Sarah Jo

Sarah Jo is a makeup, special effects, and prosthetics artist. She specializes in design, application, and education. She has also worked for and been sponsored by Revlon for over a decade. Sarah has worked with countless award-winning artists in the film industry, who she has won with and been nominated with for Academy Awards, Oscars, and BAFTAs for makeup and effects with. Her favorite genre to work with is practical effects horror, and she is CEO of JankySFX, a practical effects company that provides all aspects of teaching and creating special effects. She also has an extensive, impressive presence on IMDb where she is credited with dozens of blockbuster films and series with all-star casts.

Sarah has an impressive academic background, with a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre and Film Production and a Biomedical Engineering degree from the University of Louisville. During her studies, Sarah graduated Summa Cum Laude and was awarded the Distinguished Dissertation Award in both Fine Arts and Biomedical Engineering for her exceptional work in developing medical-grade prosthetics for tactical combat casualty care (TCCC). Her pioneering advancements in the use of special effects for military medical training and simulations in high stress, high threat environments have minimized preventable deaths and disabilities often. and worldwide. Her contributions to these fields of study and application are highly acclaimed by both her peers, faculty, and the Armed Forces. Due to the exceptional literary quality of her dissertation, Sarah was awarded an honorary Doctor of Medicine degree in recognition of her groundbreaking contributions in the field of medicine. In addition, she has been acknowledged with an honorary PhD in Fine Arts for her exceptional work. Sarah's contributions have been recognized and she has been accepted as a Professor at Large at the Hite Institute of Art and Design at the University of Louisville later in 2024.

Sarah has worked on countless productions for the Theatre Workshop of Owensboro, surrounding communities and schools, and The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts where she has served as an at-large board member. She has always considered Theatre Workshop of Owensboro her home however, and credits their Executive Director, Todd Reynolds, for being an essential influence in her life during her first experiences in theatre over 25 years ago. She credits his friendship, support and guidance for playing a crucial role in shaping her educational and professional journey.

Sarah has demonstrated exceptional proficiency in fundraising events in her community and surrounding areas for charitable causes related to emergency situations. One of her most recent events was for the Kentucky Tornado of 2021 that spanned over 200 miles. She raised over a quarter million dollars in 6 days and also dispatched a fleet 6 of semi trucks full of food, water, medical supplies, infant food and supplies, clothing, bedding, and tents, then went on to assist on site for two weeks.

Outside of work, Sarah is devoted to her family, which includes her partner of ten years, David, her son Jacob, and their four rescue parrots. She also enjoys working on and taking her 1980 El Camino to car shows. She lives a very private and humble life, preferring to be known as herself rather her resume. Sarah uses her local community theatre platform as a means of connecting people, especially youth, to theatre as a means of a safe space to demonstrate individual creativity. Sarah also uses her widespread platform due to suffering a traumatic spinal injury in 2019, that resulted in learning how to walk again, to bring awareness and medical advancement concerning permanent cauda equina and pudendal nerve demyelination.