Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Wright.
Jessica, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
In regards to doing hair, I like to say I never had a chance haha! I started working in a salon at the age of 16. Sweeping hair, doing dishes, cleaning bathrooms that sort of thing. The thing that actually pulled me into the Industry was the drive & passion that the people around me had for their career. I was inspired by the love for the craft! After that, I went on to hair school, started developing my own clientele in the Atlanta area & eventually went on to work for some smaller product companies doing product/color education. I was working at Adore Hair Studio in Inman Park when I got approached by the Vice President of Peter Coppola Beauty, Rebecca Mariolis. She asked me if I would come to be a platform artist for them and that’s when my career really took off.
I owe a lot to that woman! While the life of a platform artist was AWESOME on the road, I felt like I wasn’t being challenged enough at my Atlanta “home”. So I left Adore & went to the magic & mystical Melrose & McQueen Salon. I had a lot to offer Melrose but they gave me much more in return. Being in that salon has made my career SOAR. I work with the most talented hairdressers in Atlanta & just being around them makes me a better artist. Shortly after being at MMQ I got promoted to Artistic Director with Peter Coppola. Being up in NYC so frequently for work I started taking clients at Fabio Scalia in SOHO. I now have a full clientele in both Atlanta & New York City! I go every 6-8 weeks to NYC to see my clients there.
I recently left Peter Coppola to help head up Hair stylist education for a new Japanese technology company who is branching into the hair world. The hair division is called Bio programming & we’re launching into the USA in September! As if my plate isn’t full enough I also started a Hair Color Education company with my business partner Leigha Hurley called WrightLane Hair. We’ve been published in Modern Salon & have taught classes around the US! I owe most of my success to Kristo Willson at a Melrose & McQueen. Had he not built such an amazing haven for artists I’m not sure I would’ve challenged myself so much. I am the most grateful for my coworkers at MMQ who continue to fuel my drive every day!
Has it been a smooth road?
The road has definitely been bumpy! I started doing hair at such an early age and the hair industry itself is wild. Hair shows are one big giant party sprinkled with some education.
I had some personal issues with partying too hard. Life on the road can be lonely & when everyone around you is at an 11 on the party scale, you want to be there too. It almost jeopardized my career multiple times.
Being late to work & looking like you’ve been up all night (because you have) is not a good look. If anyone young in the game is reading this just know that party will always be there & some people never move past it. I thankfully met some amazing people in my journey that made me realize if I didn’t get it together, I was getting left. I owe a lot to my best friend, Amber Casicano & my coach Pirooz Sarshar who continue to push me to stay healthy, active, & keep my head in the game, eye on the prize.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I specialize in hair color! If you follow my work you’ll see A LOT of blondes and natural looking hair color. I’m not known for doing vivid or crazy things. I’m drawn to colors that stand the test of time. From sun-kissed blondes to rich chocolatey brunettes I love all things natural! My color work has what’s gotten me noticed & published in the industry for sure. I also do a lot of extension work! I love the versatility that hair extensions give a client! Bouncy ponytails, full braids, mermaid hair…. bring it on!
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Atlanta is where it’s at right now! I love living in this city & my craft has been challenged because I live here! We have a ton of amazing artists here which makes the competition stiff (which I thrive on)! With the film industry being here now there is so much more opportunity than there used to be! I have a lot of friends that work on movie sets & love it. Celebrity clients, insane networking opportunities… the list goes on and on. Not to mention you can fly anywhere in the world from ATL which makes traveling for work a breeze!
Pricing:
- Base color – $100
- Partial Highlight – STARTS at $185
- Balayage – STARTS at $200
- Color Corrections – $120 per hr
Contact Info:
- Address: 337 Elizabeth St NE Suite A
Atlanta GA 30307 - Website: Melroseandmcqueen.com
- Phone: 404.909.5245
- Email: Jessicawrighthair@gmail.com
- Instagram: @jessicawrighthair
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