Meet Sarah Mancini

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Mancini. 

Hi Sarah, 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 backstories with our readers.
I spent the hot summer afternoons of my childhood in a Michigan art studio, stroking dried oil paints like they were scaly reptilians. At night, my uncle brought me to the theater to see the scaly reptilians come to life; take over Tokyo, crawl out of the Black Lagoon, terrorize millions in nothing but a greyscale rubber suit and some toy-scale high-rises. My family had art in their souls; they passed on a passion that sunk deeper than bone. 

My journey began with being a photographer at local music venues and Warped Tour, blossoming into a stills photographer role for a production at WADL Detroit. Following that, I cross-studied advertising and marketing, makeup artistry, and hairstyling. Even before graduating, I began working as an HMUA in television and film. I’m incredibly lucky to have worked with celebrities and clients through TIFF, Netflix, Google, HBO Max, Vice, Apple TV, and Buzzfeed. Now that I’m back in Detroit full-time, I own my own salon suite in Ferndale and do mostly commercial and corporate work for the Big 3 auto groups and business professionals. 

I have 8 years of sales experience, six of which were dedicated to the beauty industry, brand work, and field sales. This became the launch of 13 Collective, a bespoke marketing and business consulting group. We were a B2B and C2B facilitator for creatives to connect their skills into work available. She carried me through almost 3 years of the pandemic before I outsourced my client base to my loyal contractors. Now, my personal branding has allowed me to venture down the path of Influencer marketing and UGC content. 

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?
Prior to the pandemic, I had some serious autoimmune health setbacks that were difficult to diagnose and even resulted in emergency surgery. Following this was lockdown in Ontario, and personal services like salons and barbershops were closed for roughly 8 months. I went into film full-time and spent months living in hotels while shooting a tv show. My heart had shifted directions…After seven years of living in Toronto, I left behind a successful film career to be reconnected with my passion. I came back to Ferndale, where my mom grew up, and restarted my whole life. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a licensed cosmetologist with a background in production hair/makeup work. I specialize in historic designs; styling for the decades. I was trained through a renowned college for makeup by industry professionals who owned long-standing makeup brands or worked on blockbuster movie sets. I then completed my apprenticeship in hairstyling at a specialty salon, learning from stylists who only offered their crafted niche. In addition to this, I have 6 years of sales experience for beauty brands. To say that this industry is my passion is an understatement! I currently own my own salon suite in Ferndale called Crossroads Studio. I do bright blondes, dimensional brunettes, natural blends (on grey too!), color corrections, and a wide array of haircuts – even curly. The integrity and health of hair is my top priority. Through my previous training in wig knotting and applying hair pieces, plus my goal to obtain my trichology certification, I’d like to eventually offer services for compromised guests who experience hair loss and scalp concerns. My work can be found on IMDB, Instagram, Facebook, and my website. 

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Life can really change entirely overnight. I’m incredibly grateful that I was able to work with the talented crew I was paired with during the pandemic. I wouldn’t be the artist or business owner I am today without all the people I’ve met because of the pandemic. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sarahaverym.com
• Instagram: @sarah.averym
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/sarahaverym 

Image Credits
Molly Vaillancourt
Shayenna Nolan
Uma Loft
Sara Pizzicaroli
Keri Anderson
Studio Fontana