 If you watched the season one finale of Bravo’s Shear Genius (and who didn’t?), you saw legendary stylist Vidal Sassoon introducing Hairdressers Unlocking Hope, a charity that’s dedicated to rebuilding houses in Katrina-ravaged New Orleans. What you didn’t see was his behind-the-scenes partner in this extraordinary endeavor: the saucy, chic Mary Rector-Gable. Founder of BehindTheChair.com and a consulting producer for Shear Genius, Rector-Gable used her role on the show to bring Hairdressers Unlocking Hope to the attention of millions of viewers.
Within the professional beauty industry, BehindTheChair.com is among the hottest websites on the planet. Debuting in 2001 when scissors were the most cutting-edge tools that most beauty pros used, Rector-Gable’s edgy vision and shrewd business acumen swiftly delivered a one-two punch that knocked out all competing sites and, in the process, secured BehindTheChair.com’s position as the private portal to beauty cyberspace. As the Internet exploded, Rector-Gable’s site exploded right along with it, constantly shape-shifting to stay one step ahead while cleverly forming alliances with many of
the most powerful movers and shakers in the industry.
This fall, big changes are afoot once again. According to Rector-Gable, visitors can expect more of everything: news; trend reports; tips and techniques; management education; life skills; and ways to buy the hottest how-to DVD! We’re happy to report that you’ll also be enjoying a higher degree of interactivity a la MySpace.com with a section where stylists can post their creative collections and set up their own groups. The site will also introduce more educational features, including additional step-by-steps in streaming video. With the exception of the international section, all content is, and will remain, largely original, a feat which few sites of any stripe can claim.
As if that weren’t enough to keep her busy, Rector-Gable has yet another iron in the fire: WhoDoesYourHair.com, which provides an omnibus of informational services, similar to BehindTheChair.com, but for the beauty consumer. The key feature: a comprehensive salon referral service. Member salons can participate by subscribing for a nominal monthly fee, plus either a pay-per-click or pay-per-call agreement. To date, over 3,000 salons have already signed up. And no worries on becoming money challenged by the crush of referrals. Explains Rector-Gable, “Each salon can limit the number of referrals they receive each month.”
 Leveraging her gifts for multitasking,
multivisioning and multichanneling her business, Rector-Gable is also using BehindTheChair.com to do some good. Her current contributions to Hairdressers Unlocking Hope have helped turn this magnificent dream into a reality. “It’s really Vidal’s dream,” she notes. Sassoon met Rector-Gable at a beauty industry event and soon afterward called her to ask if she would join him in his desire to help Katrina victims. She relates, “He told me, ‘I just had a feeling about you.’”
Once on board, Rector-Gable relates she “felt a huge sense of obligation to create a campaign worthy of the legacy of ‘The Man’ at the top.” And her exact contribution came rather unexpectedly. “It was a middle-of-the-night-with-a-notebook-by-the-bed kind of thing,” she explains with her trademark smile.
Rector-Gable’s midnight vision: well-known stylists such as Sally Hershberger, Robert Lobetta, Ken Paves and Sassoon himself holding keys to homes destroyed in the wake of hurricane Katrina. Their arms and hands painted with evocative images and words like “Orphan,” “No Privacy,” and “Can you see me now?” The resulting images have proved to be simultaneously gorgeous and jarring. Rector-Gable herself directed the shoots and The Powder Group provided the provocative makeup. “I think it’s the best creative work we’ve ever done,” she enthuses.
BehindTheChair.com also provides information and links to the many contribution options available for supporting Hairdressers Unlocking Hope. Companies, individuals or teams can sponsor a house by pledging a donation of $85,000. Hairdressers Unlocking Hope then gives sponsors help and resources for raising the money. At press time, an astounding 11 of the 18 proposed homes had been sponsored. But with this leading lady at the helm, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. It’s a fair bet that even more changes, growth and do-good projects are waiting in the wings.
— Karen K. Ford
|
