Today we’d like to introduce you to Jake Porath.
Hi Jake, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I grew up in Centerville, Minnesota and I’ve always been drawn to Halloween and spooky things. When I was six years old, my grandpa had an old VHS copy of Night of the Living Dead. We watched it together and it blew my mind. I was absolutely obsessed with horror movies, zombies, and science-fiction in general. He also taught me how to build stuff with my hands. My Dad took me to the haunted Dead End Hayride every year, and Halloween was just kind of my thing. I loved doing makeup as a kid, and my first makeup job was when I was in Centennial Middle School, and I applied makeup for the play The Little Mermaid.
I got really into sculpting in high school, and I made my very first mask when I was at Northwest Passage High School in Coon Rapids.
At that point in my life, it was just something I was really into and I didn’t realize I could make a career out of it until my Mom told me about the Tom Savini Special-Effects Makeup School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I knew right away that’s how I wanted to spend the rest of my life.
I went to school in Pittsburgh in 2016 and started my film career journey. I had already worked on a few sets before graduating, and I had an opportunity to make some zombies for George Romero when he was winning an Eli Award in 2017.
After college, I moved back to Minnesota for a while and worked at Kelly’s Korner in Centerville and also at the Dead End Hay Ride trying to save up money to move to L.A.
In 2019, I moved to Hollywood without knowing anyone there. I was trying to make friends and connections, so I went to school again and took some classes at Cinema Makeup School until the pandemic. That was enough to get me started, and I started working on student films and Indy films just trying to get my name out there. Everything was going to plan until last year, I went to go visit a friend in San Francisco for Thanksgiving 2021.
Unfortunately, the night of the 24th I was coming out of a gas station and crossing the street in the crosswalk when I was struck by a car traveling roughly 30 mph. I flew 20 feet in the air before landing on my head, fracturing my skull. I was rushed to the hospital and had emergency brain surgery to relieve the pressure. I was in a coma for about a week, and the doctors warned my parents that my chances were not very good and when I woke up I was going to be a different person. My Mom and Dad held out hope.
When I woke up, my memories were all over the place and I couldn’t remember my parents. I couldn’t remember my name and I had to relearn how to walk and think again, which is a weird thing as an adult. It was also strange to not remember being a Makeup Artist and how passionate I am about it.
When I finally did get more of my memory back, I was afraid I couldn’t do it anymore. It took me a while to get back on my feet, but I felt like I could not wait and had to prove to myself I could do it.
The last year has driven me to keep pushing and not stop because time is so limited. I was very fortunate to be able to have a second chance at life. Only a few weeks after I got out of the hospital, I was offered the opportunity to apply makeup at IMATS (International Makeup Artist Trade Show) with Thomas Surprenant. I also got a job in a shop running foam latex prosthetics (Foam Guys FX). I was lucky enough to help run some of the foam latex on the new Chucky TV show and a few others I can’t talk about yet. I was fortunate enough to work on a new Miramax film titled Strange Darlings with Vincent J. Guastini.
In the last year, I’ve been able to work with some of my Horror icon; heroes like Kane Hodder, Tony Todd, Ted Raimi, Jake Busey, Lew Temple. I have also worked on a short film for the Tribeca Film Festival called Alien the Other, and have worked on projects in CA, OR, NM, AZ, NV, PA, OH and Tijuana, Mexico.
It has been a really crazy year full of ups and downs, especially with my memory and pain from my accident, but I never gave up.
When I moved to Los Angeles with the dream of being a Makeup Artist, I never imagined I could feel this good, and I would not be here without all of the support I have gotten from my family and friends.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a special effects makeup artist for film and TV I work in some FX shops making prosthetic masks creature suits monsters and fake dead body. I also am working as a Makeup artist on film sets and I Specialize in Prosthetic makeup but I also do beauty makeup and male corrective makeup.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love it because it’s my home it’s where my family is and my grandparents and my parents who I’m so close with and great full for I have never been a fan of the cold tho I have never liked that
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8911582/
- Instagram: jake_porath_sfx
Image Credits
Makeup on Reinaldo Zavarce Peche for Earth or The Monster of Tierra Amarilla (2023) Makeup I assisted Ashley Aldridge applied on Alan Maxson for ‘tu: li: (Short 2022) Ghoul Makeup for Titanic 666 (2022) Punk demon Makeup on Noah Freeman 2020 Makeup on Anthony Horad (Dolo Duce Duke) for comes and goes Makeup by me and Angie Shellhamer applied on Kurt Bonzel for Pig Killer (2022) Background Makeup Applied for Crises Earth (2023) Makeup on Lorelei Linklater for American Trash (2023)
