We had the good fortune of connecting with Angel E. Dickholtz and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Angel E., we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I believe it to be true that any career as a creative comes with some level of risk, whether that be artistically or financially. I moved to NYC just after I had turned 21, with no full time job lined up, and only three-four months living in savings. That definitely was a risk. But it was a necessary risk for my career to be where it is today. There was a risk in eventually leaving NYC and moving back to Oklahoma during 2020 after excepting two feature film contracts, but it resulted in helping create seven feature films back-to-back through 2021.
In 2022, I was offered a full-time position as a Show Producer at a non-profit production company in Phoenix. I loved the opportunity to live in Arizona but the company ended up being a whirlwind in the workplace. Fortunately it led to me meeting my husband, Austin, while hosting a weekly “Taco Tuesday” mixer for co-workers.
Moving to Dallas in 2023 with Austin after we eloped over New Years was in parts a risk, but that risk has been the most rewarding of them all. Texas has become a phenomenal home-base for our narrative and commercial work and we are aiming to help set roots for the growing entertainment industries here.
Geographical risks aside, each project I take on can be a risk to invest time and creative energy into but I do enjoy taking risks, to a degree. I trust my faith and intuition when it comes to taking risks, God has gotten me this far.
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Through my years of experience on set, I cultivated a portfolio as a Hair & Makeup Designer/Department Head. I lead a group of artists, I oversee the looks of every character, as well as background actors and I prep the team to maintain continuity throughout production.
A good portion in the process of filming a project is pre-production. I will spend time designing and building the looks in collaboration with the Directors, Cinematographers, Costume Designers, and Production Designers to keep things cohesive.
Budgeting for products is a consistent aspect of being a department head. There is the aspect of maintaining continued education in an ever updating industry. This also requires building relationships with brands. In addition to products and tools, I build a collection of wigs & extensions, which is currently an area I am focused on expanding. Both on and off set, I take on coloring and haircut maintenance. I re-built a clientele during/after covid after I moved from NYC. Though now that the strikes are over and the film industry is picking back up, my time off set, through a private clientele at 5014 Salon in Dallas, is slimming down. I am thankful for Rachel Voss for the space and all of the talented artists there that I can trust my clients with when I am on set.
In terms of things in the works right now, there is a feature film, “Model House”, that I was the hair department head on. It was recently released on April 5th in select theaters and On-Demand. One of the feature films that I was the Hair & Makeup Designer on, which is in post-production, is “Killin’ Jim Kelly”, a western set in the 1860s that filmed around the DFW area. I have two feature films that I am currently producing, one titled “Stairway”. Which centers around a Jewish coming-of-age boy fleeing Vienna for Texas during the Holocaust. Anything else at the moment is under NDA, fingers crossed!
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Recently, I became obsessed with Carte Blanche. I was referred to their restaurant for dinner but then I discovered their pastries and now, I want one practically every weekend. Their French Toast Bostock was heavenly.
Another honorary mention would have to be St Martin’ Wine Bistro, that is a favorite date night spot. Their soups and lamb are always a highlight.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Always and forever, my husband, Austin. His support and love for me as a wife, best friend, co-worker and artist encourages me to flourish and challenges me to be the best version of myself. He helps me maintain sanity in those long 12 hour days on-set.
I am thankful to the Dallas Producers Association; they are such a wonderful community and resource for locals to utilize.
The Texas Film Commission has been a blessing in getting the state more and more film friendly as the entertainment industry here grows. The fact that they rose the cap for motion picture incentives to $200 million is a huge win for the film economy here. Thanks to creators like Taylor Sheridan and Matthew McConaughey for utilizing this incentive, they bring more attention to the opportunities Texas has.
Website: aandacinema.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theangelelizabeth/
Other: Model House On-Demand: https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/model-house/umc.cmc.6ljty5xdwk5smgyf5vyukjojc