Today we’d like to introduce you to Gretchen Evans.
Hi Gretchen, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I got my start in wig-making in 2005 when I started graduate school at the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music. I had my BA in Theatre Arts and was planning on continuing my education towards special effects makeup. One of the first classes we had to take a graduate school was an introductory wig-making class where we learned the most fundamental step of wig making, ventilating [knotting hair onto a fine mesh-like material called lace]. I immediately picked up on the skill, and the rest was history. I had a new focus for my career, and while I still did makeup occasionally, I began to put my focus on wigs.
After grad school, I became the wig master at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park through their regular season and the Utah Shakespearean Festival for their summer seasons. In 2009, I moved to NYC, where I briefly worked in a medical wig studio until a position opened at the Broadway wig studio of Charles Lapointe (Hamilton) and Tom Watson (Wicked). After about a year at the studio, I began to assist in running the studio operations. Shortly after, that became my full-time position in the studio. I had the responsibility of teaching new employees how to make the wigs and also ensure everything was built correctly and one time.
In 2017, after almost eight years working at the studio, I moved with my husband and son to the Atlanta area. Here I quickly made myself known within the film world as a local wig maker. I began receiving fairly regular calls to not only help repair wigs on local sets but also build wigs for new movies and tv shows filming in the area.
In 2019, after several years of being asked if I teach classes, I had a month or two of downtime and finally took the leap to put together wig-making classes. There are not many wig-making classes outside of the few academic settings in the US, so I found myself quickly filling up the classes with eager students of all ages and backgrounds looking to expand their skill set. When the pandemic hit, I scrambled to switch to a Live Virtual format for my classes. I now am working to balance between virtual and in-person classes as things start to open up again and slowly attempt to return to normal.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I have been very fortunate in my career. When you work in such a niche area, word of mouth plays a huge role in your success. If you are good at what you do and pleasant to work with, your name quickly makes its way around. My biggest struggle was when the pandemic hit. I needed to find a way to make myself stand out as a wig educator. There are already so many online video-based wig-making classes both in a paid and unpaid YouTube format.
As I was researching all the options out there in an attempt to figure out what I could do differently, I started hearing more about the Zoom platform. That was when I decided I was going to stand out through offering Live virtual classes, the next best thing to an in-person class that I could achieve. A format where questions could be asked and immediately answered. I have really loved the reach I have had with the virtual classes. They have allowed me to connect with people around the world that I otherwise probably would have never had in class. I have shared my passion for wig-making with students from the UK, Poland, Belgium, Brussels, Ireland, Canada and Australia. It has been amazing.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My career is interesting because I have the wig maker aspect of it, but also the educator aspect. In wig-making, I have a huge eye for detail. I can easily see the different colors that go into making a wig, how specifically they need to be ventilated onto the lace to create different shades and color patterns, as well as different growth patterns. I love being able to take the hair growth patterns of a specific person and translate them to the lace for a completely natural-looking wig. This ability has allowed me to easily create realism for film and everyday wigs that you may not always find.
As an educator, I have found my educational background has set me apart from some of the other wig educators in the US who do not always have the formal training I was lucky enough to have received. That, in combination with my experience building for theatre, a medical wig studio, and for film, allows me to bring all three perspectives together. It allows me to not only teach the how but the why of wig making. I think people appreciate knowing the why of it all. It gives a better understanding that sticks with them.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I think the most important thing is to decide which area of wig making you want to concentrate on, whether it is medical, beauty, theatre, or film. Once you know that, then I feel social media is the best way to network right now. When I started, social media was not as big. There was myspace, Facebook was fairly new, and there was no Instagram. Now it is easy to connect with other wigmakers around the world. I have found that sometimes wig makers can be a bit secretive about their knowledge. I am a big believer in lifting each other up, and we all will succeed. That is why I share little tips on my IG, and I also offer little coaching or mentoring sessions for wig makers who may not have that professional setting or peer to run ideas off of.
Contact Info:
- Email: wigmakingclasses@gmail.com
- Website: imakewigs.com
- Instagram: @gretchenmakeswigs
- Facebook: I Make Wigs – Atlanta Wig Making Workshops
