Sep 16, 20172 min read

Oktoberfest at Kargo

When I received an email from the tech company Kargo about facepainting for their next employee appreciation event, it sounded like this was all new to them. I mean, for most companies, hiring a face painter for their next networking or team building event isn't exactly the first thing that comes to mind. But when Natalie of Kargo contacted me after being pressured by a co-worker who had been "singing my praises" since she hired me for her party a few years back in the Hollywood Hills, I knew they were going to become believers.

Adult parties with facepainting are on the rise, due to the popularity of the show Skin Wars, and viral videos like those of facepainter extraordinaire Vanessa Davis a.k.a "The Skullstress." Bending the rules of beauty and self expression is a thing of the now, with Instagram housing millions of creatives who are showing off their work in various artistic formats... and outdoing themselves by the minute.

It's also no surprise that tech companies in LA like Headspace have been looking for fun new ways to entertain their employees. Headspace has been hiring me for the last 4 years for their annual company anniversary party, which doubles as a "Dia de Los Muertos" inspired party. As the drinks start flowing, the techies start to get sassy and relinquish their fears about facepainting, which was once (and still often is) related to birthday party clowns, including past traumatic experiences at county fairs and such. Part of the fun is breaking that barrier, and showing the employees that facepainting and body art can be creative, cool, and fun. It can even act as an ice-breaker, as this event did, where Kargo employees invited their new vendors and clients who they had never met in person before.

Check out the photos from the party...