Meet Sam Cota | Men’s Groomer & Beauty Makeup Artist

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

Hi Sam, what’s the end goal, career-wise?
This is a question I have been constantly asking myself since I began my artistic journey. It is something that up until recently, I have struggled with. Making a decision has seemed nearly impossible and as cliche as it is,I know the possibilities are endless. My current goal at the moment is to decide on a path and no longer be stuck on at a crossroads.

Path one: Now that I have much more experience working on non union tv and film production sets, I was considering working towards collecting my hours to join LA’s Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylist Guild (Local 706). Especially now that I have more knowledge and understanding of what it takes to join the union, I can take the next year filling in the gaps in where I need to strengthen my portfolio to join.

Path two: Start looking into joining an agency and get signed as either a groomer or as a makeup artist, but I would prefer the former. And if we are being specific I want to become a celebrity’s personal. Meaning for whatever project, film, commercial or event they are attending and need grooming for I would be their go to artist to get them camera ready.

Each path is so different and requires that I prepare for them in vastly different ways, so when I finally decide, that’s when I know I have reached the end of this goal.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
What sets me apart is that my art is soft spoken, it carries subtle details that are capturing, with a simplicity that seems effortless. Grooming and makeup is so personal. No two people or experiences are the same (even if we have worked together before). It’s exciting that what I get to do allows for others to feel and look their best in the world.

Getting to the place where I am now at in my career was a challenge and sometimes still is. There is no manual or guide to help you navigate being a full time artist or what to do next when you switch careers. Once you start to get a rhythm, nothing is guaranteed and because of that you must also be your own team. Juggling all of your social media, constantly networking, being your own publicist and agent to secure work on top of being a makeup artist. It’s been a lesson and after a year I finally feel like I have found a groove in dedicating the right amount of time to each position.

Regardless of the challenges, the biggest hurdle I had to overcome was self doubt. Early on I sought after validation in order to feel worthy of pursuing my dreams. Once I realized that to succeed I had to let go of my limiting beliefs and imposter syndrome. I am constantly reminding myself that I am worthy of being in the spaces that I step foot in. After all, if I wasn’t ready, I would not have had the opportunity.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There are soo many places that I still want to visit in LA. But if I had to choose top 10:

1. Aroma Cafe in Studio City for breakfast
2. Lucky Boy in Pasadena for a breakfast burrito
3. If the weather is warm, Hermosa Beach (the beach & waves are similar to the ones back home in SD)
4. Long Beach Pizza Co
5. Sugar Free Shack in Torrance (if you want some sugar free keto friendly pastries)
6. Disney California Adventure (my favorite park)
7. 6 Flags Magic Mountain (if you like the thrills of a coaster)
8. Arry’s Superburger in Montebello
9. Any Tierra Mia Coffee location
10. Raspados Don Manuel for a delicious raspa

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
To The Ales Family & my cousin Weecho.

Thank you for your continual encouragement and for witnessing the very start of my career and for being there when I finally made the decision to try. I tend to keep to myself and don’t like to share the unglamorous parts of my journey but y’all have been by my side through it all.

Thank you Weecho for literally brainstorming with me on multiple occasions as we drove around LA during our many adventures. These brainstorming sessions had such a strong impact on guiding me and helped give me a clear idea of what I needed to do.

Thank you Ales Family for literally adopting me into your lives and becoming home for me. I appreciate your continued love and support. I am grateful that I get to celebrate every little milestone of mine with each of you.

Website: https://samcota.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sam.cota/

Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11617209/

Image Credits
Alexus Diaz, Kevin Curbe, Chalik Douglas, Carlos Vaz, Mercy Hasselblad, Belva Chan, Rich Visuals, Jamaal Murray