Celebrating Powerful Women of Waxwork Records

From female directors, to artists, and all of the way to Waxwork’s very own co-founder, women have played a huge role in the development of some of your favorite Waxwork Records releases. While we honor women during women's history month, what would be more appropriate than celebrating the various women who have helped shape Waxwork's fine arts?

Strong Female Leads

Us (2019)

Us features two strong female leads, Lupito Nyong’o (Addy) and Shahadi Wright Joseph (Zora). Not only did these two ladies drop into this film crushing their main roles, but they also played a second dual role, each, for their tethered characters, Red and Umbrae. All four of these characters were executed with a great talent that shines through in every scene.

Lupita Nyong’o is a Kenyan-Mexican actress who has received countless awards for her roles, including an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award. Nyong’o has a bachelor’s degree in film and theatre studies from Hampshire College.

Shahadi Wright Joseph was just 13 years old when she was filmed in Us, but she has been dancing since the ripe age of two. Joseph read for the multi-roles of the film three times before she was offered the part of Zora and Umbrae. The film earned high praise after its release and Joseph earned herself a handful of award nominations including a Saturn Award and a Critics’ Choice Movie Award.

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018-20)

 

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina follows the storyline of a teenage witch in the town of Greendale. Sabrina Spellman, played by Kiernan Shipka, must consider her place as a half-witch, half-mortal and all of the realities that come with the duality.

Kiernan Shipka has won numerous awards for her role in Mad Men such as a Young Artist Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, but she has also been nominated for many awards for her role in The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. In 2019 alone, she was nominated for a Saturn Award, Teen Choice Award, and an MTV Movie & TV Award.

The Firefly Trilogy

Sheri Moon Zombie is an American actress who stars in Rob Zombie's Firefly Trilogy. Zombie was awarded a Spike TV's Scream Award for "Most Vile Villain" alongside her co-stars, Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, and Leslie Easterbrook. She also accepted a Chainsaw Award from Fangoria for best duo with Moseley.

Outside of acting, Sheri Moon Zombie is also a model, dancer, and a fashion designer, owning her own clothing line called, "Total Skull." Zombie is a strong advocate for animal rights and she homes rescued animals at her farm in Connecticut. 

Female Directors

The Babadook (2014)

Jennifer Kent (Director) was born in Austrailia and has spent most of her life dedicated to the arts, writing her own plays at the young age of seven. The Babadook was released in 2014 based off of a screenplay by Kent. In 2018, she released her second full-length film, The Nightingale, which premiered at the 75th Venice International Film Festival. She studied under Lars von Trier, a Danish filmmaker, actor, and lyricist known for his female-focused stories and controversial subjects.

In 2014 when The Babadook first released at the Sundance Festival, it was a huge success. The film tells the story of Amelia Vanek (played by Essie Davis), who represents real world actualities that women face through their journey of motherhood. The film was meant to look at motherhood through a new perspective which was more centered on the fears that women have.

Candyman (2021)

Candyman (2021) was written as the final installment in the Candyman series. It concentrates on the gentrification of Cabrini-Green, one of Chicago's Black neighborhoods. Candyman, played by Tony Todd, was suspected of giving razor laced candy to a white child resulting in dire consequences for the Candyman. And so the legend of Candyman was born...

Nia Da Costa (Director) is an American film director and screenwriter, born in 1989. She directed the remake to Candyman (2021) which made her the first African-Amercian female director to have a film debut at the top of the box office. With all that under her belt, Da Costa also became the youngest filmmaker to direct a Marvel film in 2020, beating out Ryan Coogler.

Fear Street: Parts 1-3 (2021)

Fear Street gets its own section because it has so many female contributions. First up:

Strong Female Leads

From lovers to sisters, Fear Street is full of powerful female relationships. Two of those actresses, Kiana Madeira and Olivia Scott Welch, play dual roles. 

