Rob began his makeup adventure in 1983 when makeup was fierce and hair was big. Diving into the cosmetic company circuit, he soon escalated to national makeup artist for Estee Lauder. Other clients in this area included Elizabeth Arden’s Red Door Salon and The Chanel Boutique on Bloor. In 1995 Rob accepted a teaching position at George Brown College to help develop the makeup department. He also tested with the Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC) and was accepted to freelance on various shows such as Pamela Wallen Live, The National and The Juno Awards. Moving in front of the camera, Rob became an on air makeup artist with The Life Network. In addition, he’s had on-air appearances with design duo Steven Sabados and Chris Hyndman on the extraordinarily popular fashion and beauty makeover show, So Chic. Most recently Rob teamed up with Steven and Chris on their national lifestyle daytime talk show on the CBC called Steven & Chris as key makeup artist. Shows such as Images and Bella allowed him to continue educating Canada about makeup artistry. Disappointed with trade education in general, and makeup artistry not being regulated in Canada, Rob founded The School of Professional Makeup Ltd. in 1998. A few years later, he launched Faces North, a chic makeup boutique located in Southampton. Rob currently divides his time between the school and freelancing in television and conducting frequent seminars across Ontario.
After a life-long obsession with makeup, Genny started painting faces professionally in the early nineties. Starting off with film and television, she then gravitated towards fashion where she has found her niche. Be it working with models to build their portfolio or holding seminars for photographers on the effects of lighting and makeup art, Genny enjoys the creativity and diversity of this demanding medium. She can often be found at spas or specialty stores working her art with many of the exciting cosmetic lines such as Laura Mercier, Stila, Bobbie Brown, Helena Rubinstien and Darphin. You can also see her work on the guests promoting their products on the Home Shopping Channel. She is a consultant to MesmorEyes Eyelashes contributing to product testing and development, applying making for advertising purposes including on-line tutorials.
Christine has been in the world of make-up for 19 yrs. Her Career in the industry first started at MAC where she spent 17 years, 10 of which were devoted to being a trainer. The position brought out her passion to educate, motivate and instill creativity to staff throughout Ontario, as well as internationally. She’s also had the opportunity to do hundreds of fashion shows ranging from Fashion Cares, to Toronto Fashion Week, to The Junos. Her background in visual arts paired with her MAC experience then took her into a freelancing career where she is in demand, working on photo shoots, fashion shows, and with individual clients. Her latest endeavour is as one of the makeup artists on So You Think You Can Dance Canada.
After her 1st makeup application at the age of 15, Jenia O’Connor’s destiny was revealed. Putting the final strokes of eye shadow on the Kitchener Waterloo Little Theatre player she thought – I’m going to be an actress. It didn’t work out. Which is a lucky thing for both her and the clients she’s worked on for the past 16 years. Jenia spent 11 years with Mac Cosmetics; the last year and a half as one of only 5 senior artists in Canada. During this time Jenia’s brush graced the very high cheekbones of Paris Hilton, Nicole Ritchie and Clair Danes among others. As well as having celebrity clients she traveled the world taking part in high profile events such as International Ready-to-wear Collections, Toronto & Sundance Film Festivals, Juno Awards and 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens just to name a few. Jenia O’Connor now works as a freelance makeup artist here in Toronto contributing to a variety of music video’s, commercials and television productions, some of which have included; The Style Dept, Superstar Hair Challenge, Handyman Superstar Challenge, Home to Flip, Project Runway, So Chic, Design Rivals, and Smart Woman Survival Guide. Search Jenia O’Connor @ IMDb – Internet Movie Database.
Burton has been in the film and television industry for over 10 years. He has worked on many television series and feature films. Some of his credits include My Big Fat Greek Wedding, for which he won the Hollywood Makeup Artist & Hairstylist Guild Award 2003 – Best Contemporary MakeUp for a Feature Film. His work includes Detroit Rock City, Twice in a Lifetime (TV Series – 17 Episodes), Deliberate Intent (TV Movie), Witchblade (TV Series – 22 Episodes), The Visual Bible: The Gospel of John, Redemption (Video), My Baby’s Daddy, Dawn of the Dead, Cinderella Man, 16 Blocks, Runaway (TV Series), American Pie Presents the Naked Mile (Video), The Company (TV Mini-Series), Lars and The Real Girl, American Pie Presents the Beta House (Video), A Raisin in the Sun, The Incredible Hulk, The Love Guru, Killshot, The Challenge of Quantum Reality, Three Inches and Warehouse 13 (TV Series – 2 Episodes). He is a union member of IATSE Local 873 (International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees), where he is currently working on the television series, Warehouse 13. He has done countless makeups on many actors, including Mickey Rourke, Johnny Knoxville, Patricia Clarkson and Mos Def. Search Burton J. LeBlanc @ IMDb – Internet Movie Database.
Matthew taught himself to draw and sculpt while still a child, studying the work of John Chambers (Planet of the Apes), Rick Baker (Star Wars) and Ray Harryhausen (7th Voyage of Sinbad). After graduating from the Ontario College of Arts with Fine Arts and Illustration (studying under Morton Harris), Matthew began working in the Toronto Film Production community. He worked on various horror films, television series and various freelance jobs (mascots and pattern maker for various toy and leisure companies). In 1987, he started his first company Creations Unlimited. A second company known as Form & Dynamics was formed with Allan Cooke and David Scott. Since then Matt has worked on various feature films such as: Jacob’s Ladder, Don’t Say a Word, Battlefield Earth, Invasion, Saw II, Stir of Echoes II, The Bride of Chucky, Celine Dion Story, Ponty Pool, Palmers Bones, and Heart Stopper. His television credits include: H2O, The Twilight Zone, Goosebumps, FX-The Series, PSI Factor, Earth Final Conflict, The Latest Buzz, Relic Hunter, Nikita and the Epic Series – Journey to the West – shot on location in Beijing, China. Matt has recently worked on Mortal Instrument, Lost Girl, The Returned and Self Portrait. Today, Matthew spends his time divided between feature film, television work, and prosthetic instruction. Search Matthew DeWilde @ IMDb – Internet Movie Database.
© 2013 The School of Professional Makeup Ltd.
