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| photo c/o James Vincent (James on far left) |
I had the pleasure of speaking with James almost a year ago to the day in preparation for The Makeup Show NYC 2011 (read that interview here).
Since then he has added many frequent flier miles (Berlin, Chicago, LA, Orlando, etc.), tears, and experiences to his folio including keying a number of shows for New York Fashion Week.
Here we focus on the offerings of TMS NYC taking place this weekend as we catch up with James in the midst of his hectic schedule. One thing about James is though he is constantly on the go he always has time to mentor fellow artists and we love that about him. Keep reading to find out what is planned for TMSNYC 2012 and what I will get James for our anniversary! LOL *insider*
SJS: Hi James! I just have a few questions for you I know you are super busy gearing up for this weekend
JV: Oh yeah, its a little crazy *laughs*
SJS: I actually spoke with you last year on May 9th so its almost a year to the day since we last spoke
JV: Oh so we have like a standing date...
SJS: YES! *laughter*
JV: Did you get me an anniversary gift?
SJS: I will bring it to you Saturday at the Blogger Preview!
JV: Ok the first year is "paper"
SJS: Ok, I will keep that in mind! *laughs* The Makeup Show has really upped the ante this year it seems. What I notice is that not only you as the Director of Artist Relations and Education for the Makeup Show but also the brands that will be exhibiting at the event have really listened to what we as artists have been saying and taken it into account to bring what I believe will be the best year of TMS NYC thus far.
JV: Well thank you, we hope so. You know, we are always expanding and I think one of the things we try and do is be an industry only show. We really try to give artists at all levels of the industry exactly what they need for their kit, for their education, for their promotion, for their career, in every aspect. So when we look at the vendors coming into the show there is definitely an edit and we try, instead of bringing in , you know, a million brush lines, and younger kids, we really try to bring in brands that people are excited about.
So this year we brought in a little more prestige; NARS is joining us as one of the sponsors of the show this year which is amazing. We also have Anastasia, Ellis Faas (images on this site are amazing), and Lime Crime and Benefit Cosmetics joining us for the first time. Some of those brands don't traditionally give artists discounts so coming in the way we did with YSL last year or the way we introduced Smashbox a few years ago and their pro program its really become a show that brands will use to re-brand themselves with professionals. So thank you for saying that, it really means a lot. We work hard to kind of cater to the artists.
SJS: Keeping that in mind, how do you manage to excel and improve each year? It just seems like it gets bigger and better. We come in, we are already excited and then you all surpass expectations. Is there a thought process?
JV: There is definitely a lot of thought, but we have a great team that really understands the industry; experts coming together and saying what do we really need for makeup artists as a resource?
This year on top of the 125 brands that will be there and on top of the education we really decided to focus on career and being a resource again so we are introducing even more career focus with people like Jed Root who is one of the biggest agents in the business and focus on kind of overcoming barriers and getting to the next level with Crystal Wright and Michael DeVellis. We also are introducing our first career fair which is what I think a lot of people are concerned about. So many artists go to school or start assisting or try to leave their full time jobs and get into artistry and we wanted to be able to set that up so we have a first taste at a career fair. We have over twenty brands that will be there with their human resource department doing interviews, looking at resumes, looking at portfolios and making decisions on who they need to hire for the New York market and beyond.
SJS: When that email came through I could have done cartwheels all up and down...
JV: *laughs*
SJS: That is amazing and it is something that, like you said we take these classes and we just don't know, like what is the next step? Unless you have taken the class with Crystal {Wright} or Michael {DeVellis}...
JV: or with James Vincent!
SJS: I have not taken yours yet! But it is on my list *laughter*
JV: *laughter* I am just teasing you. Crystal and Michael are two of my mentors so...we also have the Industry Insiders Panel which is kind of a revisiting of our Working in New York panel. This year we have worked hard to include editors, publicists, art directors, brand owners that can really tell people how to bring their careers to the next level. We also brought back our Pro Pods which allow people that one on one time. So not only will you have the chance to attend the seminars, the forums, and the lectures but you will also have a chance to get a one on one review of your portfolio and business materials from experts like a Crystal Wright or a Lianne Farbes or a Michael DeVellis so its really about being a resource this year. And our theme this year for the show was building a career because I think that there are so many people that need the tools to take their career to the next level
SJS: Right and not just the physical tools that we think of like the brushes and the makeup, but the thought process, the mindset and the tools of that nature to get to the next level. Yes! Very good!
As TMS NYC continues to expand its reach across the globe do you find that you have to alter the message to address the needs of the artists in the region you are visiting or is the language of makeup universal?
JV: Well we always have. Every Makeup Show has a personality of its own, although they feel very similar because of the production we bring behind it and the education but we do cater to the artist in each individual market. At the LA show for example, where there is more film and television other than a Chicago market where it is so much more heavily influenced by bridal; the Berlin show which has a lot more FX and hair because makeup artists in Berlin are required to go to school for hair and makeup. The European market we had 25 different countries represented last year so we have to be a little more bilingual in what we do there so yeah we definitely respond. With the introduction of the Orlando show for my southern market I think we have really created a great way to bring the message south. And what we find there is a lot of people with families, a lot of moms and people working in that way. So yes it is difficult because we do cater each show but it is easy because we set ourselves up to work in that way.
SJS: I love that the beauty blogger also has a place at TMSNYC, they bring, what I feel, is a unique perspective not only to the brands but to the artist as well. What drove the decision to focus more attention on what is essentially the consumers best friend in beauty buying?
JV: Well we have been friends with the bloggers from the very beginning. I think the first show we may have had seven bloggers and I used to walk them around the entire show because it was such a small group. Now this year Melody has had over 350 requests from bloggers to come to the show. So we're big fans of the bloggers because they are such an active part of the community. They make information and understanding new techniques and trends as well as new products much easier for makeup artists. So we really embrace the blog community and social media as a whole.
If you are in NYC already there is a makeup meetup tonight at Fontana's and there are a number of great events taking place this weekend which you can find here.
Thank you to Melody for arranging the interview and thanks to James again for taking the time to give us a sneak peek of whats to come this weekend.
Stay tuned for more The Makeup Show updates!
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