Kiana Madeira is a Canadian actress and has been interested in acting since she was five years old. Olivia Scott Welch was born in Hurst, Texas. Welch started taking acting classes at the age of eleven when she landed various roles like Modern Family and Agent Carter.

Sadie Sink enters the trilogy in the second installment of the series, playing Ziggy Berman. She began acting at age seven and has taken home a handful of awards in her short life, including a New Mexico Critics Association Awards for Best Young Actor/Actress.

Female Director

Leigh Janiak was born in Ohio. She attended New York University and then later University of Chicago where she left before earning her degree. Janiak made her directorial debut in 2014 when she showed her film, Honeymoon, at South by Southwest. In 2017, it was announced that Janiak would rewrite the script and direct the trilogy of films adapting R.L. Stine's Fear Street.

Female Composer

Anna Drubich started playing music at the age of eight. She studied at the Moscow Chopin Music College and earned her Bachelor and Master degrees at the Munich School for the Performing Arts in 2008. She won a Composer fellowship in 2018 at the renowned Sundance Film Music lab. She was later nominated for a Golden Eagle Award by the Russian Academy awards for her score to Bolshoy.

Female Artists

Mothra (1961), The Sword of Doom (1966)

Yuko Shimizu (Illustrator, arist) is responsible for the artwork of multiple Waxwork Records releases. Shimizu is an Award-winning illustrator with 20 years of experience under her belt. Her work has been featured in New York Times, Newsweek, The New Yorker, and TIME. She’s also collaborated with the Smithsonian Museum, Hasbro, Universal Pictures, and SONY. With so much expereince, Yuko Shimizu has won more than 15 medals from the Society of Illustrators and is a two-time Hugo Award nominee.

Yuko has worked closely with Waxwork Records to provide some excellent illustrations. Her artwork can be seen below on Mothra and The Sword of Doom. 

 M3GAN (2022)

M3GAN is horror film that features a doll whose sole job is to help parents raise their kids. She's not just a doll, she's part of the family. What can go wrong, right? 

Susi Vilchez was born in Barcelona but currently lives in Canada. She was raised around art, with her mother constantly painting all throughout Susi's childhood. Her art is inspired by female anatomy, 70's and 80's horror movies, dark comics, and vintage Halloween music. Vilchez studied art, fashion, and graphic design in Barcelona where she claimed the "Stradivarius Fashion Award." Her work can be found in New York, Los Angeles, Bilbao, Victoria, and Toronto. 

Susi Vilchez worked with Waxwork to create the artwork for M3GAN, which can be seen below.

 

The Exorcist (1973), Carrie (1976), The Thing (1982)

Paige Reynolds of Phantom City Creative co-created the art for all three releases The Exorcist, Carrie, and The Thing. Reynolds is the co-founder and Director of Operations at Phantom City Creative where she is involved with the creative conceptual process, illustration, and motion graphic work. She has a Becholor of Arts from the University of Guelph and she studied fine art at Sheridan College. 

Waxwork Records

All other creative aspects and endeavors make their way through Sue Ellen Soto who is the co-founder and co-owner of Waxwork Records. Sue Ellen oversees all day-to-day operations and manages every single title that Waxwork releases.

Before starting Waxwork Records, Sue Ellen owned and ran a commercial photo studio and gallery where she cut her teeth as a business owner, shooting corporate headshots and advertising photography.

Celebrating Women Everyday At Waxwork Records

Waxwork Records is home to many fabulous women. Ever wondered what the journey of your package is like? Well, you may have had your orders packed by Zoe, who’s been holding it down as our newest team member! Rachel is our warehouse manager who oversees every aspect of our fulfillment and warehouse department (maybe you’ve seen her packing card, as well)! If you've inquired with customer support, then you've likely talked to Megan, our customer support representative. If you've checked out our social media or are a part of The Fang Club (join the club here!), you've likely interacted with Mean Jean, who is a part of the communications department. The list goes even further than those mentioned here and we make an honest effort to support women everyday. Who are the women in your life that you admire and support?

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