Pursuit of dreams leads son of Gainesville residents to compete on SyFy’s Face/Off

With degrees in business and teaching behind him, Joseph Drobezko, son of Gainesville residents Joe and Beth Drobezko, decided it was time to pursue his real dream: special effects makeup.
The catalyst? The SyFy Network’s special effects competition show Face/Off.
And now Drobezko is appearing on that same show as it begins its 12th season on June 13.
“The show came out a few years ago, and I fell in love with it,” Drobezko said recently. “It renewed my interest in special effects makeup and led me to convincing my parents [to help me attend design school].”
Living in New York City, Drobezko chose to attend the Make-up Designory, where his education ran the gamut of makeup education, including beauty, hair, special effects, sculpting and molding. But, like everyone, he has his favorite.
“I love special effects, of course,” said Drobezko. “But I would say painting-and-application is my favorite. That’s where  you can really see the whole process come together and see it in action.”
After graduating, Drobezko has worked hard at his craft, using his training in jobs in film and television, music videos, special events and fashion shows. He has honed his skills and built his portfolio for a little more than two years. And now he’s achieving a second dream – appearing on Face/Off, the show that reignited his dream.
“After an opportunity came to audition for the show, I sent in makeup videos and a video about myself,” said Drobezko. “Then I flew to L.A. for an in-person interview. There was a few months’ wait before I learned I was going to be on the show.”
<strong>Competing on Face/Off</strong>
Drobezko can’t disclose who wins this season of Face/Off, but he can say that competing on the show was an “amazing experience.”
“I loved it,” he said. “It was like summer camp with amazing, talented artists. I wasn’t there to learn, but by default we learned from each other.”
Drobezko said one of the things he likes the most about Face/Off is that, unlike many other reality shows, this one focuses on the art and less on the drama.
“The producers put together an amazing cast,” he added. “And when you went home at the end of the night, you were proud of the work everyone did.”
Drobezko explained that during filming, host McKenzie Westmore presented a challenge to the artists, giving them two to three days to design, sculpt, mold and apply their vision and interpretation of the assignment.
“For example, they may say, ‘This is a picture of an alien spacecraft that has landed on earth. Design the alien that would inhabit the spacecraft,’” said Drobezko. “It’s like Project Runway with makeup. Your designs always had to be original, and you usually had half an hour to design and create your concept before you began.”
Drobezko found that phase of the competition to be the most nerve-wracking. “It influences the rest of the challenge, and if you don’t have a clear concept, it’s easy to flounder.”
<strong>Following his heart</strong>
Prior to going into special effects, Drobezko followed a more traditional career path, earning those degrees in business and teaching.
“I was getting an education in practical knowledge, something I could get jobs in,” said Drobezko. “I wanted to get the typical degree, doing the things I was supposed to do.”
But his heart really wasn’t in it. His heart remained in special effects.
“Special effects makeup is artsy but it’s hard to make a career in it,” he said.
But then he saw Face/Off, and he knew he had to pursue his dream.
“The show got my dreams inflated, and I started thinking that this could be something I could do,” he said.
Drobezko comes by his artistic ability and creativity honestly – both parents have talents they passed on to their son.
“Growing up, my dad was in the military,” said Drobezko. “But he always had little arts and crafts going on, sketching, drawing, creative writing.
“And my mom quilted, and she’s great with color and interior design.”
He credits his parents and an environment “where I was allowed to let myself be creative and be an artist” with giving him the courage to persist in his dream.
“After graduating from high school, I had forced myself to be an adult,” said Drobezko. “We don’t ‘play’ as much as kids, and that often leads to losing your imagination. But my parents were willing to let me pursue my dreams.”
He said his parents realized how important that dream was to him after he went to them the second time. “Initially, when I graduated, they wanted me to get a degree and go that traditional route, which I did. But the second time, it was a lot easier to convince them. I also came to them with a two-year plan.”
He said that plan was good for him because it let him see where he was heading before he started on the unconventional path.
“It’s good to come up with a plan,” he said. “A lot of people go into studying what they want to do, but they have no plan for after graduation. That’s how they end up working in fields they didn’t study in. I think goals are important.”
<em>Face/Off premieres at 8 p.m. CDT Tuesday, June 13, on the SyFy cable network. To follow Drobezko, visit facebook.com/jdrobezko or www.joebezko.com.</em>

<p>Gainesville residents Joe and Beth Drobezko stand behind their son Joseph and eagerly await their son’s appearance this month on SyFy’s Face/Off show.</p>

<p>Joseph Drobezko puts his talent and passion to work creating characters through special effects, such as the dark elf.</p>

<p>Joseph Drobezko puts his talent and passion to work creating characters through special effects, such as the New York hobo.</p>