Laredoan signs with ‘Kim Dawson Agency’

LAREDO, TX. (KGNS) - A Laredo native officially signs with one of the premier talent agencies in the southwest that has discovered the likes of artists including Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato.

Belene Garza, hair and makeup artist, is now the youngest and first non-gender conforming person in the Texas market to land a job with the Kim Dawson Agency which is known worldwide for finding top models and talent.

According to the bio of Dallas-based talent agency, they represent women, men and children for print, fashion, feature films, television and voice-overs.

“By chance, through a specific client wanting to work with me,” Belene recalled. “That triggered, like, ‘Oh, this person is wanted, let’s get them on [the Kim Dawson] team’,” they add.

Like many kids, Belene was introduced to makeup through their mother, who sold Mary Kay cosmetics.

But, the passion for makeup really grew once Belene left for college.

“That’s when the boom of YouTube and beauty YouTube really rose,” said Belene. “[YouTube] just really inspired me to get more creative, and so I decided to get a job in the cosmetic retail industry,” they added.

Seven years of work in the retail industry was the perfect stepping stone and practice to get them where they are today.

But, Belene said it was a lot of hard work.

“At the end of the day, it is about networking, who you know and hustling,” Belene said. “It’s a lot of work. I’m working all of the time. I’m even doing a lot of free projects, just so I can expand my network, and I feel like last year I really honed in on that to get me to where I am now,” they added.

Belene is the agency’s first contracted makeup artist, and soon you’ll see their work in the commercials and ads for some of the agency’s top clients like JcPenney and Neiman Marcus.

“Not a lot of people know about this side of the [makeup] industry,” Belene said. “I feel like YouTube kind of created this idea of what a makeup artist is, and so working in the commercial fashion scene is not something a lot of people strive for, especially because it takes a lot of work,” they added.

For those wishing to follow in Belene’s footsteps, the only advice they have is to be intentional with your pursuits and stand out.

For more headlines. click here.

Copyright 2023 KGNS. All rights reserved.