WGTC Hosts Professional Makeup Conference

Staff Report From Newnan CEO

Thursday, March 23rd, 2017

Some of the biggest names in the celebrity makeup industry were at West Georgia Technical College Monday to speak to cosmetology and esthetics students and see a fashion show WGTC students produced.

The event, held at the Thomas B. Murphy Campus in Waco, was headlined by Joe Blasco, a 50-year veteran of the industry who has worked with A-list celebrities and has founded his own cosmetics company, the Joe Blasco School.

Also in attendance was Gwynnis Mosby, another longtime makeup industry veteran and the owner of the Gwynnis Mosby Makeup Academy in Atlanta. Mosby is the visionary and founder of the Professional Makeup Artist Conference and Expo, an industry trade show for those who specialize in the makeup profession, which will be held in Atlanta in April.

Mosby spoke to students about the upcoming PMAC Expo, to be held April 2-3 in Atlanta, and about how the film industry is becoming such a major part of Georgia’s workforce.

According to Mosby, the film industry has made plans to make movies in the state for the next 20 years, which means there is a need for skilled cosmetologists and makeup artists. The film industry and Georgia state leaders want those jobs to be filled by local workers.

Many of the West Georgia Technical College students in the audience could potentially fill some of those jobs.

A state education task force recently asked producers and others associated with the film industry about the supply of Georgia’s film and television workers, and found that half of those surveyed were unable to hire all of the workers they needed locally. Makeup artists are among the highest in demand, according to the report.

In FY 2016 alone, the industry made a $6 billion impact to the state’s economy, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

“It’s a great day when industry pioneers and leaders such as Gwynnis Mosby and her team visit West Georgia Tech to meet with our students,” West Georgia Technical College President Steve G. Daniel said. “The film industry’s expansion in our state will produce thousands of jobs over the next decade. Many of those jobs are related to cosmetology, makeup and esthetics. I encourage anyone who is interested in pursuing a career in cosmetology or esthetics to visit us at West Georgia Tech and meet our talented and well-connected instructors."

The appearance by Mosby and her team, as well as the fashion show, was the brainchild of WGTC Esthetics Instructor Melody Lowery, who was able to bring the group to WGTC through her connections in the industry.

“While attending an event in Atlanta for celebrity makeup artist Toby Sells, I had the pleasure of meeting Cedric Pendleton, who at the time was promoting the first PMAC Expo,” Lowery said. “We invited him to visit our esthetics program at West Georgia Tech and great things have happened since that initial visit. Cedric has helped us build more relationships. The visit from Joe Blasco, Gwynnis Mosby and her team and our upcoming participation in the PMAC conference is just the beginning of a fabulous partnership that will help connect our students with leaders of this industry.”

West Georgia Tech cosmetology and esthetics students produced their own runway show for Mosby and her team. The show featured models dressed up as fairy-tale characters, with an “Into the Woods” theme.