Katie Middleton:
I moved to Los Angeles because I thought that’s where I had to go to work in film and TV. It was a struggle for a while, just working on any sort of student film or short film or whatever I could find.
I kind of got into the makeup world because I wanted to do prosthetics and I was really interested in creating characters and special effects. Prosthetics are used in film and TV from everything from small wounds to huge creature characters, that just really anything we glue on the face or body to change somebody’s appearance.
I mean, the industry slowed down a lot when the unions went on strike and we were all out of work for at least six months. You have seen a lot of friends leave the industry and have to find other jobs. And we have all kind of found side jobs to get by.
I took the time and set up a permanent studio in my apartment, and it’s really made a difference being able to just pick up a brush and paint for a couple hours. Being a freelance artist is a roller coaster, and you never know when your next job is going to come or what state or country it’s going to be in.
Within the last couple of years, I have worked everywhere from Egypt to Uruguay. I have been in New Jersey. I go to North Carolina next week. The community is one of my favorite parts of the job. You spend more time with the people you’re working with than you do at home with your families. It’s definitely not for everybody, but I like the excitement. It’s more of an adventure to me.
My name is Katie Middleton, and this is my brief put spectacular take on working in the film and TV industry.
