Currently known as Hollywood South, Louisiana’s ascendancy to the number one filmmaking spot in the country started with its implementation of generous tax incentives to filmmakers in 2002. While the movie and TV industry had steadily grown since then, people took notice with the release of a 2013 FilmL.A. Research analysis that showed that most of the country’s major movies have been shot in Louisiana in recent years.
Major films due to start production in Louisiana in 2015 include Jurassic World, Terminator Genesis, and The Fantastic Four. This bodes extremely well for makeup artists in Louisiana, since the skills required to prep actors for their roles result in much higher salaries than traditional makeup artist gigs like weddings.
One plus for makeup artists who work with clients such as brides is that they frequently get tips for their work, so their salaries are higher than those reported in salary analyses.
Salaries of Makeup Artists Throughout Louisiana
The job site Indeed.com provides the average starting salaries for makeup artist positions for the previous year. The average salary for a makeup artist in Louisiana was $36,000 for the year ending in January 2015. These salaries were similar throughout the major cities in the state:
- Shreveport – $38,000
- New Orleans – $36,000
- Baton Rouge – $35,000
Many makeup artists work for themselves as freelancers and are likely to charge higher rates than those in salaried positions.
Becoming a Makeup Artist in Louisiana
Makeup artists come from a variety of backgrounds when they get their training in this specialty. Ten schools in Louisiana offer this type of education. Three have programs specifically for makeup artists, while six are cosmetology programs that include training in how to apply makeup.
The Louisiana Workforce Commission provides an analysis of the types of jobs that makeup artists came from over the past five years. Most new makeup artists have previous experience working closely with customers. Nearly 24% of the people that became makeup artists in the state started as retail salespersons, while 14.4% had been customer service representatives.