Today we’d like to introduce you to Bobbie Weiner.
Hi Bobbie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was happily married, I thought, and my husband decided he wanted his life to be like Hollywood. He up and left me one day and that was that, he was gone like the wind. I gave everything back to the bank and within one year, I was in makeup school. It was a lark that someone told me I should go to makeup school. They said with my personality, I would be great working with people and doing makeup. I did not see myself working in a dept. store, so I went for FX makeup for film and TV. By the 2nd week, I took on some jobs that were on the weekends and did small short films for film students going to schools in the LA area. Met a lot of people who went on to great things and they remembered me. A lot of them came from families in the Film industry and they were doing their thesis for graduation. I graduated makeup school three months later and was called immediately from my school and asked if I was free to do some work at HBO and then the E Channel and three days later, I was on the set of Pumpkinhead 2 which was a Cult Horror film and they needed an extra pair of hands to do the actors. I got paid $35.00 for the first night and then they hired me to finish the film. Three weeks later, I was done and I got $100.00 total for the three weeks and I never stopped working again. That was my start in the business of FX makeup for Film and TV.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
If it was a smooth road, everyone would be doing FX makeup. It is a very competitive field to get your foot into the door… I think my age had a lot to do with my success and where I am today. I was 43 when my husband decided to hit the road and I had nothing to fall back on. I had been very successful in my past life in Phila. But that was like looking into the rearview mirror. When I was 15, I told my Dad that I would need a car since my 16th birthday was coming up. He very calmly said to me, “You will need a job if you want a car”. OMG, are you kidding? A Job??? He went on further to say that if I gave him $200.00 he would get me a car for $400.00. Just match him the money! So the next day, I went and got a job in a thrift store near my high school and the rest is history. The store closed a few years later and I started my own store. It was a huge success and I also had many more successes from that beginning. Back in the 70’s there were not many privately owned second hand stores. My Dad did me the biggest favor. I loved working and making money. My own money!! I had that store for 16 years and then sold it and moved to Los Angeles. Met someone, fell madly in love, got married and ten years later he changed his mind. So I started a whole new life. Not knowing the challenges of the film industry, but basically worked for nothing to get my foot in the door and was a team player. I was no longer the Dr.’s wife playing tennis at Riviera country club, but I was the “Old Lady” makeup artist that left my ego way back when and was there to work and make a living at being a makeup artist. I lived with people for five years in the beginning so I could work for not a whole lot of money. The hours are long and you do not get much time to spend at home once your name gets around like mine did. I was a team player and not the most important person in the room. I met some wonderful people who I rented a room from and are still in my life today! I kind of enjoyed living with people and not being alone. I made up my mind that I was going to be a makeup artist and do FX makeup. There were hardly any women doing the FX makeup 28 years ago. It did not hurt me one bit and I got a great reputation. I worked all the time and had to actually turn down jobs. I think that was my biggest struggle.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Today I own and run a Face Paint Company. My nickname in the Film industry is Bloody Mary. I got that name while I was doing the makeup for Pumplinhead ll, Blood Wings. I decided to call my company Bloody Mary. I specialize in FX makeup and Stage Blood. I must admit I make the best product line for the industry. I am known for doing the dead frozen floating actors for James Cameron in the mega hit film Titanic. I am most proud of a division of my company where I make all of the Camo Face Paint for the US Military. Army, Navy Marines, Special Forces National Guard, etc… I started my little business after finishing the Titanic in a garage in San Diego. I was on so many morning shows making the news castors up frozen and dead that it caught the attention of someone working with the Govt and the next day, my life changed completely. Little did I know that the Govt. was looking for a new Camo Face Paint for the soldiers. I have 259 people work for me and we make everything here in the USA. Even my own compacts and containers… I am totally self-sufficient and we do everything in house. No one had ever done Sports Fan Face Paint in the team colors and I created a Fan based face paint kit so the fans can show their team spirit.
I was asked to be the Keynote speaker at Comic Con in San Diego after finishing the makeup for James Cameron for the mega hit film Titanic. After finishing my speaking engagement, I walked the convention floor and decided I wanted to create my own comic book. I found the biggest distributor of comic books and mentioned my idea and they had been at my demo and told me to send them my comic book when it was finished. A year later, they became my distributor of Tales of Bloody Mary and had me in their booth as a guest to autograph my new comic books. They also featured my Bloody Mary Lunch Boxes and my Bloody Mary Fangs and FX Stage Blood which led me to license my 5th Comic Book, “Bloody Marys Circus of Fear” to Six Flags Fright Fest Haunted Attraction. One year later, I was approached by Universal Studios to license them my Registered Trade Marked name to do an event for their Halloween Horror Nights. They also asked me to create a comic book for their event which I named “Tales Of “Bloody Mary Disturbed”. From these events Mark Burnett did a TV show about me “Howd You Get So Rich”.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I do not see my industry going anywhere but up. Horror is at the top of the list. Halloween is the next largest Holiday to Christmas. There are more Horror movies made today and keep going strong. A lot of people just like to be scared. It seems to me that humans will always have a situation that pops up no matter what which creates War unfortunately.
Sports Teams are huge. I make a line of Sports Fan Face Paint in different team colors. People love to show their Team Spirit and celebrate by painting their faces for “The Games!'”
I think after the past year and a half people are ready to get back to their old lives and celebrate just about anything. Just thankful to be alive and kicking.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.dearbloodymary.com www.camofacepaint.com
www.sportsfanfacepaint.com www.bobbieweiner.com - Instagram: @bloodymarymakeup
- Facebook: @bloodymarymakeup
- Twitter: @bloodymarymakeup
- Youtube: bloodymary817
