Hollywood IQ 110: How to Build a Career as an On-Set Makeup Artist + Hair Stylist (feat. Keshia Smith)

Synopsis:

Don’t knock a job a the makeup counter — it’s what led to a decades-long career for hair stylist and makeup artist Keshia Smith, who has led hair and makeup departments for television and film productions, among other roles.

In episode #110 of the Hollywood IQ podcast, Host Ri-Karlo Handy talks with Keshia Smith, Artist Management x TCA founder and instructor for the Handy Foundation Glam Assistant Apprenticeship track, about what it takes to work as an on-set makeup artist and/or hairstylist in Hollywood. Having worked on TV and film productions including the unscripted series, “Harlem Globetrotters: Play it Forward,” Keshia brings three decades of beauty industry experience to the conversation. From leading hair and makeup teams in production to her secret to landing new clients, Kesha shares the ins and outs of creating a career in Hollywood glam.

Episode Highlights:

• Hollywood IQ podcast Host Ri-Karlo Handy and Keshia Smith discuss:
• From the Nars counter to doing makeup for Sandra Oh and Rose McGowen and becoming on-set hair and makeup department head
• the importance of being approachable and telling people what you’re up to outside of the context they see you in.
• why not taking every job can build a higher-rate offers
• how overdelivering on set leads to subsequent jobs
• the importance of solving problems before anyone tells you they have them
• why it matters to give credit where credit is due
• the importance for hairstylists and makeup artists to master their craft on different skin colors and hair textures
• why a good-energy project can be better than a higher paying one

TOMORROW NIGHT:
Join us for an unforgettable night!

NAACP, The Handy Foundation, and Netflix present:

Glam Squad Glow Up: HAIR WARS — a dynamic event celebrating fantasy hair as both cultural storytelling and futuristic art.

December 10, 2025

6:00pm–8:30pm

NAACP Screening Room

5757 Wilshire Blvd., M-101,

Los Angeles, CA 90036

You don’t want to miss this!

Click HERE to RSVP now.