We were lucky to catch up with Jeffery Glenn recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jeffery thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I knew since I was about 7 years old. I pretty much grew up on the stage. I was always singing, acting, and dancing. My sister “Fabulous Elle” and I were 8 1/2 years apart and I grew up watching her on dance teams and in theatre, so I’d pretty much watch her and do whatever she was doing. we’d cut a fool together. We would make up songs and dances around the house. Pretty much create our own little funny shows. From then, I knew that I’d be doing something creative. I didn’t know what exactly, but what I DID KNOW is that I wanted to create. I knew that I wanted to have a job that allowed me to travel. And I most definitely knew that I didn’t want to have a job where I had to wear a suit. I always felt itchy in those as a kid.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I got into the industry at a pretty young age. I started in church plays that led me to performing in shows in the city. I trained under Tanisha Cidel and Andrea Kidd in these times in which I became a member of national dance companies like HipHopKidz and had the opportunity to tour the states in shows and also perform overseas in the United Kingdom.

I furthered my training as a performing artist at Howard University where I was a musical theatre major in the Department of Theatre Arts. Howard was a place where I could let all of my creative talents out. There id choreograph for a competition team called the “Bisonettes”. I’ve choreographed for a contemporary dance company on campus called I.Am.We. I’d also choreograph Howard homecoming fashion shows, take headshot photos for actors, all the while excelling in my classes.

During my tenure, all of the theatre arts majors had to take stage makeup courses as a requirement where I’d meet my professor and mentor, Reggie Ray. When I first met him, this man read me like a book. He told me “you don’t wanna be a star.” In my head, I’m thinking he barely knows me. I’m always the star. He continued on saying “You don’t wanna be a star. You wanna be in charge.”

He noticed my talents and creative nature in his makeup course and his costume classes. He then made me assist him on shows while at Howard. I was assisting on show in the DC theatre region, in NY, in Atl, and in Texas all while going to my classes. On top of that, he had the most unconventional training methods making all his students understand that the work will get done with or without you. So you can take charge and be on top of your game or get left. I always remember him saying “there will always be someone serving the same thing you’re serving and sometimes better. So be ready.” He put a fire of hustle and resilience into me and my peers.

After graduating, a few friends and I would get together and come up with concepts for photo shoots. This was the start of Instagram. We’d spend hours stalking celebrity whereabouts. We’d spend hours DMing their pages, their managers, etc to get our foot in the door. As we kept going it all started to fall into place. I then started to take charge coming up with my own editorial concepts shooting with photographers in DC/NY while also becoming a filmmaker with the goal of merging fashion and beauty with film to create stories.

I moved to LA and stepped foot into the film industry gaining clients and working network television shows. I am most proud to have worked with some legendary performers like Paula Jai Parker, Deborah Cox, Ernie Hudson, Valarie Pettiford, and Regina Hall to name a few. Im also proud to have been apart of the Emmy nominated show “A House Divided.” Especially, because Paula Jai Parker was in the cast and she also went to Howard and was in the department of theatre arts. It’s always a ball when bison find other bison.

I started to take the lead a bit landing gigs as key makeup artist on music videos, fashion campaigns, and commercials. One of my favorites was an ad I did for Goggle featuring LeLe Pons. That put me to the test with me having to lead the makeup and wardrobe department. I am also super proud of a music video I directed called “Crossover” by singer Lolita Leopard and countless editorials I creative directed landing spreads in art magazines like Malvie, Solstice, Selin, etc.

All in all, I really like to create the whole world of whatever project I am working on. What does the hair, makeup, wardrobe look like? How does it feel? What’s the aesthetic? What is it saying? Those are the questions in my head when I’m creative directing and doing makeup. One thing you should know about me, is that I like to handle the craft with care.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I have way too many of those stories. As a creative, you have to know how to pivot. Things change all the time. Sometimes at the worst times, but you have to keep the ball rolling. Recently, I was creative directing an editorial and getting everything prepared for the shoot and putting a team together. At the last minute, the stylist had a family emergency resulting in them leaving the city and I’d lost my location the day of. I was not willing to postpone yet again. I ended up calling all of my contacts pulling wardrobe from them and found a location at the last minute. There was no way that I was going to allow myself to give up.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part for me is seeing how I make people feel. How I changed their day. How I changed how they feel. How I changed how they feel about themselves. One thing I remember another told me was “wow. You make people feel good.” Hearing that touched me. THAT is the biggest reward to me because you never know what people are going through internally. I have the power to alter someone’s emotions and esteem all in a second.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @IveBeenFancy
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/JLensMakeup
• Other: Threads: @ivebeenfancy

Image Credits

Sym, Birgundi Baker, Mamé, Kattya Herradia.