Also called: Key Hair Stylist, Department Head Hair
Designs and maintains period, character and continuity hairstyles for movies, TV shows and theater.
Call time is 5 a.m. She pins a 1920s wig on the lead actor, then spends the day on set touching up hair between takes and photographing every style so it matches when scenes are shot weeks apart.
Union day rates are high but work comes in projects with gaps.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 5 years after high school. Cosmetology license; union (IATSE Local 706 and others) membership after logging set days; wig and period skills.
Ways in: Trade school, Certification, On-the-job training, Apprenticeship. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Cosmetology (trade school), Theatre Arts.
Growing about average. Concentrated in LA, New York, Atlanta and other production hubs.
Low risk for 10 years. Software tracks continuity photos, but building period and character hair on actors on set is hands-on and union-protected.
Classes: Cosmetology CTE program, Theater tech crew, History.
Official data: O*NET occupation 39-5091.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.