Jenn Rose- Working in the Horror Industry

As February winds down to an end and we bid farewell to another Women In Horror Recognition Month; we are joined by one last talented individual working in the industry.

Jenn Rose is the kind of busy woman that magically seems to find extra hours in a day to do just about anything and everything.  On top of being an accomplished and very busy makeup effects artist, Jenn sells Horror Collectibles and Artwork and just recently directed her first short film, T is for Toss, for the ABCs of Death competition. 

And on top of all that, she even found time to talk with us about her experiences in the horror industry.  From growing up in love with sci-fi to tackling her first directing gig, Jenn shows us that the Horror biz isn't a man's world anymore.

How did you find yourself working in the Horror industry?

It was somewhat inevitable, I suppose. As a child, I was always a bit of a tomboy. And, I was always artistic. I had a huge love for dinosaurs, creatures and sci-fi. I was always crushing on the villains (Skeletor, Boba Fett, The Predator... the list is endless... and things haven't changed much, haha.) That love evolved into a love for Horror, and by the time I hit high school, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I was meant to be a monster wrangler!

Growing up, who did you look up too? Who were some of your inspirations?

I remember when I was little I used to watch the making of Thriller over and over again. Rick Baker was something of a super hero to me as a kid. Imagine my thrill when I had the opportunity to work for him a couple years back. Greatest... thing... ever. But really, my list of inspirations is ridiculously long. So many amazing people. And my inspiration wasn't limited to people either. I've always been a tad obsessed with natural history. Before monsters for me, it was dinosaurs, reptiles and insects. Deep sea life. Real life "monsters". There are things out there that are more fantastical than anything we conjure up in movies. I love it. Always have. I was obsessed! I really haven't changed much. Hahaha.

Did you have a great deal of support for your career choice? 
 

Absolutely. My mother was very artistic. And both my mom and dad... my entire family really, have always been super supportive of anything I wanted to do. My husband is also an artist who works in the industry, so we help each other out a lot with various projects. I'm surrounded by a really great network of friends and artists, honestly.

Working in the business, do you think you experienced any challenges that were uniquely inherent to you being a woman? 

I've had a time or two on set where an AD or a director would walk past me at first and come to talk to my partner or assistant because they were male. Maybe. Maybe I'm just scary. And there will always be that old fashioned soul here and there who is amazed to see a girl using a drill. Haha. But in all seriousness, sure, FX and horror are definitely male dominated industries. Just so, I do think talent and work ethic speaks for itself. Male or female... you have to work hard and love what you do.

You've worked on big productions and small ones, for you, was there any difference in how you were treated? 

Honestly, no. I've worked with some amazing crews, both large and small. There are always those less than amazing experiences as well, but it doesn't seem to be dependent on how large or small a show is. Hahaha.

Recently you directed your first short, how long have you wanted to direct something?

Actually, I never really had any directorial aspirations. I toyed with some short ideas here and there, but that was usually the extent of it. I have a handful of friends who are aspiring directors, and I often help them out with their makeup, props, fx, etc. That is how I was introduced to the ABC's of Death competition in the first place. My good friend Erica Harrell was producing our friend Judson Scott's entry "T is for Twig", and I was providing the makeup effects. During pre-production for that, a joke between Erica and I quickly evolved into a short idea and everything just kind of fell into place!

T is for Toss from Erica Harrell on Vimeo.

What was it like taking on your first directorial project? 

It was amazing. I had the luck to be working with some of my best friends and the entire experience was great! It was exhausting (I also handled the props, fx and helped orchestrate the set) but ridiculously fun. We had a lot of great people on board though, couldn't have done it without them. It blows my minds how many people were willing to offer their talents and how it all came together. I'm a lucky girl. Can't wait to do it again!

Having your range of experience, where do you see women still struggling in the industry and where do you seem them making great strides?

I don't know. It's possible that I'm a bit blind to it. I'm stubborn. If I want to do something, I find a way to make it happen. 

I do think now days people in general have so much more independent power to go out there and create. Technology has exploded. Anyone can film something on their phone and the next day it's viral. Hahaha. There's no excuse! The world is ours for the taking!!! *cue thunder and lightening* 
 

Where do you see yourself going in the future?  Would you like to focus more on directing, being a makeup artist or perhaps finding a balance for both? 

I would love to direct again, but I think I'm happiest when I'm sculpting and creating. There is so much I want to make... so, SO much. Just not enough time. Hahaha. I love being a makeup artist, I love doing lab work, I love painting and drawing. My roots are firmly planted in fx, but I constantly have side projects (creating items for my Etsy store, working on short films, photography, etc) and will continue to do so. I'm like a shark.. gotta keep moving.