complexion expertise, from shade matching and corrective work to adjusting skin texture and finish.

Mike Hill

Mike Hill is an award-winning sculptor from the north of England. His credits include The Wolfman, Men in Black 3 and American Horror Story. This January he was nominated for a BAFTA for his work on The Shape of Water. Hill’s skill in capturing likenesses began at the age of 4, when he started digging clay from a riverbank. He is known primarily for his highly realistic silicone sculptures and portraits. His work is sought by collectors such as Guillermo del Toro, Peter Jackson and Greg Nicotero.

Mimi Choi

Mimi Choi is known for her surreal illusionist make-up creations using easy-to-find, everyday make-up products. The Blanche Macdonald graduate-turned-instructor has collaborated with Mehron, Kryolan, Make Up For Ever, M.A.C. Cosmetics, Velour Lashes and musician Beck. Her work has also been featured in various international magazines, blogs and websites with more than 19 million views. Choi’s stunning illusionist creations have garnered her a flourishing online following of over 340,000 on Instagram (gaining nearly 250,000 in less than six months).

Mona Turnbull

Mona Turnbull is known for her talent and sparkling personality. She is the face and body art tutor for Iver Make-up Academy at Pinewood Studios in London. Turnbull also runs the body art zone at Neill Gorton’s Prosthetics Event UK, since 2015. A sought-after artist and a regular painter at events such as IMATS London, her critically acclaimed work was at the BAFTA opening ceremony performance in 2018, produced in partnership with The Shape of Water, Cirque du Soleil and BAFTA.

Neill Gorton

In a career that spans more than two decades, Neill Gorton—with his company Millennium FX—has designed make-up effects, prosthetics and animatronic creations for hundreds of films, TV shows and commercials, including Saving Private Ryan, Gladiator, Inkheart, The Wolfman, Doctor Who, Little Britain and Torchwood. Gorton has won six Royal Television Society awards, three Welsh BAFTAs and a BAFTA Craft Award, along with several other nominations. He also runs the Neill Gorton Prosthetics Studio, providing training in prosthetics and make-up effects to newcomers and professionals alike.

Patricia L. Terry

Patricia L. Terry has directed more than 100 theater productions. For 13 years she served as artistic director of the Alternative Repertory Theatre, where she directed 35 productions, including Seascape, No Exit, Macbeth and Long Day’s Journey Into Night. While at ART she also won a Drama-Logue award for her direction of The House of Blue Leaves. In addition, Terry was producing artistic director of the Pandemonium Word Ballet and Literary Circus. And for the past several years she has written a blog, Pat’s Musings on Living La Dolce Vita, about her experiences being retired in Italy where she spends six months of the year.

Patrick Ta

California native Patrick Ta is an unparalleled force in the celebrity make-up artist industry. After training at a cosmetics counter, Ta moved to Los Angeles to pursue an independent career as a freelance make-up artist. Ta’s work quickly captured the attention of many young celebrities who would soon become his top clients. Within his first year in Los Angeles, Ta’s talent led him to working with Shay Mitchell, Jessica Alba, the Kardashians, Cara Delevingne and many more.

Paul Merchant

As global head of make-up at Kryolan, Merchant has worked in all disciplines of the make-up industry, from beauty to fashion, body painting to editorial and even theatrical. As a self-taught artist, he has developed his own style of working. “I love to play around with products and find different and interesting ways of using them, other than their intended purpose.” His work includes London Fashion Week, Britain & Ireland’s Next Top Model Live, X Factor, various editorial campaigns, tutorial videos and fashion shows. Merchant’s work has been featured in magazines such as Elle, Cosmopolitan and Vogue.

Rebecca Butterworth

Rebecca Butterworth is director of make-up at one of the UK’s leading prosthetic and special effects make-up companies, Millennium FX. Before sidestepping into the world of SFX make-up, Butterworth was a trainer and then senior artist at global make-up powerhouse M.A.C. Cosmetics, leading make-up artistry training throughout the UK and Europe as a brand ambassador and working at global Fashion Weeks on major fashion shows including Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood and Craig Green.

Rob Mayor

Rob Mayor is the managing director and co-owner of the multi award-winning company Millennium FX. Mayor’s early freelance career includes films such as Gladiator, Event Horizon and Saving Private Ryan before joining Millennium FX in 2007. His prosthetic design credits include more than 150 episodes of Doctor Who and feature films like Victor Frankenstein, The Forest, Titan and the upcoming Pegg/Frost joint Slaughterhouse Rulez—as well as being Lady Gaga’s personal prosthetic artist for the Born this Way campaign.

