As a young stylist (makeup or hair), you may have dreams of working for your favorite celebrities or being behind the scenes at New York Fashion Week, but you might not be sure how to make these dreams a reality. Enter a management agency. A management agency works with you to connect you with talent seekers to get you work on those premieres or fashion shows.
“How do I get signed by a management agency?” should be your next logical question. While we at The Tease don’t know for sure, we invited an expert to come tell us exactly that. Kelly Tomlinson Pollack, founder of Tomlinson Management Group joined us to talk about her journey as a talent manager and advice on how you can get signed by a talent agency.
Growing up in Southern California, Kelly Tomlinson Pollack took an early interest in all things glamorous. After completing a bachelor’s degree in communications, she went straight to work for burlesque legend Dita Von Teese. In 2010, she was hired to work at the prestigious Starworks Artists agency, which represented the best of the best in beauty artists at the time. She spent the next few years honing her skills as an agent and developing a sharp eye for talent.
Kelly quickly discovered that she had the natural ability to lead and an innate sense of what would make an artist successful in an industry that requires meticulous management of details and high profile relationships.
In the fall of 2013, Kelly and her soon to be husband Benjamin Pollack, a graduate of the American Film Institute, launched Tomlinson Management Group representing a handful of hairstylists, make up artists and wardrobe stylists. Today it is a multi-million dollar corporation with a reputation as one of the most respected agencies for freelance beauty artists, offering artists a personalized management experience unrivaled in the industry.
Kelly currently resides in Malibu, CA with Benjamin, their four-year-old son Bryce and two shihtzus, Monty and Max.
Interested in hearing more, head below or wherever you stream to get all the tips from one of the best in the business!
“Plant yourself where the bulk of the work happens, A. And then B, there’s, you know, the way that you kind of begin to grow and establish yourself, is by assisting.”
“I mean honestly, genuinely, my biggest criteria is that you are a nice person. That people want to hang out with you because that’s who people book.”
“It’s about holding on loosely to what you’re doing because if you expect to like own a person, or you’re going to do everything with them, or how dare they, or I’m never going to work with you again. You’re going to end up not working with anybody.”
Listen to the full episode here or wherever you stream and head over to our Instagrams @Readthetease and @volumeupbythetease.
