Check Out Rheanne Garcia’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rheanne Garcia.

Hi Rheanne, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always wanted to hair and makeup for film and television. I loved horror movies as a kid, probably saw them too early but I was never frightened because my dad would explain to me about special effects and wigs and how they were used to accomplish the visuals on screen. It was absolutely captivating to me. I knew, even as young as the third grade, that this was what I wanted to do.
I began my educational journey at Riverside Community College where I got my cosmetology license 21 years ago. After a couple of years in the salon assisting and taking my own clients I moved to Vancouver, British Colombia to attend Vancouver Film Schools Makeup for Film and Television in 2007. There I learned prosthetic fabrication, wig making and all aspects of makeup, it was and remains an unparalleled program.
After film school I had to move back to Los Angeles and start from scratch. I began with non union movie shoots, editorial and runway work until I landed a job working in the hair and makeup department at Disneyland. I styled wigs for and ran the line show Aladdin! A Musical Spectacular for a year and a half before I was able to quit to become a special effects makeup contractor for the resort and got to do the specialty special effects makeup for the Genie in Aladdin, Darth Maul at Jedi Training Academy and Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum for Mad T Party. While I was toiling away at the park I was working on expanding my network and working up the levels in my union. During that time I started working on shows and ventilating at LA Opera, designing hair and makeup for shows at The Pasadena Playhouse and helping as local crew for giant touring shows at the Pantages. I was able to secure several Makeup and Hair Stylist Guild Award nominations and two wins for theatrical productions I worked on with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. At this point I’m proud to say I’ve worked in almost every theater in LA.
While I was on the theater hustle I started working for East Los Angeles based sculpture artist Paul McCarthy, making wigs for his movies as well as applying prosthetics. I continued on with Paul and his studio off and on for almost 7 years. I was given some of my greatest challenges here and accomplished things I didn’t even know I was capable of, including hand making wigs for Kazuhiro Tsuji prosthetic bodies as well as creating a wig from a beautiful performance in which an actress has her head shaved.
Continuing my journey through the union I started working at the network level, helping out on shows at Television City like The Bold and the Beautiful and The Late Late Show with James Corden.
All of these opportunities opened the way for me to start working solidly in Hair for film and television and I have been so proud of all the projects I have been apart of. I have been able to do key hair for amazing projects like Obi Wan, Barry, Platonic and countless others. I have also been fortunate enough to department head projects like Fast and the Furious 9’s LA Unit, Miracle Workers and Matlock.
I also always try to keep a constant focus on education. I am always looking for a new opportunity to learn and even got my barbers licensed during the time I had off for the last writers union strike.
I’ve already been so lucky in my career, getting work with people I love and admire like Ozzy Osborne, Daniel Ratcliffe and Bad Bunny that I’m always excited for the future.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
This career choice is not easy by any means. I grew up in a low income household in a rough part of town. I always knew pursuing a career in the arts would be a challenge for me considering I didn’t have any financial support to fall back on. I always had to maintain a mostly full time job in addition to trying to further my hair and makeup career. The risks I’ve taken have been great as well. I decided to take out a massive loan to get me through film school, an amount that some people wouldn’t bat an eye at but has taken me years and years to pay down. Hair and makeup is hard. You have to balance work life and finances while working extremely long hours on no sleep. Maintaining my own health has been a huge struggle as well. I’ve also had to sacrifice so much time with my family throughout the years in order to find the work to pay the bills or maintain my reputation of being dependable. Those are the sacrifices I lament the most. I’ve lost over a dozen friends and family including my own younger brother and I will always miss that time because you can never get it back.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I have been a licensed cosmetologist for 11 years, I spent almost a decade in and out of salons while working my way up the union. I went to Vancouver Film School and learned makeup for film and television which included prosthetics and wig making. After film school I worked as a wig maker/ventilator which means I made wigs from scratch, knotting each individual hair onto a lace cap specifically made for each individual head. I’ve spent 17 years in IATSE Local 706 the Hollywood Hair and Makeup Guild. I am known for my specialty wig work, men’s grooming and period accurate hair work. I am very proud of how I run a team and that I’m very good at coming up with creative solutions. The most fun I’ve had recently is creating a three foot tall bouffant wig for the Backstreet Boys residency at The Sphere in Las Vegas. I think what sets me apart from others is my malleability during a work day. I very much enjoy the ups and downs of a day on set and working through the challenges presented to me because at the end the day it’s all about you grow through adversity.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson I’ve learned through my journey is that conflict resolution and communication paired with genuine honesty is always the most important and can help you work through some of the most challenging situations. Also that continual education will always keep you working. Always be finding a new way to better yourself.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alipstickvogue?stkn=YzBsaTZ2MGU1cGg4&utm_source=qr
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7045386/?ref_=fn_t_1