Christelsie Johnson guides aspiring film and TV makeup artists in one of her workshops in June 2025. (Photos courtesy of Christelsie Johnson)
ArtsATL’s new series, Set Life, focuses on local creatives who work in Atlanta’s film and television industry. We’ll talk to those who work on both sides of the camera and explore their struggles and successes in navigating Georgia’s volatile film and TV scene.
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Forget the face. Christelsie Johnson sees far beyond it in her craft as a professional makeup artist. Instead, she sees the entire human being seated before her as an opportunity to reflect a complex character and convey a story authentically.
As a makeup artist for film and television, Johnson works primarily as a department head. In this role, her personal style surrounding makeup — and her use of the art form for altruism — finds its broadest reach.
“I’m responsible for hiring the makeup crew, for reading the script and breaking it down to choose makeup looks for the characters, for organizing the department correctly and for communicating with the director and producers regarding looks for the show,” Johnson describes.

Another critical function of Johnson’s job is making certain there is continuity in actors’ makeup and looks from scene to scene and in every single shot.
While makeup artistry in film and television and department leadership is fulfilling and fascinating for her, it wasn’t Johnson’s first calling — that undertaking was nonprofit work.
“In 2004, I was working at a teen parenting school [BETA, or Building Education and Teen Achievement] as a teacher, then I took a job in their counseling center as director of arts in therapy,” says Johnson, who earned her degree in theater with a concentration in acting and a minor in education at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Florida.
At the end of August 2005, when Hurricane Katrina hit, the nonprofit center’s funding for arts in therapy programs shifted to support the hurricane victims. This repositioning of funds, as it turns out, allowed Johnson a chance to use her creative skills in new areas.
“I took a job with MAC Cosmetics to supplement my income, and that’s when the opportunities started opening up,” Johnson describes. In the new role, she honed her approach to makeup artistry — which was not a “look” at all.
“I like to enhance beauty and not give somebody a totally new face. It’s more of a natural approach,” Johnson says.
Her work with MAC in the cosmetics industry opened up opportunities to work on videos and commercials as well. So when the film and entertainment industry began flourishing full-force in Georgia, Johnson relocated to Atlanta where her sister lived.
“It was the most natural move, and it was an easier transition than going to LA,” she adds.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity here in Atlanta, even as the industry ebbs and flows,” Johnson notes. “Sometimes there’s more work than others, but I’m grateful to be an artist and department head who’s worked consistently lately. I also love to give opportunities to other makeup artists.”
In her work as department head, she hires an average of five to seven people to staff the makeup department on each film or television series. She’s also a member of the hair and makeup union, Local 798, where she’s able to draw upon a number of other artists looking for work in the film and TV industry.
Nonprofit work, however — and using her leadership skills in entrepreneurial efforts that focus on helping others — has remained an active part of Johnson’s personal palette of passions. As such, Johnson is CEO of a nonprofit she created, Intentionally P.R.E.T.T.Y. Inc.

“It’s important to feel good about yourself from day to day,” Johnson says about the company’s mission. “P.R.E.T.T.Y is an acronym for Put Real Effort Towards Treating Yourself.”
Perhaps most beautiful of all, the venture is directed toward helping people in underserved communities by offering programs that address physical, mental and economic wellness needs. As part of Intentionally P.R.E.T.T.Y.’s physical wellness initiative, Johnson created Beating Cancer Beautifully programs, where many of her peers in the film and television community come together to provide services to people grappling with cancer.
“In 2020, I was diagnosed with cancer when everything shut down,” Johnson shares. “And while this nonprofit venture is not a source of income yet, it’s a way of giving back.”
She does acknowledge the importance of outside sources of income for those working in Atlanta’s film and television industries, though. For herself, that income comes from offering beauty services and workshops for aspiring makeup artists and hairstylists who want to pursue a professional career in the field. These film industry-relevant workshops — offered through another company she founded called My T.R.U.E. Beauty LLC — are offered twice each year.
“The most recent one this summer was on June 8, and most of the attendees were from out of state,” Johnson says. “It’s rewarding because they’re so excited, and they walk away learning so much and it empowers them to take the next step in their careers.”
What’s the thing she teaches that surprises up-and-coming professional makeup artists eyeing film and television as their niche?
“Based on my latest workshop, students were most surprised that we have to read the script,” Johnson laughs. “Along with how much what we do is based on the script. The makeup must make sense for the character being created.”

As an intuitive and passionate script reader in her own work as a makeup artist and department leader, Johnson says with conviction that she doesn’t necessarily have a favorite character or film in her repertoire of nearly 60 professional film and television projects to date.
“I’m grateful for each opportunity I get to use my talent and to have the opportunity to work and create,” she notes.
There was one story that sticks with her and stands out as one of her favorite film sets to work on, though. As she describes: “It was a small one, ‘When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakeley Story’ (2017), directed by Tasha Smith and based on a true story. It gave me the opportunity to do some period work, as well as to tell Falicia Blakeley’s story.”
Blakely, Johnson goes on to describe, was an Atlanta woman in an abusive, controlling relationship who committed a murder and wound up in jail. “It’s a sad story of control and abuse and of when you don’t have proper guidance,” she adds.
True to the nonprofit calling she mingles with makeup, Johnson saw the story as an opportunity to teach an important lesson to viewers who may need it most — a chance to give back some of the good fortune she has found through a creative career.
“I think we were put here to give back,” she states. “Our gifts and talents are given to us to be a blessing to other people.”
For Johnson, she’ll continue transforming herself and others through storytelling and beauty — from the inside out.
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Carol Badaracco Padgett is an Atlanta-based freelance writer who focuses on film and television, the automotive industry, architectural design and collaborative storytelling projects.