Inspiring Conversations with Cristy Guy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cristy Guy.

Hi Cristy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Sports, Makeup and Design…Who knew my 3 passions would one day merge into not only a successful freelance makeup, hair and wardrobe styling business but also numerous sports experiences of a lifetime! At the root of all this goodness, I am a small town Kansas girl who had big city dreams.

These big city dreams were put on hold for a few more months after experiencing the deep loss of my mother shortly after graduating high school. It was a difficult decision to head off to college, however, I knew I had to persevere with my plans of attending The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles. I knew she would want me to push forward. Not an easy feat but I was determined to finish despite the circumstances. I did indeed; I graduated cum laude in fashion design from FIDM. Needing time to re-group, I made the decision to return home to Southwest Kansas then made the move to Kansas City.

Once in Kansas City, I worked for Lee Jeans and Jones & Mitchell Sportswear before landing a truly pivotal position in my life and career at Populous (formerly HOK Sport) as a marketing assistant then I was quickly promoted to graphic designer. Here, I was introduced to a business environment, way of marketing and sports on a whole other level. Working on projects directly for the Kansas City Chiefs organization, creating proposals, graphics, design presentations and logos for the NFL, NHL, MLB and minor league baseball teams, facilities and owner’s meetings. Honing my marketing skills based on the Populous way, I realized maybe just maybe I could take what I’ve learned here and pair it with my other 2 passions of makeup and fashion to form a business of my own.

I did just that! I researched and studied more and more about the business side of makeup and fashion styling. During this building period, I also went back to Los Angeles and Chicago to study under top makeup and hair artists to round out my skill set. Put in lots of time and effort building my portfolio and headed to the Hallmark photo studio for an interview. Hallmark welcomed me aboard as a styling assistant where I crafted props, painted sets and styled for two years before taking the leap into my own freelance makeup, hair and wardrobe styling career! I’ve never looked back in 21 years. 🙂

Sports has always been a common theme, kind of “running in the background” of my life and career opportunities. Also, I’ve been a Kansas City Chiefs fan since a very young age. Fast forward to my freelance makeup, hair and wardrobe styling business where I work on TV commercials, advertising campaigns, corporate communications and on live events. I am hired to work with major brands, corporations, professional athletes, politicians and TV networks. A few examples of these brands and corporations include Under Armour, Nike Golf, Hallmark, Wendy’s, U.S. Army, NFL Network, Bose, McDonald’s, Netflix and Essentia Water. Professional athletes include Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, former Houston Texan JJ Watt, UFC’s Jon Jones, MLB’s Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer, KC Chiefs legend Lenny Dawson and many more.

I don’t only work on sports projects. I also work with local and national companies, personal clients, on a handful of weddings and have toured 5 years across the globe with The Magic the Gathering Pro Tour getting players and commentators “camera ready” for live stream coverage.

From the corporate view at the sports architecture firm to refining my styling skills at Hallmark to running my own business working with athletes and sports brands; all of these roads led to one amazing experience of a lifetime for any Kansas City Chiefs or NFL football fan for that matter! I became the Official Confetti Launcher of Super Bowl LIV launching the confetti for the post-game celebration from the field at Hardrock Stadium in Miami, FL! Talk about a dream come true.

I won this trip to Super Bowl LIV from the NFL100 Campaign. Celebrating 100 years of football led to some amazing fan experiences throughout that year. I had no idea of any of this when I committed to creating game day face paint designs and posting them regularly on Instagram every Chiefs game day during the 2019 football season. I wanted something fun and creative to do to be totally immersed in the football season.

For one of my designs I created in November of 2019, I created a face paint design of the winning play from the 1970’s KC Chiefs Super Bowl win; the 65 Toss Power Trap play. Little did I know this would become the perfect contest submission for the NFL100 contest to win a VIP Trip to Super Bowl LIV! I saw the contest announcement, submitted this design and a few other pictures along with a fun post on Instagram. As the Chiefs kept winning, I received a DM on Instagram from the NFL stating I was a semi-finalist. You can imagine my excitement! I knew to get to that point, I beat out lots and lots of other fans! Then the Chiefs won the last playoff game and the NFL congratulated me as a finalist going to Super Bowl LIV, walking the red carpet at the NFL Honors awards, concerts, the Super Bowl Experience and so much more!

Fast forward as the Super Bowl game clock was ticking, we were moved out onto the sidelines of the field. The NFL representatives positioned myself and the 49er’s winner close to the confetti cannon. With the clock at 0:00 and a Chiefs win on the scoreboard, the stadium erupted into a whole lot of excitement. As I received my own countdown, 3-2-1, I hit the button and launched the post-game celebration confetti! It was truly an unbelievable experience of a lifetime!

This experience is what compelled me to create We Are Red Kingdom! An Instagram page to showcase all things KC Chiefs from a fun, stylistic point of view. You won’t find game day statistics or injury reports but you will find behind-the-scenes images from my Super Bowl LIV experience, my sports crafting & sewing projects, unique finds and businesses highlighted for their fun fashions, accessories and home decor ideas all about the Chiefs!

Everything has come full circle. It was an honor to have my makeup skills acknowledged by the National Football League and my Chiefs fandom rewarded on such a high level! I’m even a bigger fan now if that’s possible!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As a freelancer, there are always challenges! It comes with being self-employed. This is also what some of the attraction is to being my own boss. I do feel like most of my challenges have been personal with losing my mother early in life and also my father way too early. After facing and overcoming these challenges, it makes those that come from business not nearly as hard to deal with. I face each one head one with (a few Diet Dr. Peppers) then figure out a plan, ask for advice if needed and keep moving forward. There are always options; sometimes identifying them is the hardest part.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?

I work as a freelance makeup artist, hairstylist and wardrobe stylist for TV commercials, advertising campaigns, corporate communications, TV networks, live events and with individuals for personal makeup sessions and with brides.

What sets me apart is I’m a triple talent of being a makeup, hair and wardrobe stylist. Known for bringing outstanding creativity, an unmatched work ethic and attention to detail to the on-set experience. This is definitely a benefit for my commercial clients. I can view the project from many perspectives and offer insight. Also, natural makeup is my niche which not only my commercial clients appreciate but my personal clients as well!

They love looking like themselves but polished up for the camera:-) Men also appreciate my natural looking “no makeup, makeup look”. When called upon, I can also create special f/x makeup looks and black light makeup! Oh, did I forget to mention, beach waves are my thing when styling hair! Of course, I can do other styles as well. 🙂

I’m truly most proud of seeing how far I’ve come over the years from my very first gig to traveling the world, working with professional athletes, brands and corporations as well as the very special projects with everyday people sharing their amazing stories. I’m blessed to experience so much and have a list of rockstar clients who trust and hire me specifically for their projects!

On the side, I love building my @weareredkingdom Instagram community! All things Chiefs seen from a fun, stylistic way, showcasing my “sports crafting” projects, Super Bowl LIV experience, unique finds and businesses highlighted for their fun fashions, accessories and home decor products and ideas all about the Chiefs!

Contact me with your upcoming projects, special occasions or if you want to talk a little Chiefs football!

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
For me, what matters most is providing my clients with excellent client service; with a personable and professional approach, whether the client is a production company, professional athlete, corporation, bride or customer of my crafts. My goal is to exceed their expectations, deliver their concepts and visions, on budget and leave them feeling they received much value from their service or product creation.

Contact Info:

• Email: cristy@cristyguy.com
• Website: www.cristyguy.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/cristyguy
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/cristyguy
• Other: www.instagram.com/weareredkingdom