My Journey To Sky Production Services – #7: Reena Parmar (Make-Up Artist)

How It Started

What was your first ever job?

My first ever job was as a Sales Assistant for New Look at the flagship store in Watford. I was 18 years old and excitedly spent most of my wages at New Look as we got a 50% staff discount. It was a very good experience for me, and I was there for 2 and a half years before moving on.

What brought you to Sky?

Having worked in various areas of the industry, I decided that being a freelancer was not what I wanted forever. I wanted to work more in TV Productions as it felt right for me and the career direction I wanted. I have worked for SPS since mid-Jan 2020. It’s certainly been another rollercoaster of experiences.

How has your role evolved over the years?

My role has changed somewhat, but only as an adaptive measure during these current and uncertain times.

What were your biggest professional challenges and how did you overcome them?

My biggest professional challenge happened only recently at the beginning of 2018 whilst I was a self-employed freelance Makeup Artist. After a decade of establishing and building up my business from scratch, gaining a loyal clientele, as well as my network and skill sets; I was hit by a number of stumbling blocks, pretty much all at once.

Unfortunately, another local Makeup Artist was using my business names to take my clientele - basically taking my identity. As you can imagine, after years of hard graft, this was a shock. In an attempt to destroy my business, this individual sent me solicitor letters, threatening to take me to court for using the business names that were rightfully in use by me for many years. But with the help of my Law background, having gained a LLM Masters; I was able to fight back and get all the evidence required to prove my case. In the end it was 2 years of back and forth with expensive solicitors, but finally this individual rebranded and a settlement was signed to protect my business.

During these 2 years, I battled with other issues which affected my business further – I was diagnosed with breast cancer in mid-2018 at the age of 31. I kept working as much as I could when I was strong enough whilst and after having chemotherapy treatment and surgeries.

It was difficult at times, because of the hair loss (which was another loss of identity in some forms), the loss of full feeling in my hands and feet from the chemo and much more. This of course was a professional challenge for me, as my hands were numb and not the same, but I pushed through and would practice hair and makeup with this weird feeling in my hands so that I could adapt to it – which thankfully paid off!

It was also a mental challenge, but I decided to put myself out there and share my cancer experiences, in order to help people truly understand the nature of cancer and chemotherapy from my perspective. I created a website and an Instagram page to help bring awareness and offer a different view on how to deal with it physically and mentally.

The great news is that I fully recovered from my breast cancer, became more spiritual, learnt so much about myself, had a renewed perspective of life and became more aware of my choices.

How It's Going

What does your day to day work life look like?

To be honest, certain shifts can be very different to others depending on where I am working. I’m currently in a supervisory role, helping and assisting presenters and guests with their hair and makeup as they arrive at the Makeup Studio. However, I recently worked on a show that was a more hands on role, where I did hair and makeup for the guest on the show as well as touch ups. I would say my day to day work life is varied which is something that works for me.

What’s been your SPS career highlight and why?

I think my SPS highlight was working on the Russell Howard Show at the BBC recently. It was a new experience, with different faces and different surroundings. Working behind the scenes and seeing how the production team works was great, as well as meeting a new team of talented individuals.

What can you see yourself doing next?

The next step for me is to just carry on. To keep learning, keep creating, keep appreciating and keep enjoying all aspects of my life. I am so grateful to be working and doing what I love at Sky. For me, this job was like a blessing, a lifeline, so I plan to stay here long-term.

How It Can Be Done

What are your top 3 tips for becoming a Make-Up Artist?

If you have a strong passion for this, then don’t give up.
Keep learning and always take criticism constructively where you can.
Use your time wisely, keep gaining new skills, networking, but most importantly be creative and try new things.

What would you tell your 16-year-old self?

I would say to myself – carry on and keep going. Follow your intuition, save money (as I’m only just getting better at this), always believe in yourself and just be you.