ARTIMITATINGLIFE

Multi-Award Winning Makeup Effects Artist Todd Masters began his professional film career at the age of twelve, working on an animated birth-control film in his hometown of Seattle, WA. While his friends were busy going through puberty and learning about the birds and the bees, Todd was actually making movies about it!

Before the age of 18, Todd was already working professionally in film optical effects and animated graphics, and was creating complex creatures from his parent’s basement and his mother’s stove. He headed out to Hollywood in 1985, and immediately began to build an impressive resume, working on such genre classics as: Big Trouble in Little China, Night of the Creeps, Look Who’s Talking, Predator, and Poltergeist II, to name just a few. In 1987, Masters founded MastersFX, which has become, during the past 33 years, one of the world’s leading, full-service, character FX companies. Todd and his team have contributed unique and often stunning makeup, practical and digital FX to many hundred feature films, TV shows, and commercials, which have been shot around the globe.

One of the entertainment industry’s leading proponents of practical and visual effects, Todd was a founding Board Member of the Visual Effects Society. He is also a multi-award-winning director, actor, and producer, as well as a successful toy-designer.

Alex hails from Hertfordshire, England. She is one of our leading artists with a specialization in mold-making.

Alex received her Bachelor of Arts Degree Magna Cum Laude in Character Creation and Special Effects from The University of Hertfordshire. After graduation, Alex worked for several studios in London. Her favorite projects were the 2012 Summer Olympics –Opening Ceremony, Guardians of The Galaxy, and The Favorite. When Alex is not working, she enjoys traveling, skiing, and sipping a spot of tea.

Amanda Duff is a Professional Makeup FX Artist at Mastersfx. Amanda enjoys working on a variety of elements of Makeup FX’s including, Sculpting, Painting, Fabrication, Mold Making/Running Molds and Quick Apply Prosthetics.

Amanda has over three years of Professional shop experience. She Graduated from the Vancouver Film School with Honours. Amanda holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts from the University of Victoria.

Graduating with honours from Vancouver Film School’s intensive Make-up Design for Film and Television in 2014, Arwen was fortunate to find work in the industry right away. After several years working at other shops on projects such as Altered Carbon, A Series of Unfortunate Events, The X-Files, Arrow, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow, she moved to Masters FX, where she continues to hone her abilities. She enjoys learning from and sharing her knowledge with others every day.

Brad Proctor has been involved in the television industry since 1983, starting with community tv as a master control operator and content producer. In 1993, he moved to British Columbia where he pursued a career in makeup effects. By 1994, he was employed in the industry on such productions as The X-Files, Millennium and Jumanji. Brad has since worked as an actor and puppeteer, as well as producing various effects and taking on lead artistic roles in a variety of different labs. He joined Mastersfx in 2003 and has continued to expand his career by adding visual effects to his professional resume.

Brian, A Korean Canadian speaks fluent Korean and English. Despite his parents dreams he is not a lawyer or doctor; He has been educated in costuming and makeup. His talents come from vast background of making cosplay and four years of post secondary education. He enjoys making creatures of all shapes and sizes and loves a good challenge. He brings Doughnuts and goodies for everyone to enjoy.

Brie was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and considers herself a true ‘California Girl’.

Brie holds an Associates Degree in Criminal Justice from Citrus College and a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Political Science from California State University-Los Angeles. She started working for MASTERSFX’s Hollywood Studio in 2015. During her tenure there she worked on projects such as, Underworld 5, The Belko Experimentand was the MakeupFX Coordinator for: Future Man (Hulu) and the hit TV show This Is Us(NBC).

In 2018, life presented Brie her next adventure, which relocated her ‘north of the border’. Brie enjoys the beach, shopping, traveling and is excited to call Vancouver home.

Chris Devitt knew from a very young age that he wanted to be involved in special makeup effects. In 2000, he attended makeup school in Toronto, and has been working professionally ever since.He joined the Mastersfx team in 2010.

Although primarily a sculptor, and character designer, Chris takes pride in being well rounded in the craft, and able to tackle any stage of the process. From concept, to on set application. During Chris’ tenure at MASTERSFX his talent and creativity has inspired all members of the team

Previously a licensed funeral director and embalmer in Manitoba, Jeannie came to Vancouver in 2012 to take ‘Makeup Design for Film and Television’ at Vancouver Film School, where she graduated in 2013. Taking a year off, she competed in 3 IMATS competitions where she won all 3 in a row.
She has been working for Mastersfx since September 2014 and earned her IATSE 891 membership within her years of employment.

A native of Montreal, Eric Napier has been with MastersFX since 2012. His background as a software engineer, carshare fleet manager, and professional bass player, brings a wide range of technical and artistic skills to the Shop Foreman position. He also manages the Rentals Department maintaining a gruesome stock of bodies, body parts, skeletons, babies, animals, aliens, and other props for film and TV productions.Eric also brings his skills to many of the projects undertaken by the amazing MastersFX team, taking on design and build challenges that include wood and metal work, mold making, blood/air rigging, and innovative special effects fabrication. He has contributed to many recent productions including Child’s Play, Predator, The Good Doctor, The Magicians, Skyscraper, Ghost Wars, Aliens Ate My Homework, The 100, Zoo, Man In The High Castle, Falling Skies,and many more.

