Transcript

Robin Wright  

Welcome, Tim Quinn celebrity makeup artist for Giorgio Armani!

 

Tim Quinn  

Thank you. Thanks for my pajamas, By the way, I love them.

 

Robin Wright  

You look so hot in those--look at you. Whew!

 

Tim Quinn  

People came to deliver a piece of furniture, they're like, Oh my God, where are you going?

 

Robin Wright  

First of all, we met you for the first time at the Let Girls Learn luncheon with Michelle Obama in Washington DC where you did Karen and my makeup. Is that right?

 

Tim Quinn  

That's right. A long time ago.

 

Robin Wright  

A long time ago, and then I remember her telling me that you studied economics in college, and then you became a makeup artist. Can you tell us how you segued from one to the other?

 

Tim Quinn  

I think that that was at a time, you know, a long time ago, when Well, currently I think education is important, but my dad was a teacher, and he wanted all his kids to have a liberal arts degree. And for me, which I think is interesting because we work with the brain like math and art, kind of online so I wasn't so interested in art at that time but I thought well I would love to be a great economist which clearly never happened. So I worked actually I put myself partly through college working at Merrill Lynch, and when I got out, you know, that was my first career, which I wasn't really so good at because those were the days you had to like cold call clients and it was crazy stuff. And I'd love to come out and get moved to Florida to be at the beach, so all I would do is look out the window at the beach, and then like, what everybody else was working I'd run out and go to work on my tan, so I felt like that wasn't really the place for me, somehow I ended up through a long thing I ended up going to Milan for the first time, probably in like my mid 20s To model really and then when I got there who was really not for me I didn't like it. And I met all these incredible artistic people, you know makeup artists, photographers, this is a world I didn't battle. And then I kind of just kind of started saying yesterday but anytime somebody asked me to do when I learned something so the makeup part for me was kind of fascinating because it's kind of like creating a piece of art that went away, and it was just like temporary so people couldn't really judge you long term I think that's why I liked it. Good point.

 

Robin Wright  

But what I'd love for you to chat about is not only are you a brilliant talent in the makeup department, but you are on so many incredible boards, so many important causes that I think people will be interested in, I'd love to just start off, if you could talk about you being on the board of the Farrah Fawcett Foundation, and what is the mission of this foundation, what does it do?

 

Tim Quinn  

Sure, sure. Farah Faucet was a friend, of course, like an idol to me, you know, growing up, but I became friendly with her, mainly through our friend, Alana Stewart, and now it's been, I think third pass in 2009 So probably in 2006. She was diagnosed with cancer, which ultimately took her life which was anal cancer, and subsequently, I was diagnosed with cancer, the same year. So I had testicular cancer. If you had no cancer, it was kind of like a parallel story that we're going through. And I learned a lot. I you know I've been fortunate in my life to meet some incredible people and I you know I learned a lot from Farrah, and a lot, and the power of friendship, actually, and the power that women have specifically, when there's a crisis, and they were so supportive of me, of course, you know, my journey went in a much different direction. But during that time when she was sick from 2006 till 2009. She learned so much about, you know what caused animal cancer at the time they didn't know that the HPV virus was responsible, she started the foundation of mice was actually living with the hope that you know the research and the things that she was funding, were going to be part of, you know she had this amazing documentary and Farrah's story, you know the outcome obviously ultimately was not ideal. But since then, through the stewardship of Alana, the Foundation's to this date's given I think to the statement given $1.7 million, specifically to Stand Up to Cancer specifically to fund the research for the HPV virus, and, you know, there's a study going on right now at Dana Farber in Boston.

The mission really is to research on cancer at the time that was really not talked about. And it was really difficult, especially for Farrah who was, was known for her beauty and her hair and her graciousness, but she was so much more than that. And the fact that her legacy lives on. And to this day now, you know, anal cancer, you know, thankfully has become, you know, something that's far more well studied and known, but HPV, even good man now throat cancer in men specifically has surpassed cervical cancer in this country. In the last year and all cause HPV has, like, seven different cancers that can lead to throat cancer being one of them so I think the research is important. I love you know I'd love to do carrying out the microphone because it was it was important when she was living in certainly important while we will be carrying it on for her. 

 

Robin Wright  

Oh good on ya, The second organization that you were also on the board of is called LookGoodFeelBetter.org. Can you tell us a little bit about that? It's such a genius idea.

 

Tim Quinn  

I mean, now that I go through my life I feel like I had an often talk about when I was sick. I was out of commission for a year. And I went from living this life of being very active I was traveling all over the world I had this seemingly amazing career blah blah blah. And I went into basically full stop because my treatment was really harsh, so it was in the hospital, and then up for a year and radiation chemo all this crazy loves my hair. And during that time, I kind of, you know, saw for the first time, how and I was very fortunate that I didn't have to work during that time, I had great insurance, And I had a company that supported that I met so many people, I was shooting Mass General, that didn't have that luxury but either had to go to work. Perhaps couldn't get the treatment that they needed and couldn't afford. And I started in the hospital actually doing what I could just to stay busy, which was kind of like helping other people, like I would take my little chemo thing and roll down the hall and I'd set up like a little makeup station in the sun so I could get my collar. Because men, two men were like how can they still looking, you know what I thought it looks great but whatever. And then I came across this founder of just organization liquid field that are through my, my mentor and boss at L'Oreal for Armani. And what they do is they really work with it now it's become even more important is everything virtual, but, you know, then we would go and have these classes and teach women and men, but it was mainly women how to you know to do their hair, their makeup, while they're going through treatments was all supported by the cosmetics industry so they would leave with a little bag of treats that we would teach them how to use, because most of those people were still having to work and go about their daily life. And I know firsthand what it's like when somebody looks at you, you know, it was only.

