The Voice of Southwest Louisiana

SWLA
By Angie Kay Dilmore
At the 2014 Emmy
Awards ceremony, Daina
Daigle sat in the audience
with her husband
and coworkers. They
anxiously held their
breath as the presenters
on stage
prepared to announce
the winner
for Outstanding
Hairstyling for a
Mini-Series or Movie.
“And the winner is . . .
American Horror Story: Coven!”
Daigle and her fellow
stylists stepped to the stage
and accepted their award. “It
was very overwhelming to say
the least,” says Daigle. “I started
crying. I’m just a Cajun girl from
Gueydan, Louisiana! What am I
doing here?” Daigle had only
worked in the entertainment
business for five years. She attributes
her quick success to God
and considers it nothing short
of a miracle.
From the time Daigle was
a child, she dreamed of being
a stylist to the stars. She grew
up in her mother’s hair salon
amidst shampoo, curlers, hair
dyes, and the smell of permanent
solution. But after high
school graduation, she worked
as a nurse for five years, then
spent a short stint as a stay at
home mom to her young son
before attending Stage One
Hair School.
Daigle initially worked in
several area salons, but she
felt frustrated. Something was
amiss. She and her husband
JoBob were having some financial
difficulties at the time
and she hadn’t forgotten her
dream. She had a friend, Crystal
Kirshaw, in the film industry
who worked her way into the
Makeup Artists and Hair Stylists
Union Local 798. “I told her if
they ever needed someone on
set to let me know,” says Daigle.
Meanwhile, money and
relationship issues continued
to plague Daigle. She recalls a
conversation at the time with
her trusted friend, Kim. “I was
really discouraged,” says Daigle.
“I’d been praying, but I didn’t
The 2015 Hairstyling
Team for American Horror Story Freak Show.
Pictured L-R: Daina Daigle, Amy Wood, Monte C. Haught (Department Head), Michelle Ceglia (Assisstant Department Head), Sherri Hamilton.
know what to do. Kim told me,
‘Daina, you need to forgive.’”
At the time, Daigle pretended
not to understand, but she
knew exactly what her friend
was talking about. Daigle had
been in conflict with a family
member for many years. Forgiving
this person was hard for
her to accept, but she knew her
friend was right. She had to let
go of the years of hurt and resentment.
Daigle has seen God working
in her life as a result of her
obedience to forgive. Not long
after that conversation, great
things started happening in
her career. Kirshaw was working
on a non-union (budget
under 1.5 million) film in Port
Allen called Scream of the Banshee,
a Sci-Fi channel film. A
spot for a hair stylist opened
up on the set. She called Daigle
and encouraged her to drop
everything and come immediately.
It was the opportunity
Daigle had been waiting for.
Through a series of events, that
film was “flipped” and became a
union film. Because Daigle was
already working on the film,
she automatically became a
union member, a feat that typically
requires years. “Normally
to become a union member,
you have to work on union
films for 180 days within three
years. Then you have to fly to
New York, interview, submit a
portfolio – it’s a big process.”
Yet there she was, brand new
to the industry and already a
union member.
After that first film, more
doors opened. In 2013, Louisiana
bypassed California as the
film-production capital of the
world. There was no shortage
of work for a union hair stylist.
She primarily worked on
low-budget films doing “background”
work, aka the extras.
But then a position opened
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4017 E. Broad St.
Lake Charles, LA • 433-2952
DEC. EVENTS
Dec. 4th: Friday Nites Live
Frayed Soul • 7-11pm
Dec. 6th: Brad Brinkley and
Comfort Zone • 5pm
Dec. 11th: Friday Nites Live
Lil Late Abe Manuel
Jeff Leblanc and The Little
Chenier Band • 7-11pm
Dec. 13th: TJ Gautreaux and
La Soul • 5pm
Dec. 18th: Friday Nites Live
Katelyn Johnson Band • 7-11pm
Dec. 20th: Dirt Road • 5pm
Dec. 25th: Merry Christmas!
Dec. 27th: Aaron Istre and Under
The Influence • 5pm
The Last Of The Honky Tonks
NEVER A COVER!
Happy Time • Mon-Fri 5-7pm
$1.00 BEER
DECEMBER 2015 VOICEOFSOUTHWESTLA.COM Volume 3 • Number 5 Volume 3 • Number 5 VOICEOFSOUTHWESTLA.COM DECEMBER 2015
up on American Horror Story,
which led to the 2014 Emmy
and another Emmy this past
year for American Horror Story:
Freak Show. She has worked
on many films including Pitch
Perfect 2, Ender’s Game, and
LBJ (a biography about Lyndon
B. Johnson). She has served as