Eric got his bachelor of electrical engineering at Concordia University before moving to Vancouver and studying music at Simon Fraser University. When he’s not wrangling gore, repairing belt sanders, and building spaceship command chairs, he has unreasonable plans to travel the world on his motorcycle

Harriet is an artist originally from Toronto, but has been based out of Vancouver for the past ten years. Her career as an artist began in the fine arts, with a specialization in painting. She then went to makeup design school and graduated with honors.

Since Harriet’s graduation, shop work, fine detail work and prosthetic applications have been the focus of her Career, however she enjoys doing makeup for fashion as well. Harriet has worked on many notable projects for masters fx, like child’s play and sonic the hedgehog. Outside of her work, Harriet loves to spend time with her bunny Barbra, and continues with fine arts.

James is a talented artist with a decade of experience in design, makeup FX and mold making. Originally from Montreal, his love of horror movies and fascination with puppets eventually led him to Vancouver where he began his successful makeup FX career with the group at another local effects shop .

He then made the move to Masters FX, where he has worked on a number of major projects includingFinal Destination V, Predator (2018) and Child’s Play (2019).

Lori is one of our MAKEUPFX Coordinators here at MASTERSFX. Originally from Dawson’s Creek, BC-not to get confused with the actor on the hit series. She began her artistic abilities from a young age and into adulthood, she received her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts Degree from Alberta College of Art and Design. From there, Lori travelled the world before settling in Vancouver and graduating from makeup design Vancouver Film School in Makeup Design. Lori joined MastersFX in 2008 as an in shop Artist and now is our Lead Coordinator here at MASTERSFX. She enjoys both aspects of Makeup FX with Coordinating and On-Set application.

Natalie Warnke has been a material specialist at Masters FX since the summer of 2018. Her love for special effects began at a young age when she was forced to watch horror movies with her babysitter. Curious to learn how these movies were made she watched countless hours researching behind the scenes footage and directors cuts. When she was old enough she researched school within her community. Blanche Macdonald was the first, most reputable school she could find in Vancouver for special effects makeup. Shereceived her diploma for Global Makeup in 2006 and to gain some experience worked on some student films.

However when Natalie heard of a job opening at Master FX she promptly jumped on the opportunity. Natalie, not only does the purchasing for the shop but also helps artists with projects, regular maintenance and finesse around.

When Natalie isn’t at the shop she enjoys long walks on the beach with her pups and spending time in her garden.

Paige has always had a love for the arts since she was a child painting in her Grans studio, who proved to be an inspiration in her career choice. Paige has been fascinated with special effects makeup since she was a young girl growing up in the country outside Edmonton, Alberta. Her love of the industry and craft brought her to Vancouver where she attended Blanche MacDonald. Paige grew up loving the outdoors and animals especially horses and today treasures her dog Zero who is her best buddy. Paige has worked hard for every opportunity to get into special effects and has proudly worked for MastersFX since 2016 and looks forward to coordinating future productions.

A focus on visual art throughout her life has keptQuinn an avid explorer of different mediums. Drawn by values of intricacy, innovation, sway and colour, the Kelowna bred, Edmonton fed creative arrived in Vancouver to try her hand at practical makeup effects. After graduating from Vancouver Film School at the top of her class, Quinn found herself joining the Mastersfx family. The varied mediums and approaches continue to propel her learning and growth in the industry. The greatest source of inspiration are the talented and driven people around her that share the same passion.

Luke Stalker-Switzer was immersed in the creative arts from adolescence. Being raised in a family of creative thinkers, under the legacy of his sculptor father. Luke started his journeyinto makeup effects, which led him to a number of awards, special recognitions, and scholastic scholarships.

Luke began studying at the Alberta University of The Arts in Sculpture Design. Shortly after his fourth year, Luke got the opportunity to become the Art Director/Key Artist designing theme parks in the United States. Luke opened up his own studio, specializing in Commercial Advertising and hyper-realistic larger than life Fine Art. After taking a sabbatical Luke entered the Film Industry as a Lead Sculptor and Character Designer-specializing in Creature Effects.

After working in Japan as a makeup effects artist for a few years, Yukiyo switched her playground to Canada. She joined MASTERSFX in 2008. With luck as her sidekick, she continues to explore the practical and digital world to boldly go where no one has gone before.

She is a daughter of crazy cat parents

Stacy Scofield is the Accounts Executive for Mastersfx and has been with the company since 1998. After graduating from CSUSB, she spent many years working in production and eventually found her way to Mastersfx. She has enjoyed seeing the extensive growth over the last 20 years.

Toronto Studio Supervisor Zane Knisely is a veteran in the prosthetics and special effects makeup industry, having made monsters for over 20 years on projects that span the globe.

With experience working on content like Hobo with a Shotgun (2011), Defiance (Syfy) and Hannibal (NBC), it was a no-brainer that a Toronto shop with Zane at the helm would serve the demands of the growing Toronto market. In 2016, the Toronto location of MastersFX opened its doors and since that time, Zane and his team have had the privilege of working with such productions as The Handmaid’s Tale, The Expanse, and The Umbrella Academy (to name a few!).

