Meet Candie Renee | Makeup Artist / Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Candie Renee and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Candie, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I began Candie Renee, now Illea Studios, out of a necessity to be happy. I had returned from Germany as an opera singer but there were no theaters I could go to for work where I lived at the time. Having had a need to make money I went to work in a corporate job. I loved my job, and the customers, I was able to meet during my time in the corporate sector but I was unhappy because of my colleagues and upper management. In 2014, I made the decision to take a massive pay cut and go freelance. It took me about three years before I really started to see momentum with feature film and commercial work doing makeup.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think the reason I have been so fortunate to have a sustainable career is because of my background in sales and marketing. Understanding business is key to ensuring the success of any career. Once I began to look at being a makeup artist as not just a hobby, or something fun to do on the weekends that allowed me to express myself in a creative realm, I was able to turn it into a full time job. There are now many branches to my business from narrative projects to commercials, bridal, photography and now education for the next generation of film makeup artists in our state. I am still passionate about makeup and I love sharing that passion with others so that they might have the same opportunities I have had. It was not an easy venture to build my business and my brand. I had to work very hard to convince producers that I was the right person for their project and then while on any project to do everything so well that I would get the rebooking for future projects. And now I am able to partner with some of those producers to create my own narrative work which is something I have been developing over the past year.

If you had a friend visiting you in Oklahoma, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If I were entertaining a friend in Oklahoma I would show them everything our state has to offer. From downtown night life to rural camping and hiking Oklahoma has it all. Talihina is beautiful in the fall with red and gold hues along the stretch of open roads. And state parks are beautiful any time of the year. Many go camping or hiking and some go glamping to places such as Broken Bow or Sand Springs in large newly built glamorous cabins that can accommodate anywhere from 2-30 people! But if they were looking for something fun and entertaining I might take them to listen to live music in an open air amphitheater at Scissor Tail Park or the Myriad Gardens. Surrounded by beauty with access to great restaurants and unique bars such as the Vault at the National, Autograph Collection which used to be a massive bank and they have converted the banks vault into an underground speak easy vibe with all of the original vault doors.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I think back on my career and recognize that there were people who really paved the way for me to become the artist and entrepreneur I am today. Starting with my high school drama and choir teachers. Jeanne Parrott cast me in a role from a play called “Playing for Time.” In this play I was a singer and I learned my first aria Un bel di Verdremo from Madame Butterfly. And Kathy Woods who taught me how to sight sing and helped me get into All State Choir which got me an invitation to audition for the University of Oklahoma. It was here that I met Dr Gillespie who had been an opera singer in Germany for 20+ years and opened the door for me to move there. While at the opera house, in Germany, I developed my love for stage makeup which is ultimately what led me to a career in film. But I also want to thank Mary Millben who introduced me to a few film maker friends with whom I still work for and with to this day almost ten years later.

Website: www.candiereneemakeupartist.com

Instagram: @candiereneemua

Linkedin: Candie Renee

Facebook: @candiereneemua