Roque Cozzette

Roque Cozzette is a make-up artist, photographer, innovator and educator who thinks creatively and creates strategically. His talent comes from the orchestrated sensibilities of hands, head and heart. He’s a seasoned beauty-industry pro with a multifaceted career spanning three decades. He is experienced in photography, television, print, fashion, celebrity image and cosmetic product development. He has co-created with celebrities including Christina Milian and Melody Gardot, and his brand (Cozzette) offers cruelty-free cosmetics, make-up brushes and beauty photography.

Sarah Jagger

Sarah Jagger is a fashion make-up artist obsessed with skin! Over the past 15 years, Jagger has created looks for magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue and Elle, along with campaigns for designers such as Vivienne Westwood, working with photographers such as Juergen Teller. When Jagger is not behind the camera she can be found reporting for British TV, magazines and blogs on the latest skin and make-up trends, with a passion for high-tech formulations.

Sara Seidman Vance

Sara Seidman Vance is an Emmy-nominated make-up artist who started as a performer. She has been featured in several magazines, as well as "Mazel Tov! The Complete Book of Jewish Weddings" by Lea Bayer. Vance has been in the film and TV industries for over 30 years; she was make-up artist for Katie Holmes during the first three seasons of Dawson’s Creek. And she is considered one of the leading industry experts on make-up in the high definition arena. She teaches the nuances of light and make-up techniques and how to effectively adjust make-up for complex lighting situations. Vance is also known for her skill in corrective make-up application.

Siân Richards

Siân Richards is an award-winning make-up artist. Richards has worked in every avenue that make-up demands, from editorial to special effects. She won the Broadcast Film Critics Choice Award for the transformation she performed on Halle Berry in Cloud Atlas and was Emmy and 706 Guild Award nominated for her transformation of Queen Latifah into ’30s blues icon Bessie Smith. Richards just completed working on Marvel Studios’ Black Panther, just wrapped Avengers: Infinity War and will shoot Avengers 4 (Untitled) this fall. You can see more of her work on Chadwick Boseman on the Netflix original Message from the King. She also has a successful brand called Siân Richards London.

Steffanie Strazzere

With 14 years of industry experience, Steffanie Strazzere has refined her craft, creating extraordinary editorial looks backstage at New York Fashion Week, as well as in print for Vogue Italia, US Weekly and Inked Magazine. During her 12 years with globally renowned cosmetic retail brands, she facilitated master classes and led advanced training where she demonstrated her exceptional skills in beauty, avant-garde artistry and special effects.

Steve Johnson

Emmy Award-winning artist Steve Johnson has been making mind-boggling creations for 30 years. His recent book, Rubberhead: Sex, Drugs, and Special FX was published in 2017 and chronicles his legendary career in film and TV. Johnson’s company, XFX, did make-up effects for more than 200 films, countless TV shows, commercials and music videos. His film credits include The Abyss, Ghostbusters, Bicentennial Man, Species and Spider-Man 2. Johnson’s projects also include live-action performance for clients including Criss Angel and animatronic characters for theme parks around the globe.

Tara Buenrostro

Driven by her limitless creativity, profound artistic skill and proclivity for teaching, Tara Buenrostro has spent 13 years working in an extensive range of capacities. Whether she’s behind the scenes at photo and video shoots, leading artistry teams at premier cosmetic brands, filming her own tutorials, consulting with bridal clients or teaching, Buenrostro inspires everyone she meets to explore their own self-expression through beauty.

Terry Barber

Terry Barber, director of make-up artistry for M.A.C. Cosmetics, has worked in the beauty industry for over 25 years. He is known for his strong point of view on the culture of beauty, perspective on trends and make-up application knowledge. Having lived through most of the British post-punk subcultures, he is fiercely protective of the idea of beauty as a form of style and self-expression.

Thomas E. Surprenant

Thomas E. Surprenant has been a make-up artist for more than 30 years and has developed products and techniques to further the craft. He has been nominated for three Emmys and has won twice. Surprenant has also been part of two Academy Award-winning make-up crews and has received a Make-up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild award. He has contributed to Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, the Syfy show Defiance and has designed brushes for the Bdellium Tools SFX line.

Toni Malt

Toni Malt has an innate talent for creating extraordinarily beautiful faces. Her work is regularly published in fashion magazines worldwide including Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Elle and Marie Claire. A Chanel ambassador, Malt firmly believes in passing on her secrets. “There is great power in skill and knowledge and I want to share that with aspiring make-up artists,” she says. This desire to teach has been a major influence on the creation of her first book, Transform. To learn more about Malt and her academy, visit tonimaltacademy.com/.