Michelle Chung '02

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Résumé includes commercials for Cingular and Budweiser, TV series
Untold Stories of the ER and album photo shoot for band A Simple Plan

Describe one of your best assignments.
Working on the TV show Untold Stories of the ER on TLC because the stories were gory with lots of injuries and blood, which I love doing. The crew was also fun, and I was able to work alongside great friends. I love working in special effects labs because it involves a lot more sculpting, design and construction, and it incorporates my art background.

Describe one of your worst assignments.
Working on a movie set has to be the toughest assignment, because you often work 14-hour days or more for six days a week. You reach the point of exhaustion, and you lose touch with a lot of friends for about a month or two. But you do make a lot of friends on set and everyone reaches a point of delirium and then hilarity ensues.

Did you ever consider another career? When did you decide to go into makeup artistry?
I considered many other career paths. I was a fine artist major at UCLA and then worked in the fashion industry for a couple of years. I chose makeup and special effects a little over a year ago because it combined a lot of what I was looking for in a career: creativity, fun locations and a very unusual work environment.

How did UCLA prepare you for life after college?
My UCLA experience allowed me to be able to connect with a lot of different people from different backgrounds, which is important in my career. My major also trained me to be creative and taught me a lot of skills that I use in my career.

What aspects of your job make it different or similar to more traditional office jobs?
I am often in different locations, working extremely different hours and using skills that normally aren’t associated with an office job. But there are similarities, such as networking, which is important in the film industries. Business skills also come into play as I am a free-lance artist and therefore I have to be able to do my own money management and organization.

What advice can you give to people with similar career aspirations?
Networking is one of the main keys. Making yourself known to everyone is very important, as anyone might be your next link to a job. Advertising yourself becomes key. Sometimes taking a free job over a paid job can pay off in the long run if you make the right connections, or bulk up your portfolio.

Any secret beauty tips we should know?
As far as everyday beauty makeup, I like to keep things clean and simple. I avoid oil-based makeup and try to use as little makeup as possible. Foundation does not have to be worn over the whole face, just where necessary. Often, concealers aren’t even necessary. Skin care is key; the better you take care of your skin, the less makeup you’ll have to wear.