What does a typical Thursday look like for you, starting from when you wake up – to heading to bed ?

There is no typical Thursday in this industry. My Thursday could consist of being on set and styling a space, shopping for props, picking up artwork that we borrow for shoots, antiquing in northern Ontario, going to site checks and attending meetings about what we’re designing next . These are all reasons why I love my job. One day is never the same as the next. I’m definitely not a “sit at a desk all day” kind of gal. Days spent working off set are 8 hours whilst days on set could range from 8 – 18 hours. If I’ve got a few free hours in the evening I’ll probably be “networking”… also known as going out with friends.

1. What was your first job out of school? My first job was for a design show on HGTV as a Design Assistant . I was in a co-op placement there during the last few months of school, obtaining my work study hours, and was hired there after I completed school.

I worked my way up in that job to Design Stylist and am now leaving it to be the

Designer for a new show on The Women’s Network.

2. What are the 3 skills you require most to do your job well?

  • Good sense of design
  • Always taking chances
  • Problem solving

3. What do you love most about your career? The satisfaction of seeing people happy and loving their new space.

4. If a woman wanted to get into this business, what are your recommendations as to how they should start? I studied Interior Design in school and that definitely helped me to gain entry into my career. Interior Design also provided me with the versatility, not only to style a room, but also to design it fully if need be. There are full time positions available or you can always be self employed and work on a contract basis.

Craig’s List is a great resource to find Stylist positions and other job postings in the television and movie industry.

www.craigslist.com

5. Do you have any words of caution? Not really. I would just say find which area of styling best suits you. For instance, there is staging which might involve styling a home for a real-estate agent who is preparing it for sale. There are also opportunities to work in still photography, television and movies.

6. If you could try a different career for a year, what would it be?

I would love to be a rock star for a year. I think it would be pretty wild with the people you’d meet, the places you’d travel to and just the experience of how it feels to be famous.