Banijay UK Unveils Course for Black & Asian Makeup Artists

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Banijay UK, in response to a lack of Black and Asian makeup artists in the U.K. TV and film industry, has launched a dedicated prosthetic application course.

Free to join, the weeklong intensive training course is intended for individuals who are looking to accelerate their makeup skills and experience in the industry. It will be run by Neill Gorton, CEO of Millennium FX and Gorton Studio, who has won BAFTA and RTS awards as a makeup designer during his 35-year career. Millennium FX is Europe’s largest supplier of prosthetics, special makeup and animatronic FX to film and TV.

Gorton will be joined by Rebecca Butterworth, director of makeup at Millennium FX, and Deb Watson, a makeup, hair and prosthetics designer with 30 years of experience in the film industry.

Lucinda Hicks, CEO of Banijay UK, said: “There are certain areas of the TV and film industry which are still woefully white. And makeup is one of them. Talking to Lenny Henry, CEO of one of our own companies, Douglas Road, about his experiences on set, particularly when it came to specialist makeup, inspired us to do something proactive to address this disparity. Neill and his team have been amazing and having someone of his experience run this for us is incredible.”

Henry added: “This is such a brilliant idea. With the advent of more sci-fi/fantasy projects filming in the U.K., we need a more diverse SFX/prosthetic workforce. I applaud everyone involved.”

Gorton said: “I jumped at the opportunity to be involved. The industry has seen a significant increase in demand for prosthetic makeup skills in recent years, and this demand is just not matched by talent, especially diverse talent. My aim is to give those selected the skills and confidence to take their careers to new levels and make way for a new generation of prosthetic artists.”