“I always knew you would end up on TV some day!” said one of RJ Haddy’s former high school teachers upon finding out he’d been cast in Season 2 of SYFY’s Hit reality competition show Face Off. A native of Charleston, WV, it was obvious to everyone but RJ, from a very early age that he would become known for the extroverted, yet down to earth and kind personality he exhibited on the show. Combining his love of creation and performance, he naturally gravitated to puppeteering. Starting with Beetlejuice and Batman, he became mesmerized with something new … prosthetic makeup. The names Nick Dudman (for his amazing Joker makeup) and Ve Neill (for her Beetlejuice and Penguin creations) would be forever burned into his brain, alongside Rick Baker, Stan Winston, Greg Cannom, and Jack Pierce his other makeup artistry idols. RJ went on to attend Capital High School in Charleston, WV, a Performance Art Magnet school where he received a world class education under theater director Molly Lhor-Robinette, and visual arts Instruction under Mary Smith.

After graduating, RJ attended The Joe Blasco Makeup Artist Training Center in Hollywood and immediately began working for Alterian Studios Inc. under world-class effects artist Tony Gardner, where he had the ability to work on such big budget box office movies as Batman and Robin, There’s Something About Mary, and Contact, just to name a few. This, plus a brief stint at ADI during the filming of Bedazzled and 6th Day, allowed him to return home with the skill set to teach at his alma mater.

For eight years, RJ taught at Capital High School in the Department of Film, Television, and Multimedia Arts and Sciences; a department he single-handedly wrote and designed the curriculum for. Under RJ’s instruction, Capital High School was able to offer: Television Production, Writing and Performance for the Camera, Special Effects, Web and App Design, and Filmmaking courses; unheard of in any other high school in the state. He was living a content life as a teacher but yearned to get back into the professional circuit. Then Face Off premiered and it became an event to watch Season One with the students at lunch (and during some classes). At the end of the first season, and pressured by a few of his upper classmen, he decided …”Eh, what the heck ?” and submitted his audition packet. To his surprise, he was called to LA for an audition. From there he was part of the San Diego Comic Con 2011 Face Off Challenge where he competed for the final spot on the show with two other would-be contestants…. and the rest at this point is history.

RJ went through Season 2 as a top contender, being in the bottom of the challenges only once, until the end when he locked down his spot as one of the three finalists. RJ didn’t win the judges’ vote and the cash prize but did win “audience favorite” which has meant the world to him and he wants to thank every fan of the show that voted for him. RJ returned for Face Off Season 5 as one of eight veterans competing against eight rookies. He was eliminated in Episode 5.

RJ left teaching to work full-time as a special-effects artist while running an e-commerce site selling airbrush equipment, including his own Shadow Line of brushes. He is also working on getting financing for a film and Web-based reality series. The Family Business is a supernatural horror/dark comedy about an orphaned boy forced to live with his 3 malevolent uncles in their family-owned funeral parlor. The Web reality series will feature all the same behind the scenes antics that fans have come to love from him while doing exactly what fans have been asking for: showcasing more of the work, the actual process the artists go through to create. Already on board are some favorite special effects artists from Face Off.

Be on the look out for his new feature film The Night Watchmen, which RJ recently completed as head of the makeup department.