Meet Katie Hume | Business Owner and Singer

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

Hi Katie, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I am the proud owner of 2 small businesses: Hollywood Princess Parties and Hollywood Face Painting! I started the princess party company first, about 10 years ago. I went to college for Musical Theater Performance, and while I was there I started performing as a princess for a local company. I fell in love with the job so when I graduated and came back to LA I was hoping to continue performing as a princess. I reached out to a few companies in the area but nothing worked out so I decided to start my own instead. I’ve poured my heart and soul into it for the past 10 years and it’s flourished into one of the top quality companies in the LA area – we have a solid 5 star rating on Yelp with almost 100 reviews! I am so grateful.
At the same time I started performing as a princess, I started doing more face painting. I grew up taking drawing and painting classes so I had a bit of a visual art background already, and face painting was always an activity that was offered at the first princess party company I worked for. I enjoyed it immensely right away, and continued to offer it as an add-on activity when I started my princess company. I spent more and more time learning and practicing specific face painting techniques and kept improving which led to me starting to take face painting gigs out of costume. I’ve always loved them because they’re usually much more chill than performing as a princess, plus I get to just be my relaxed goofy self rather than portraying a character at the same time. Once the world started going back to normal after the worst part of the pandemic, I started face painting for a few other companies as well. I realized I wanted to put more energy into getting more work as a face painter, and so last year I finally started my own company – Hollywood Face Painting – as the sister company to Hollywood Princess Parties. It’s only been around for about a year but it’s taken off very quickly and I am now usually face painting every weekend!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have many things to be grateful for in my life. One of them is a family who passed on both musical and artistic backgrounds to me. Because of that, I am able to do multiple things that I love on a professional level – singing, performing, and visual art. As the owner of Hollywood Princess Parties, I am able to use all of these skills to my advantage in some way. I always sing live as a princess, I help design our costumes, and train my performers in makeup, face painting, and performance, all of which help set us apart from other companies. As a face painter, I am able to use my experience with kids and families as a princess to bond with each person when I paint them, put them at ease and help them have fun, which not every face painter takes the time to do. They really are my sister companies, as anything I do for one of them will surely benefit the other. It hasn’t always been easy, but it has almost always been fun. All of these skills take lots of practice, and the more I do it, the better I get, and the more I love it. It is a very rewarding cycle and I’m so thankful to be able to make a living from it. Having to work under others stresses me out! So the extra work of running the companies is absolutely worth being able to be my own boss.

I started Hollywood Princess Parties in the first place because enough other people told me “no.” Had I not started it, I probably wouldn’t have gotten into face painting as much as I did, nor would I have been able to set my own standards for the quality of our services. It may be a bit cliche, starting something from the ground up out of spite or because other people told you you couldn’t do it, but it really is the best motivation! So for others reading this, I think the thing I’d want them to take away from all this the most is don’t let anyone tell you what you can or can’t do. Be confident in what you can do and lean into it hard. Blending in is overrated! Find your own style and stand out, especially in these lines of work.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oooh fun fact about me: I’m a huge theme park and roller coaster enthusiast. So if you’re visiting LA and hanging out with me we are absolutely going to at least one theme park, whether it’s Knott’s Berry Farm, Six Flags, Universal Studios, or Disneyland. Be prepared for lots of trivia! When I’m not working I’m a major introvert and usually prefer hanging out at home in my free time, and for me it’s extra fun because I live with 5 cats! Everyone who visits loves spending time with them and getting to know each cat’s unique personality. So you’ll have to meet them at some point. I love the beach too (can’t help it, I grew up here) and El Matador in Malibu, while on the smaller side, is probably my favorite, and usually not one that people who don’t live here are familiar with. This one is a little harder to go to, but thanks to a family connection I’ve been able to take several friends and family members to the Magic Castle in Hollywood. Absolutely one of my favorite places in LA and if you have the opportunity to go, don’t pass it up! Now, favorite restaurants: Coco Ichibanya in Koreatown (my favorite Japanese curry I’ve ever tried), Palms Thai Restaurant in Hollywood (the best Tom Kha soup ever, trust me), Home Restaurant in Los Feliz, Chi-Chi’s Pizza in Northridge (a childhood favorite that makes delicious pasta), Jones in West Hollywood, Taj Mahal in Encino. And probably because of my line of work, the fashion/fabric districts in Downtown LA are always a trip! I’ve brought many friends there who are into fashion and costuming and they’ve had a great time.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
When I was growing up, my parents put me in music, art, and dancing lessons, all of which I loved. If it hadn’t been for their support I certainly wouldn’t be where I am now, being able to use all my skills to support myself as an adult. A huge part of the success of Hollywood Princess Parties is our one-of-a-kind ultra glamorous costumes, most of which come from my “fairy godmother” Eliseo Juarez, who has been a huge supporter and dear friend of mine for over 20 years. And of course, I would be nowhere without my incredible princess performers. I have a cast of about 10 people who are all amazing singers, actors, great with kids, and beautiful inside and out. They have become my closest friends over the many years I’ve been doing this.

Website: www.hollywoodprincessparties.com, www.hollywoodfacepainting.com

Instagram: @kathelhum, @hollywoodprincessparties, @hollywood_facepainting

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/hollywood-face-painting-west-hollywood, https://www.yelp.com/biz/hollywood-princess-parties-west-hollywood-2

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KatieHume