Brandy, who graduated from the M.G. Westmore Academy of Cosmetic Arts and apprenticed at Allan A. Apone’s Makeup Effects Laboratory, began his career as a makeup artist 17 years ago. “I come from a showbiz family. My father is one of the top press agents from his era to date and my mother was a Las Vegas Chorus Line Dancer, so it followed that I would fall prey to the seduction of the ‘industry.’ Makeup became the path because of my teenage hobby of creating Halloween makeup for family and friends.”

A lot has happened since those days of Halloween makeup. During his career Brandy has worked on “Hildalgo,” “Three Kings,” and “Star Trek: Voyager,” among many other features and television series. His most recent work on "Deadwood," however, has been perhaps his most inspiring makeup job to date and the reason seems resoundingly clear. “Two words,” says Brandy. “David Milch! His wild imagination and spin on life offers the artist the most fertile ground on which to ply one’s craft. Each script allowed our creativity to flow freely. When John Rizzo ["Deadwood" makeup department head] and I were first awarded the makeup department, we knew that we would garner industry and peer recognition—it was such a plum assignment.”

Brandy is referring to creator, executive producer and head writer of “Deadwood,” David Milch, whose work on "Hill Street Blues" and "NYPD Blue" make him no stranger to award-winning dramas. In an interview posted on the official HBO "Deadwood" site, Milch had this to say about the real life Deadwood, North Dakota. "This is the equivalent of the first amphibians coming out of the primordial ooze. In March, there was nothing. All the whites were lurking in the hills. In June, there were 10,000 people there. That's a lot of people to move to Buffalo, let alone Indian Territory. It was not part of America. They were an outlaw community, and they knew it.”

It is precisely that kind of chaos and robust life that comes through in the television version of Deadwood and what makes the show so compelling. The broad scope of the show also brings with it particular challenges when creating makeup effects that are as earthy and raw as the production itself. “It’s the sheer volume of work that is challenging," says Brandy. “Deadwood is so large scale. Research was the key. The look of the show is crafted through hand-laid beards, lace hair pieces and out-of-kit makeup for the most part. We also utilized small gelatin and foam rubber appliances—created by Howard Berger’s K&B Creations—as well as special dental “plumpers” that I created for some of our more intense makeup creations.”

As for all that dirt, well, in Hollywood, when is dirt ever really just dirt? As Brandy explains, "Deadwood Dirt" is created each week by Mark Bussan. “It’s the grossest mix of cosmetic ingredients ever concocted—a perfect brew for a gritty show,” says Brandy.

It takes much more than dirt and plumpers to ensure that makeup for a cast as large as Deadwood's runs smoothly. Brandy attributes much of the production finessing to John Rizzo. “John Rizzo’s great strength as a department head,” says Brandy “is his advanced scouting." "He always has a finger on the pulse of the production.” Brandy jokes that he “suspects Rizzo placed bugs in the writer’s office.”

All joking aside, Brandy insists that “Deadwood is really a read-and-react kind of playing field. There is a ton of planning on the fly. I am proud to say that it was a daily challenge that John, Ron and myself handled almost flawlessly.”

Above all else, what seems to be the most important element in making this such a successful team is professionalism and a high level of mutual respect. “John Rizzo raised the level of his creative artistry to new heights,” says Brandy. "Ron Snyder is, simply, a master of his craft and Carol Pershing, Terrell Baliel and Kimberly Spiteri are the best trio of stylists I have ever worked with. They truly are worthy of their Emmy Awards.”


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