My inspiration for this post came from my dear, longtime blogging friend, Debbie @ Musings by an ND Domer's Mom, who is not only a gifted...
Yes, it's true...I really did do Tom Brokaw's makeup, back in October of 1998.
"Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye!"
I was living in Orlando, Florida at the time and working as a freelance makeup artist.
I mostly did weddings and photo shoots, but would occasionally do film and video work.
Magically one day, a makeup artist friend of mine called and asked if I would be interested in taking her place on a job she could no longer commit to because of a family emergency. It was a 2-day television gig out at Cape Canaveral that would be broadcasting John Glenn's returned to space on the Space Shuttle Discovery. He was 77 at that time.
And after she told me what they would be paying for my services, I quickly said, “Sure!...Yes!...Yes!...Yes!”
She informed me that I would be working for NBC, and most likely doing the hair and makeup for anchorman, Tom Brokaw.
"Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye!"
I was living in Orlando, Florida at the time and working as a freelance makeup artist.
I mostly did weddings and photo shoots, but would occasionally do film and video work.
Magically one day, a makeup artist friend of mine called and asked if I would be interested in taking her place on a job she could no longer commit to because of a family emergency. It was a 2-day television gig out at Cape Canaveral that would be broadcasting John Glenn's returned to space on the Space Shuttle Discovery. He was 77 at that time.
And after she told me what they would be paying for my services, I quickly said, “Sure!...Yes!...Yes!...Yes!”
She informed me that I would be working for NBC, and most likely doing the hair and makeup for anchorman, Tom Brokaw.
(Kate Couric and Matt Lauer were also scheduled to be there)
Now to be honest, I had never worked on a celebrity before so I was extremely nervous.
But a few days later, I drove out to the Cape with all my hair and makeup gear in the hatchback of my Hyundai. I also brought along a few books and some snacks, because so much of the work you do in video and film involves waiting tedious hours between setups.
Once I got to the Space Center, I was given a security pass and then shown where I could set up my makeup chair and supplies. I arrived around noon, even though I knew the first broadcast wouldn’t be aired until 6 o’clock that evening. I'm very much like a Boy Scout, I am hyper-conscious about being on time and overly-prepared whenever I work.
So, after I set up all my supplies, I pretty much sat and sat, and read and read, and snacked and snacked, until finally one of the television crew members walked in and told me that Tom Brokaw had arrived, and was ready for me.
I grabbed my makeup case and was escorted to the roof of the NBC building.
I’ll never forget this moment for as long as I live because it felt so surreal.
As we got to the rooftop, I saw Mr. Brokaw sitting in a chair working on his laptop. The crew member pointed, and said to me, “Well, there he is…just go over and introduce yourself to him.”
OMG…I thought I was going to poop, faint, and then crack my head on the cement floor.
As I walked over to him, it felt as if everything was happening in slow motion.
When I got directly in front of him, I extended my hand and said, “Hi Mr. Brokaw, I’m Ron Carnavil and I’ll be doing your hair and makeup.”
He quickly looked up at me and said (with that distinct voice. yeah, you know the voice I'm talking about. that "tom brokaw" voice), “Hi Ron…you’ll have to work around me because I’m busy preparing, okay?”
I responded, “Sure…not a problem.”
So I took out my makeup and hair supplies, and began preparing him for the camera.
And need I tell you how much my hands were shaking? But I was proud of myself because I did so without dropping anything on the floor.
After I was done he said, "Thank you", and then walked to the set. He didn't even glance at himself in a mirror to see how he looked. I got the feeling that he was not at all self-conscious or concerned about his appearance.
Once the broadcast began, my job was to stand off-camera and watch Mr. Brokaw closely; making sure he looked perfect. And during the commercial breaks, I would run in front of the cameras and powder his face and re-comb his hair. I had been warned by one of the NBC producers that Mr. Brokaw had an annoying habit of running his fingers though his hair after a stylist would get it combed. And she was right. I spent the better part of those two days combing and spraying, and then re-combing and re-spraying his hair.
The second day was rather intense because the camera crew was constantly moving; shooting live footage in various locations (both indoors and out). So there I was, running behind everyone, trying to squeeze myself into where I needed to be, and then getting the hell out of the way of the cameras before they called, "in three...two...one...LIVE!"
It was on the second day that Katie Couric and Matt Lauer arrived, so I got to meet them as well.
It was extremely windy that day, therefore, Mr. Brokaw's hair was flying all over the place. And just as I got it all plastered down, he would run his hands through it, so I would quickly have to run behind him with a a comb and a can of hair spray.
