[dropcap letter=”A”]esthetic Artist Agency is a business only three months in the making, but it has already experienced considerable growth and interest in the Indianapolis community. The brainchild of makeup artist Danelle French and her business partner Lori Adams, Aesthetic Artist Agency is exclusively for artists – wardrobe stylists, makeup artists, and hair stylists.
The agency is filling a need in Indiana’s fashion industry that benefits both the artist and client. For the artist, “we really get to work with each of our artists to take them on the path that they want to be on,” says French. “Whether it’s working in TV or film, or runway and editorial, or production work. There’s so many different fragments of the industry, so this allows us to really concentrate on what each artist wants and where they want to take their career.” On the client side, the agency provides a sense of reliability and professionalism. “This will be a great chance for [businesses] to hire artists that they know will show up on time, and will be professional,” says French. “It also gives them the added benefit that if an emergency were to happen and one of our artists couldn’t get there, we would be able to provide them with someone else so they wouldn’t be stuck having to reschedule something.”
In the beauty industry, reliability and professionalism are expected of artists, but, unfortunately, not always guaranteed. With Aesthetic Artist Agency, French and Adams are building their business based on these tenets in order to establish a respectable and trustworthy brand. “Without having a place to find artists, it’s either word of mouth or random Google searches,” explains French. “If that’s the case, you don’t always know the level of professionalism you’re going to get, some people can be flaky and not show up for jobs. We put in our contract if you no call, no show a client, it’s automatic termination of your contract.”
Lack of reliability and professionalism are not the only deal breakers for Aesthetic Artist Agency — an inability to work on a diverse range of clients is another. “It’s a huge problem in the industry, and that was one of the reasons for getting this [agency] started,” explains Adams. “That is one of our big pitches to clients: we do not have anyone on our roster, and we will not sign anyone, that cannot work on all skin tones, with all hair textures and all body types. And they all have to have a kit that can accommodate that. No showing up and asking someone to bring their own foundation.”
While the business is still in its early stages, French and Adams have big plans for the future of Aesthetic Artist Agency. “Within a year, [our goal is] to be regularly booking out our artists,” explains French. “Within three years, to be on a regional scale. And within five years to be working nationally and internationally.” French and Adams also hope the agency will help to standardize rates for artists. “I think it will help people get paid what they should be getting paid,” states Adams. “When everyone bids on the same job, undercuts each other, and [the client] goes with the lowest bid, then no one ends up getting paid what they should be getting paid.”
French and Adams hope to not only grow Aesthetic Artist Agency, but to help each of their artists grow as well. “We have some incredible talent here,” states French. “The Midwest gets a very bad rep. Part of that reputation has been earned because of not having something in place to hire reliable people.” Through the founding of Aesthetic Artist Agency, French and Adams aim to give Midwest-based artists more opportunities. “We want to put the talent here on a national level because they should be,” says French. “There’s no reason not to,” adds Adams.
Stay up to date with Aesthetic Artist Agency on Instagram. To learn more about the agency visit their website. And if you’re an artist interested in applying, contact French and Adams here.
“Right now, I believe this is the only agency in Indiana that is exclusively for artists,” French explains. “We definitely saw a need here for that type of representation in the industry. There’s lots of amazing agencies in town for actors and models and that type of work, but not for this side. We want to add a level of professionalism to the artists working here.”
