Dean Banowetz, the Hollywood Hair Guy, is the locks wizard behind celebrity staples like Leeza Gibbons, Simon Cowell, Ryan Seacrest, Jennifer Hudson, Kelly Clarkson, Tony Robbins, and Shark Tank's Lori Greiner. After owning and operating a full-service salon in Bettendorf, Iowa, Dean moved to Los Angeles and landed a gig on the nationally syndicated series Extra. Then he took a job on American Idol, where he styled hair for Ryan Seacrest and all of the contestants. Since then, he’s worked on many Hollywood projects, including So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing With The Stars, American Idol (7 seasons), America's Got Talent, the Daytime Emmy Awards, and the 2014 Grammy Awards, to name just a few.
Dean has received four Emmy nominations for Dancing with the Stars (twice), Grease Live, and So You Think You Can Dance, as well as three Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild nominations, including wins for Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance.
Shortly before graduating from Paul Mitchell The School Great Lakes, Meagan Herrera-Shaaf won a retail sales contest at her school. The prize was a trip to Los Angeles to work with Dean Banowetz on American Idol. After just six days, Dean—realizing that her passion and determination were above and beyond most 19 year olds—offered her a job as an assistant on the show. After three seasons at American Idol, Meagan moved to the Daytime Emmy–winning show Clean House and joined the Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Union, Local 706, which allowed her to work on major motion pictures and television programs.
Since then Meagan’s career has flourished: her TV and movie credits include Jack Reacher, The Hunger Games, America’s Got Talent, The X Factor, Hangover 2, NBC’s The Voice, and many more. She has one Emmy nomination (The Voice, 2017) and four Guild nominations (winning the 2016 award for Pitch Perfect 2).
Interviewed by Winn Claybaugh, Dean and Meagan give an exclusive, in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at what it’s really like to do hair in the entertainment business, including award shows, top-rated TV shows, major motion pictures, and more. Everyone can benefit from their advice on attention to detail, the discipline of anticipation, clearing the clutter, and having an attitude of kindness.
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Enjoy this behind-the-scenes preview with Winn, Dean, and Meagan, filmed in Dean’s workshop / storage unit.