Hotshots House 2022

Arriving at the HOT SHOTS mansion in Yarraville, Melbourne in February were 4 very excited members of the 2021/22 Team, eager to experience what many have done before them, in a program that has evolved into the most coveted award to win, for young hairdressers in Australia.

With Linda Woodhead Team members LEANNE KAY (Stevie English), ELIZA ANDREWS (Royals Hair), SCOTT SHEEHY (Tony&Guy Newtown) and EVIE GOLDING (Rokstar) came ready without expectation for a 4 day house visit, which turned into a journey of self-development, mentorship, laughter, tears and emotional, spiritual and professional growth, guided along the way by the CEO and founder of HOT SHOTS and mocha group, LINDA WOODHEAD and looked after by editor of Hair Biz and salon mentor, LOUISE MAY.

With Linda Woodhead

The team had already received a full electrical kit from sponsors ghd, a styling kit from Goldwell and some personalised travel and stationery goods from mocha.

First cab off the rank via zoom, on Day 1 was none other than Jayne Wild and Gary Latham, who gave the team a birds eye tour of their spectacular salon and talked about their incredible history and careers. With Jayne being the Creative director for the team, this got the ball rolling on thinking about the upcoming photo shoot due to happen end of March with the maestro, Mr. Andrew O’Toole – another part of the pricesless prize package!

With Jayne Wild and Gary Latham

In true traditional style, first night was Spaghetti Bolognaise night for everyone to get to know each other in the kitchen/dining room that became the new family hub!

Early night and early to rise with Day 2 kicking off with Linda sharing her knowledge of Media with the team and how to work within the realms of PR and publicity, followed by a visit and mentor session by Dee Parker Attwood and Lyndal Salmon. Dee and Lyndal spoke about putting together photoshoots, how to prepare, what to do, model selection and much more including their diverse loves of styling and cutting. Louise was up next getting the team to do some SWOT analysis in preparation for more to come.

Lyndal Salmon

Dee Parker-Attwood

With Lyndal and Dee

Jacky Chan and Nathan Armagnacq - Oscar Oscar Chadstone, arrived next, new to the house and a welcome addition, talking about how they run their business, how they have planned their career paths and balance this with a love of the creative.

Jacky Chan and Nathan Armagnacq

Next up was Roland Semaarn, Semaarn Salons, giving the team some insight into owning a large group of salons some years ago; the systems and procedures and how customer service was paramount, to now opting for more of a lifestyle choice with a single salon, and sprinkling some comic relief into his session!

The charismatic Dario Cotroneo finsihed off the day for the team Via Zoom. Always a pleasure and a long-standing supporter of the HOT SHOTS program. Sharing great advice, stories and inspiration to all.

All aboard the HOT SHOTS Bus and it was off to dinner to Williamstown, joined by Roland and a special surprise guest Kobi Bokshish.

The HotShots bus with Louise May and Linda Woodhead

Day 3 was another early start with hairdressing royalty Errol Douglas MBE, paying a visit via zoom. What an absolute treat for the team, who sat on the edge of their seats hanging on every word!

Errol Douglas MBE

Caterina De Biase arrived next and spoke about her illustrious and award-winning incredible career and how to stay grounded in the process.

With Caterina Di Biase

The very generous Lorna Evans arrived with literally a car boot full of gifts for the team offering advice on how to diversify and how she went for hairdresser to salon owner to manufacturing her own styling products.

With Lorna Evans

With Roland Semaarn

Sponsor sessions were up next with a visit and presentaion by Amy Pisconeri, Goldwell, opening the teams eyes to a new colour world.

Amy Pisconeri, Goldwell

Arianna Mantzaris and Jelena Hanson from Amazing Hair arrived with the teams extension prize packs, this year including more than usual withdextra goodies and a chat all about the history of the company and what to look for when it comes to the world of hair.

With Ariana Mantzaris & Jelena Hanson, Amazing Hair

The gorgeously cute Primrose Holland from ghd arrived with another surprise guest – Hermiz Daniel giving us some insight into his journey with them as well as his career path so far. Having already received their prize packs from ghd, the team were not expecting the room quickly to turn into an Oprah TV set with them all being given more in the shape of a ghd cordless straightener. It was like Xmas!

With Hermiz Daniel & Primrose Holland, ghd

The day finished off with a revisit to the SWOT analysis results and Linda Woodhead taking the team through a Mindfulness and Warrior Session. Breaking through barriers literally with martial art board breaking was an emotion end to a huge day!

Back on the bus again and off to Cork and Canvas on Clarendon St to paint and socialise together, was followed by a few drinks back at the house with a late night game of “Heads Up” and watching Some great Stand Up Comedy on TV!