Several years later when I was the dream boy for the American Cancer that my sister gave them photos of what I looked like going through treatment cuz I don't go to lunch every Thursday. I didn't care what was going on, we'd go out and now I look back, I'm like, I can't believe you're loving out of the house, you know, but those little things you can do to kind of make you still feel like yourself while you're, you know, trying to go to work, support your family, you know, keep them emotionally stable, there's a lot of the people that I've worked with, and a lot of the women I work with have young children, and you know it's hard enough to keep your own head straight but to kind of put on that brave face for those I think it's an incredible organization, and it's free, it's access all across the country to any cancer center really here in Boca. I've been doing some virtual stuff to them because of course you can't be in person but now

 

Robin Wright  

Another great organization that you're on the board of is called Peace Love Solve. Yeah, tell us about this one, and I know that you did this in memory of your brother,

 

Tim Quinn  

So, I had my brother Michael, he passed on five years ago, very young, is 38. If he was very involved with a family friend whose son was autistic and Marla, and Steve Barczyk. Their son Zack. They were very fortunate in DC at the time when he was born to be able to afford the early intervention, they were able to have the best care for Jack. And then Michael got involved when Jack was quite young, because my brother was a big athlete, so he would take him to all these games because Jack and the spectrum is so wide. You know he was affected. In a way that made him almost so endearing, that he would get bullied. And Michael, my brother was a big guy, so he would go with him everywhere, it was kind of like Jack referred to as the second dad, and he became very involved in helping with the foundation, Marlene Steve co chaired Autism Speaks for Bob and Susie, right founded when the brand son was diagnosed with autism. When Michael passed, Jack took a very, very difficult. So I kind of stepped in because Michael I was terribly close. And in that, I found this whole other world because I was always so busy I didn't know I was busy my cancel world. I didn't know you know what this was because I only knew Jack. And then when I would go to all these rallies and got much more involved with Big Pharma and a piece of solid which is really a clothing company for a cause. Because of these incredible rallies and new need for families who really severely affected by autism who couldn't afford, you know, again, the education they couldn't have the resources to help their children get to, you know a place where they could function. Exactly. Now he's had his you know 16 You can have, like, the most incredible child still sweet and endearing and even for his obviously confused requirements for documents for the for the boy. For his gifting which is typically money, he don't need at all to Autism Speaks, it's just an incredible study. We've become really close to Marla but we've kind of taken that business model now that piece of stuff which we do like mostly T shirts. We didn't want another Michael because Michael left the blue heron so the footprint became the peace side. And now we've done support with we've done things to support for our files to Foundation, various food banks throughout South Florida mainly. But when people reach out to us, you know via Instagram or whatever, you know, we come up with something to do to support their organization. And really it's really, we don't make money off it's really just the joy of being able to do something that gets back on are we honoring Michael but also helping the world that's not always easy for, for parents, you know, Right, I think, especially when my uncle passed, my parents was two children early in the marriage. And then, my goal, you know, my parents are still married my dad's in assisted living. My mom really took it hard, and still undiagnosed but we think some form of dementia or Alzheimer's. I couldn't put her in the assisted living because unfortunately when you have those kind of conditions. Even the best care they tend to Medicaid. And I saw this woman who was also vibrant for life just wilting away if it were. So I had already moved her in with me but I was traveling all the time and had help. And then when Coronavirus came so from like March 10 Now, I've been home with her full time. But what's happened with Robert, but I find it silly mark but maybe because I spend so much time in Europe, European families tend to keep their. So, I've always wanted that. And it's become for me like the silver lining in this whole COVID experience is that we spend every waking moment together. She's become idealist because I have no model to work on for like all these governments including wherever she came a couple different stories got written on us because there will be extended calling or glands because they do her hair and makeup the jewelry that thing, but she never came back to life, but I see it happen. I started doing it initially on the camera just for her to see herself, and especially with that illness and sometimes seeing something familiar kind of makes you feel safer. And of course, who's more familiar than your own face. But it's been like, literally the joy of my life for like the last seven months.

 

She probably kept me sane. When I talk about so another story that my partner of 22 years died. So, you know, in going through the mourning process and not being able to be around people, you know, having your mother. But the most comforting thing in the world. So,

 

Robin Wright  

Wow, You have had quite a run. My last question for you. What keeps you up at night?

 

Tim Quinn  

I think that such a big part of my life is giving back, that I think the future of like, what if I can't do that anymore. No. You can do it on some level, but then a small part is always like well who's gonna do it for me. But I feel like there's that there's karma, you know, like, I've always been big since I was a kid on investing in the karma bank.

 

Robin Wright  

Absolutely, let's continue that bank, and not the debt!

 

Anyway, you look great. You look very tan, which is the most important.

 

Tim Quinn  

Well because I was intending to see Mr. Armani but of course we're not so he prefers that what I'm more tan so I've really been working on that.

 

Robin Wright  

I think we should send Mr. Armani that pinstripe set he would look great in it.

 

Tim Quinn  

Oh yeah, absolutely. I'll send Karen the address.

 

Robin Wright  

Yes, for sure. Anyway, thank you Tim for taking the time. So good to see your face and stay safe, Big hugs! 

 

Tim Quinn  

To you as well.