And it’s funny because during those entire two days of working with him, he never actually spoke to me. Yet, I could sense that it wasn’t because he was being rude or uppity in any way, but rather that he had a million things on his mind and was focusing on those things. His demeanor was strictly business-like. He was there to do his job, and I was there to do my job. And, honestly, I was totally okay with that.
However, when he was getting ready to leave at the end of the second day, he did make a point of walking up to me and shaking my hand, saying, “Thank you for your help, Ron”
Which I really appreciated.
Many years later, whilst walking into a Barnes & Noble bookstore, I just so happened to spot Tom Brokaw's latest book sitting on a shelf.
I smiled as I picked up the book, and thought, "I remember when I did that man's makeup for NBC!"
And as I closed my eyes, I recalled how fabulous he looked on-camera after I did his makeup and combed his hair 500,000 times within those two days.
In fact, I don't ever recall him looking any better...
Now to be honest, I had never worked on a celebrity before so I was extremely nervous.
But a few days later, I drove out to the Cape with all my hair and makeup gear in the hatchback of my Hyundai. I also brought along a few books and some snacks, because so much of the work you do in video and film involves waiting tedious hours between setups.
Once I got to the Space Center, I was given a security pass and then shown where I could set up my makeup chair and supplies. I arrived around noon, even though I knew the first broadcast wouldn’t be aired until 6 o’clock that evening. I'm very much like a Boy Scout, I am hyper-conscious about being on time and overly-prepared whenever I work.
So, after I set up all my supplies, I pretty much sat and sat, and read and read, and snacked and snacked, until finally one of the television crew members walked in and told me that Tom Brokaw had arrived, and was ready for me.
I grabbed my makeup case and was escorted to the roof of the NBC building.
I’ll never forget this moment for as long as I live because it felt so surreal.
As we got to the rooftop, I saw Mr. Brokaw sitting in a chair working on his laptop. The crew member pointed, and said to me, “Well, there he is…just go over and introduce yourself to him.”
OMG…I thought I was going to poop, faint, and then crack my head on the cement floor.
As I walked over to him, it felt as if everything was happening in slow motion.
When I got directly in front of him, I extended my hand and said, “Hi Mr. Brokaw, I’m Ron Carnavil and I’ll be doing your hair and makeup.”
He quickly looked up at me and said (with that distinct voice. yeah, you know the voice I'm talking about. that "tom brokaw" voice), “Hi Ron…you’ll have to work around me because I’m busy preparing, okay?”
I responded, “Sure…not a problem.”
So I took out my makeup and hair supplies, and began preparing him for the camera.
And need I tell you how much my hands were shaking? But I was proud of myself because I did so without dropping anything on the floor.
After I was done he said, "Thank you", and then walked to the set. He didn't even glance at himself in a mirror to see how he looked. I got the feeling that he was not at all self-conscious or concerned about his appearance.
Once the broadcast began, my job was to stand off-camera and watch Mr. Brokaw closely; making sure he looked perfect. And during the commercial breaks, I would run in front of the cameras and powder his face and re-comb his hair. I had been warned by one of the NBC producers that Mr. Brokaw had an annoying habit of running his fingers though his hair after a stylist would get it combed. And she was right. I spent the better part of those two days combing and spraying, and then re-combing and re-spraying his hair.
The second day was rather intense because the camera crew was constantly moving; shooting live footage in various locations (both indoors and out). So there I was, running behind everyone, trying to squeeze myself into where I needed to be, and then getting the hell out of the way of the cameras before they called, "in three...two...one...LIVE!"
It was on the second day that Katie Couric and Matt Lauer arrived, so I got to meet them as well.
It was extremely windy that day, therefore, Mr. Brokaw's hair was flying all over the place. And just as I got it all plastered down, he would run his hands through it, so I would quickly have to run behind him with a a comb and a can of hair spray.
And it’s funny because during those entire two days of working with him, he never actually spoke to me. Yet, I could sense that it wasn’t because he was being rude or uppity in any way, but rather that he had a million things on his mind and was focusing on those things. His demeanor was strictly business-like. He was there to do his job, and I was there to do my job. And, honestly, I was totally okay with that.
However, when he was getting ready to leave at the end of the second day, he did make a point of walking up to me and shaking my hand, saying, “Thank you for your help, Ron”
Which I really appreciated.
Many years later, whilst walking into a Barnes & Noble bookstore, I just so happened to spot Tom Brokaw's latest book sitting on a shelf.
I smiled as I picked up the book, and thought, "I remember when I did that man's makeup for NBC!"
And as I closed my eyes, I recalled how fabulous he looked on-camera after I did his makeup and combed his hair 500,000 times within those two days.
In fact, I don't ever recall him looking any better...
Is it any wonder that he thanked me?
Have a delightful weekend, everyone!
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