Marcia Hosper is always on the go. She started off in the industry as a model, then moved into work as a stylist, and is now an art director who is looking to do more with video. She’s clearly someone who’s going places. I have had the privilege of knowing Marcia and working with her for years. We recently chatted about her ever-‐growing career and a recent photoshoot where she took on the elements.
AP:Let’s start off with your career. How did you get started?
MH:I started off modeling at eighteen. Then, at twenty-one, I began styling in film. I started with Payless commercials, that sort of thing.
AP: Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, among others, are all places you’ve worked. What are the different markets like across the country?
MH: It all changes. Chicago used to have a huge retail market in the ‘80s, then New York and Los Angeles became big. It’s all cyclical. Now there are a lot of shoots back in the Midwest.
AP: In this recent photoshoot, you were on set with kids. Can you talk a bit about the challenges of working with children vs. adults ?
MH: Towards the end of the day, these kids were crazy running around. We were worried about the clothes, which we’d borrowed. It was a little like Lord of the Flies. But they’d been out all day long. They were troopers for all we shot. And they all knew each other, which helped.
AP: How do you approach working with kids?
MH:You have to relate to them and get goofy. Just get down and funny with them.
AP: What was this layout for?
MH: It was originally just to build our books, but it ended up being a printed editorial piece for Babiekins, an online magazine that’s really taking off. When we asked for the clothes to borrow for this shoot, everyone knew of Babiekins.
AP: How did you get connected to this shoot?
MH: Mindi, the stylist for this shoot, is a friend of mine. She’d already contacted the photographer. We all brain stormed together for a few months before the shoot.
AP: What are some of the pluses of working with someone you’ve worked with before vs. someone you’ve never worked with before?
MH: Working with someone you know is good because you know what you’ll get. But there are benefits both ways. I don’t think you grow as much without working with new people.
AP: Did you know the hair and make ‐up artist as well?
MH: Mindi had worked with her before. She added to the kind of magical feel of some of the shots, like the one with the scales on the girl’s cheek. She used fishnet stockings to create that.
AP: I love the concept of elements. Where did that come from?
MH: Mindi wanted to do it.
AP: The color pallet for this layout is really striking. What was the driving force behind that?
MH: We didn’t want the concept to be too obvious. So we did things like use red heads for fire.
AP: How does the text on the photos fit into this? Who came up with that?
MH: I wanted some inspiration of the elements. So I googled words and came up with reasons for words or takes on what those words meant. It kind of tied it all in at the end. A little copy is worth a thousand words.
AP: I love your biography on your website where you discuss your unique style growing up. It’s like you were just born with this set of skills. Do you think a lot of art direction is instinctive? Do you have any formal training?
MH: I never went to school for this. I’ve always had a style of my own. Like it says on my website, I used to scavenge the Salvation Army and vintage clothing stores. I’d wear a Victorian outfit to a concert. My style has changed. I like trendy, but stay classic, too. I have a good eye for composition, which I just always had.
AP: Do you think modeling helped?
MH: As a model, I was always a good mover. So that gives me a good ability to work with models because I know what works and doesn’t. I am very hands on with the models, which some art directors aren’t. They just let the photographer do everything. I also learned a lot about lighting from modeling. But composition didn’t come from modeling. I think that was just natural.
AP: You’ve been a model, stylist, producer, art director, etc. Ever see yourself moving into other aspects of the industry? MH: I like video. I do some of that already. I direct, cast, produce, so I do most all of it, and would like to do more.
AP: Having worked in different parts of the industry, what is your favorite part about what you do now?
MH: I really love the production part of it. I love working on set with the models in the studio or on location. My favorite part about this business is the wonderful people I meet. Instead of a regular job where I’m sitting at a desk all day, I get to travel and work with so many different people. I love that I’m surrounded by like‐minded people and I’ve made great friends.
AP: I’m happy that I’m one of them!
Find out more about Marcia on her website:
See Babiekins Magazine and the layout online here: