In the entertainment industry, there a few essentials you need to be successful, and stay successful. 1) Talent. 2)Creativity 3) the ability to network effectively. 4)Patience 5)humbleness 6)Loving what you do and 7)Willingness to learn and 8)Great Work Ethic. As I grow as a person, and artist, I learn the most from watching others succeed, and one woman that has been successful in her journey in the entertainment industry and continues to strive is Wanda Smith. Formerly from V-103's Frank & Wanda morning show. I gained the fabulous Wanda Smith as a client in 2010, and we have been working together ever since. Though her radio career has halted for a brief moment, that has not slowed down any of her momentum, she may have left V-103, but she has definitely hit the ground running. She is currently doing a comedy tour, a play, she was in Tyler Perry's last Madea Movie "Madea's Witness protection program, new spokes model for SLIM AGAIN weight loss program, her very own non profit organization Woman Stand Together
and not to mention she has her very own lipstick, "Wandeful Red" by Kissable Lips Cosmetics. That just goes to show you how GOD works for people that truly deserve it, and it also lets you know, that, that one monkey sure didn't stop her show.
Time and time again as I work with her, I notice how she can make the most up tight person, loosen up, and let their hair down all while being professional. Things like this makes a difference in this political industry we call the entertainment business. Many make up artist, ask me on a consistent basis, how do you get booked for certain gigs, such as video shoots, movies, commercials, magazines, etc. And my answer is simple, "It's not who you know, it's who knows you". There are tons of extremely talented make up artist all over the world, that deserve to get some of the highest paid jobs because their talent speaks volumes, but unfortunately not every make up artist gets that chance. Is it because they lack talent? No. Some times it simply boils down to, "Do I know you, do I like you, do I trust you, and are you professional. We've all witnessed celebrities with horrible make up jobs, does that mean that they decided to do their make up themselves, well.....maybe, but there are cases where they have actually paid an artist top dollar to do their make up, and it still comes out a mess, and like most make up artist including myself would say, " Why would you pay for a horrible make up job like that?" Its simple, it goes back to what I previously stated, They know the person, they like the person, and though the make up may not be on point, they trust the person enough to give them a chance. Networking is the key element in any business but extremely important in the entertainment industry.
Previously I listed 8 golden rules I think people should follow in order to maintain success in the industry, and I'm going to explain why I believe each rule is vital. First rule was talent, Now talent does not mean you have to be the best at what you do, but it simply means to strive to be the best at whatever Talent God has given you. Study your craft to become the best you, you can be. Second rule was creativity, learn how to step outside the box and try different techniques and whats trending, this will help you build your brand. Rule number three, what good is your work if no one knows about it, or sees it, learn how to market yourself effectively, word of mouth is a great tool, but placing ad's in magazines, doing television commercials, radio promos, social media, and websites are all immediate effective tools in helping yourself network with like minded individuals. Rule number four, Patience, anything worth achieving doesn't happen over night, being patient will allow you to appreciate the slew of jobs you will have coming your way by following the first three rules. Rule number five, Humbleness, their is nothing more important then being humble and kind when working with people, those two things will get you so much farther in life then anything else will, you know what they say, You get more bee's with honey then with vinegar. Rule number six, Love what you do, if you geniunely love what you do, then it will not feel like work, and each day will be an adventure and more and more successful each time. Rule number seven, Willingness to learn, This touches back on rule number five, being humble. Nobody wants a no it all, if you feel like you've learned everything you can possibly learn on this green earth, then you would no longer need to live. You learn something new everyday, if you feel you cannot learn from someone then you are cutting your career short, thats a sure way to commit career suicide. And finally rule number eight, Great Work Ethic, this key element means being consistently professional, showing up to work on time, proper dress code, proper paper work, model release forms/ contracts etc. There is nothing worse, then an artist showing up to a gig, late, unprepared and poorly dressed. If make up artist keep these rules in mind at all times, success is not only in the future but guaranteed to be accomplished.
All of the tools/rules I listed above are definitely rules that the wondeful Wanda Smith possesses in her everyday life, I gained the fabulous Wanda Smith as a client in 2010, and I'm proud to say, that I not only gained a client, but a friend forever and a sister. Make sure you check out all of the phenomenal things my sister is achieving, don't call it come back, call it a snap back, cuz she has definitely snapped back into action and is as resilient as a rubberband! And remember, you create your destiny, no one can change it but you.
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