Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sam Danis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Sam, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

Wearing nothing but black, never leaving the house without a full face of makeup or looking unpolished, giving “you can’t sit with us” and/or “that girl” energy, and only talking about or doing anything makeup-related. If it sounds over-the-top, that’s because it is. Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely artists out there who embody the entirety of these stereotypes within their own right, but seldom is it the actual reality.
I knew very early in life that I always wanted to work in a creative field; the thought of dull, grey office cubicles and dull, grey computers did not appeal to me in the slightest, as many others would agree. I was sort of groomed by my parents to be like that, though. For years my mother would enroll me in summertime art classes just to keep me happy and occupied (just like she was knowing she had a couple hours of free, alone time from my and my sister’s antics).
I had been very active within sports when I was young, specifically basketball, soccer and dance. I acquired many hobbies over the years that had no correlation to my career whatsoever. When it came time to graduate high school I didn’t even know what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew without question what I enjoyed doing most: art.
Although makeup artistry is my profession, it doesn’t mean I claim it as my entire identity. Most new people I meet are typically surprised when I tell them I do makeup professionally. Often I hear varying iterations of the statement “you don’t look/seem like most makeup artists.” This never fails me to beg the question: what exactly does a makeup artist look and/or act like? And then I realized so many professions and hobbies get their own unique set of stereotypes regarding those who claim them. For example, what do you think of when someone says they’re an athlete? You’re more than likely imagining a house filled with gym equipment or a closet filled with workout clothes or a fridge stocked with fruits, vegetables and protein shakes.
It goes without saying that if you’re a dedicated participant or member of a particular profession or hobby you probably subscribe heavily to the culture that cultivates it. Doing so isn’t inherently negative, but to assume a person is only as one-dimensional or surface level as that profession or hobby perpetuates a narrative that is such. “She’s an actress, therefore she’s fame-hungry, dramatic and high maintenance.” “He works for a big corporation, therefore he’s a greedy ‘yuppie’ who advocates toxic ‘hustle culture.'” It’s as though we’re only akin to looking at the caricature of a person rather than the person themselves.
People are so much more than what they do to make money or pass the time. I don’t believe people need to look like or completely emulate their professions and hobbies for the world to perceive them as those things. Aside from being a makeup artist I am also an avid runner and ‘gym rat’ as well as a reader, backpacker/hiker, skateboarder, oil and acrylic painter, and singer. I have no need to consistently wear a lot of makeup or all-black outfits for people to acknowledge I’m a makeup artist. I, like so many, am so much more than my career.