Final day was check out and off to Excellent Edges for the teams Scissor Packs worth in excess of $5000 and some unique training by the boss man himself Pete Walstab. Meeting the EE team, getting mind blown in the way these scissors hone the craft, playing arcade games, having a sumptuous Indian lunch are just some of what went down, the rest remains out of print! Always a highlight for the team!

Special thanks go to Louise May who ‘co-parented’ the team with Linda, was the chief cook and bottle washer for the entire stay, producing the most delicious meals and always being there for everyone. What an absolute gem!

Evie Golding

“The HOT SHOTS House was one-of-a-kind experience that I will never forget. I was already excited to be in the team with Leanne, Eliza and Scott being such talented hairdressers. Then being mentored by the industries greatest that have paved the way that hairdressing is today was a dream come true. I’ve admired these amazing hairdressers for so long, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face and so blessed that they took the time to speak to us, give us loads of tips and tricks to excel even more and be supported to go further. Learning everything from how to prep for a killer shoot to the business side and how important it is. I was buzzing with knowledge and love by the end of the weekend and felt very inspired to create magic with the HOT SHOTS team on our shoot. I can’t wait to Shoot with Andrew O’Toole, it is a huge dream of mine to have that experience. With everything we have learnt in the HOT SHOTS house I feel extremely creative and buzzing with ideas after learning from the mentors in the house. The HOT SHOTS program so far has gone above and beyond my expectations. We are connected to our sponsored brands like Goldwell, ghd, Excellent Edges and Amazing Hair Extensions that have given us gifts to allow us to excel further in our everyday salon life as well as shoots. Linda and the Team at Mocha have helped us understand the ins and outs of the industry and how to push our brand and presence further so we are able to gather more opportunities in our careers. It is a program that is great for the upcoming hairdresser!”

Scott Sheehy

“I came in with no expectations towards the program, almost going in blindly of what was to come from one of the most magical experiences I’ve ever had! From the belly laughs to deep insight into the business/creative field and the heart-warming bonding of my fellow team! To be part of the HOT SHOTS team already has shown how deeply passionate we are about our career! This program is run by incredible people who will honestly propel your passion into a whole new world and I’m so very grateful for every second I got to be with this team! The house itself was honestly a dream and a taste of historical luxury! Having the mentors come into the house was beautiful and it was a blessing to have such highly award-winning individuals take their time to take you through how they got to where they are in their stage of life! Thank you again Linda you absolutely beautiful angel xx Love, Scotty”

Eliza Andrews

Eliza Andrews“The HOT SHOTS House was the single most affirming and inspiring event of my professional life to date. As a hairdresser, it’s in my DNA to give myself to others, but unfortunately after a tough two years in and out of lockdown, and the pressure of reopening our salon doors, I was finding my cup was empty and had been feeling the effects of burnout. The incredible generosity of the mentors who came in to share their wisdom with us has filled me with so much excitement, and really reinvigorated my passion for hairdressing, and the hair industry as a whole. The weekend was filled with love, compassion, and respect. Our wonderful mentors came to us with humility and honesty, sharing their stories and secrets about how they rose to success, and how we can follow in their footsteps and be the next generation of hairdressing greats. I learned so many invaluable lessons surrounding creativity, business, balance, and of course hair. I feel inspired to do hair again, and to get back into shooting and creating outside of the salon. Not only did I come back to Sydney feeling full and inspired, I came back with 3 new amazing friends. In the 3 days we spent together as a team, a bond was formed unlike any other. As a team, we are 4 different people with 4 different lives, but we all shared this experience and came out of it like a family. I’m truly so excited for what’s to come with this incredible team, and to see each of them rise to the top as our careers progress.”

Leanne Kay

“The HOT SHOTS house was an incredibly heart-warming experience. Listening to and learning from some of the best hairdressers and figures in our industry was immeasurably inspiring. HOT SHOTS is all about learning and growing in the most supportive and loving way and I can definitely say I left feeling inspired and filled with excitement. Over the weekend we were absolutely spoiled with gifts from the amazing sponsors ghd, Goldwell, Excellent Edges and Amazing Hair. I can’t thank everyone enough for their generosity! A major highlight of the weekend was the mentor session with Errol Douglas who spoke about all things photoshoots to industry inspirations. My biggest takeaway from his session was definitely “Don’t cut corners, always listen and look after your mental health”. I was also blown away by our trip to Excellent Edges HQ where we were walked through the process of how our scissors are made and tgot o try out all of the scissors we were gifted. Not only did we get to learn from some of the industry greats who came to the HOT SHOTS house we bonded as a team over our love of the industry and can truthfully say we have become friends for life. Also, a huge thank you to our incredible hosts Linda and Lou from Mocha, who ran our personal development mentor sessions as well as shared all of our laughs, cry’s and a few glasses of wine. This incredible weekend wouldn’t have happened without you two! I highly recommend this experience to anyone who wants to elevate their knowledge and confidence within the industry. I wish I could relive the whole weekend again!”