In his role as Shop Supervisor, Zane coordinates all incoming projects and outgoing builds, while representing the shop whenever he has the opportunity to integrate the studio’s practical FX on set.

Sarah began her professional career in the exciting world of libraries and records management. Through a strange twist of fate, she found herself working for a broadcasting company back in 2012. This soon turned into a role as a broadcast coordinator, planning and strategizing kids programming in the Canadian market.

After several years of this, it was time for a change – which arrived in the form of MastersFX.

Sarah joined the Toronto team in 2017 as the Office Administrator and Production Coordinator. In that role, she assists in the day-to-day functioning of the shop, covering all of the paperwork and scheduling. She also serves as a liaison on several productions between the studio and shows including Shadowhunters and Coroner. If it’s a project coming through MFX’s Toronto shop, it’s most likely Sarah will have a hand in it.

As the Toronto shop’s go to artist for all things digital, Chloe Houseley not only focuses on graphic design and 3D modeling, but also works on the creation of various makeup effects. After completing the double diploma program at CMU for Comprehensive Makeup Artistry and Digital Effects: Creature Design, Chloe began her career at MastersFX building practical effects for director and makeup effects artist Steven Kostanski’s film PG (Psycho Goreman).

Chloe brings her innovative and unique design ideas to the MastersFX team, and is highly proficient with Pixologic ZBrush, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator.

A graduate of OCAD University with a BFA in integrated media, Alex Soares began his career in the film and television industry on the post-production side of things. After getting his foot in the door in post, Alex switched to production, working as a coordinator and eventually as an AD, becoming a member of the Director’s Guild of Canada.

Alex joined the MastersFX Toronto team in 2018, and is constantly busy molding, making transfers, keeping the prosthetic bodies and prop rentals in top shape, spraying tattoos, and generally lending a hand on virtually every project.

Graham Chivers began his illustrious career in film and television as a special effects makeup artist on Goosebumps, more than 20 years ago. His career has afforded him the opportunity to work all over the world, with his work ranging from creating alien vampires in Romania (Teenage Space Vampires, 1999) to sculpting tiny leprechaun puppets in South Africa (Leprechaun Returns, 2018).

Graham was one of the first artists on board at the MastersFX Toronto location when it first opened in 2016, and continues to demonstrate his talent as the Lead Artist at the shop. When he’s not in the shop sculpting or painting, you can find him on set for any of MFX’s current productions, applying his skills and experience implementing complicated prosthetic designs and applications for a diverse array of shows.

Steve Kostanski’s career in special effects and prosthetics began at the tender age of 17, working as a prosthetics shop assistant on the horror film Tamara (2005). Today, he can be found fluctuating between his role at the MastersFX Toronto location as Shop Manager, and flexing his creativity as a writer and director.

Steve’s debut feature Manborg (2011), was followed by his participation in The ABC’s of Death (W is for Wish – 2014), and with the indie horror hit The Void (2016), co-written and directed by Jeremy Gillespie. Steve’s most recent filmmaking projects include Leprechaun Returns (2018), and the upcoming PG (Psycho Goreman), both of which feature prosthetics and special effects created by MastersFX.

Since his humble beginnings working on theatrical productions throughout the Niagara region in his teenage years, Kyle Glencross has become a prosthetics and special effects makeup powerhouse in Toronto.

Kyle has many productions under his belt, including Dawn of the Dead (2004), 300 (2006), the Saw franchise, and The Strain (FX). He has served as Key Prosthetics Artist with MastersFX for both The Expanse (Syfy) and the Netflix hit The Umbrella Academy (2019). When not on set or in the shop, Kyle can be found sculpting and creating characters for his company, Mystery Rubber Workshop.

Sasha Pawluk joined MastersFX’s Toronto studio in 2017 as an intern, assisting with a variety of transfers and builds. Since graduating from Sheridan in Advanced Special Effects Makeup, Prosthetics and Props, she has joined the Toronto team full time and can be found applying her skills and creativity both in the shop and on the set of productions, such as Rabid (2019) and Coroner (CBC).

Sasha’s talent and attention to detail have made her a valuable asset in the special effects makeup industry, and an invaluable member of the MastersFX team.

Audrey Barrett started her career with MastersFX as an apprentice, and has since become an invaluable member of the Toronto team for the past three years, creating makeup effects for shows such as The Handmaid’s Tale, The Umbrella Academy, The Expanse, and various other productions.

Audrey works both in the shop and on set, and especially enjoys seaming, painting and hair punching. She has an affinity for gory, hyper-realistic looking effects, and blends her strong attention to detail and imagination by creating stunning FX work at MastersFX.

Jeff Derushie joined the MastersFX Toronto team in 2017, and has been the heart of the studio ever since. With an impressive pedigree in prosthetics and special effects makeup, Jeff has worked on such productions as The Strain (FX), Suicide Squad (2016), and The Shape of Water (2017), to name just some.

At present, Jeff can be found overseeing all of the MastersFX lab work and technicians, and prides himself on pumping out killer pieces especially under very tight deadlines.