Sam, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

At thirteen my fervor for makeup artistry truly began to blossom from participating in a slew of musical theatre productions, where I would watch with fascination and admiration at how some of the girls would perfect their makeup to match their characters. It was like everything I had seen in movies and magazines happening in front of me. It was pure magic to witness each transformation. Now, more than a decade later, I still feel that sense of magic when I watch makeup transformations occur, either by my own hand or by another’s. I started out working at my local Sephora in the Bay Area of Northern California first as a cashier, then got promoted as a Sephora-certified makeup artist, and eventually became a Beauty Class educator where I would lead and host free classes on makeup skills to a group of clients every week before the store opened. After those several years of working within the retail scope of makeup artistry, I decided to take a year off to try the whole ‘9-5’ work life with freelancing as a wedding and special event artist on the side. It was challenging at times considering my clientele was so used to me working as an artist within a Sephora store instead of in their homes. In fact, I lost a majority of them since I hadn’t gotten their contact information before I left. This meant I had to start from scratch in many regards, including building my own website with my services and portfolio listed and creating a separate Instagram account just for my makeup artistry.
Fast-forward a year, I finally had a childhood dream of mine come to fruition when I was hired as the Key Makeup Artist for a feature film in Los Angeles which broadcasted on Lifetime. From that point, I was hooked on working in the entertainment industry, moved down to Southern California, and have luckily been working regularly as a Key, Assistant and, often, a Department Head ever since, all while still improving and growing my clientele for weddings and special events.
When I work on films and/or TV shows as a Department Head I’m responsible for designing and executing a makeup look for every main character. Prior to filming, I create a vision board with inspiration pictures (aka ‘inspo pics’) and details of the character that’s written within the script so I can envision an idea of what they’ll look on the screen. I also have to create detailed notes within the script for when scenes change because it could mean a potential makeup change. I will sometimes attain a team of a few artists who will act as my Key and Assistants to help execute the application of makeup on the actors based off my design. It is the Key’s responsibility to be the right-hand and lead artist for the Department Head if they are occupied with other matters. It is an Assistant’s responsibility to be ready and available for the Department Head and Key as needed.
I also love to act as an “on-set therapist” for literally anyone in the crew or cast. My chair is always open for people to sit in and hang out just to talk about life, frustrations on set (there are conflicts and challenges, just like in any business environment), and, of course, my favorite makeup and skincare products and my tips and tricks.
I’ve been fortunate enough to work on actors like Judd Nelson (“The Breakfast Club”), Anjelica Fellini (“French Dispatch,” “Teenage Bounty Hunters”), Kayden Muller-Janssen (“Villains of Valley View” on Disney Channel), John Michael Higgins (“Pitch Perfect”, “Bad Teacher”), Michel Biel (“Emily in Paris,” “Summit Fever”), and Elpidia Carrillo (“Predator”, “Blue Beetle”).
I’m incredibly proud and honored to have contributed to the overall vision of the films I’ve worked on thus far, it’s been amazing to see how far I’ve come. In regards to anyone looking to work in the film industry, my biggest piece of advice is when you do finally get hired for a gig to not only have a strong work ethic and willingness to go above and beyond but to do so in a memorable, positive way. I’m grateful to land any job, but my ultimate goal is get remembered, re-hired and referenced by as many people as I can based on my performance within those jobs. That’s what helps you stay consistently working in the industry.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Since 2023 started, I, like many creatives in the entertainment industry, were already aware there would be a strike that would limit job opportunities. It’s common to have slower periods within a calendar year where filming is halted because of the weather or holidays, so that scarcity usually causes most industry workers to find secondary sources of income through part-time work, freelancing and side hustles. However, it seems nowadays more than ever it is far more challenging to attain any kind of job, no matter the field or profession. Throughout January, February and March I honestly didn’t know how I was going to make ends meet. Being a newer worker in the industry I wasn’t making as much as other established artists and also not getting unionization benefits such as healthcare and a sense of job security. I had numerous mental battles of those first few months and wondered if I made a mistake leaving my cushy 9-5 job, albeit I never had any intention of continuing down that kind of career path anyway. I spent every day applying for jobs for film, freelance artistry, retail, and even as a waitress. None of them called me back.
That’s when I realized I didn’t trust myself or my skill.
I had so many resources and ways to land a film or freelance job to make an income that just needed me to push myself outside my comfort zone. There is absolutely no harm or shame in asking for help when you need it, so that’s what I did. I leaned into reaching out to people I had previously worked with (makeup artists and non-makeup artists) to inquire about any makeup artistry gigs they’d heard of and knew that eventually something would come up. I just had to trust myself and trust the process.
I then discovered that when I did reach out to these former coworkers almost all of them were going through the same hurdles finding jobs. Coming to that realization I felt far less critical of myself in that my not getting hired had nothing to do with my lack of effort or skill or memorability.
Sometimes it’s hard to remember that you’re truly never alone in your struggles because it feels like only you are being singled out. The reality is that there are an endless amount of people that can relate to the same problems you’re experiencing. It’s not embarrassing or pitiful to admit you’re going through rough times and that you need help because everybody has their fair share of burdens they have to endure too!
If you trust yourself, your capability, and your resilience through uncertainty you have everything you need to make it through those hard times. And you’re going to be just fine.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

So I actually struggle a lot with imposter syndrome. I constantly question my value and worth and skill with a multitude of things, not only my career; I can brutally self-sabotage and shrink myself down to nothing if I try hard enough. From a young age I was taught that it was undesirable and annoying to sound like a show-off or be outwardly proud of my achievements, so I would never validate myself. I was extremely cautious not to come off as conceited or vain, so I would seldom validate myself or my accomplishments because I didn’t want people not to like me. This ideology led me to think I needed to diminish my self-worth and basically degrade myself in order to be likeable. When I got into doing makeup artistry professionally, I overthought a lot of what I was doing because I was so used to humbling myself that I would disregard my skill and talent altogether. I would complete a makeup look and automatically think it was garbage and that I shouldn’t even be paid for something that wasn’t absolutely perfect.
The truth is artistry of any kind is entirely subjective; someone could think it’s the worst thing in the world and despise it while another thinks it’s the best and adore it. I had to unlearn my self-sabotaging habits and remember that my individual skills and talent and accomplishments are something not everyone needs to be proud of but I should be.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.samdanisartistry.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sam.danis
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm13184197/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

Image Credits
Madison Rhain, Stephanie Madey, Ee Lin Tsen