Tene Wilder Wins An Emmy!

Trinity Goppy | Staff Writer

Tene Wilder, a Baltimore native, recently won an Emmy for Outstanding Contemporary Hairstyling on the hit television show Pose. Wilder has been a coiffeuse for over 20 years, starting when she was only 12 years old and converting her talents into a successful career.

“I always dreamed big and as I got older, my vision grew bigger,” said Wilder. “As a child, my mother saw that I had a talent for doing hair, so I did all of her friend’s hair as well as the people in the church.”

This was only the beginning for Tene Wilder. She opened her first spa salon, The Wilder Experience, in her hometown in 2003. The business was successful and created a sense of community that allowed her to expand.

Soon after, Wilder was faced with an obstacle and decided to make a decision that changed her life; she moved to New York.

“I am going to step out on faith like I always do,” she said, “It was about the best thing that I could have ever done for my career.” said Wilder.

Wilder worked on Broadway plays briefly doing hairstyles and working aside with a multitude of people from different cities in the United States. Her authenticity allowed her to build lasting relationships within the entertainment industry.

Shortly after her time working on Broadway, Wilder began working on television show sets such as “The Wire,” “That’s So Raven,” “House of Cards,” and “Veep” before earning her Emmy on television show, Pose.

Wilder worked on Pose, a television show set in the 1980s that focuses on the juxtaposition of several segments of life and society in New York for the LGBTQ+ community, while working on another major television show. Once the opportunity presented itself, Wilder began working on Pose full-time during the third season.

“It was a big show and it was really diverse and it also touched on many topics that hit our community,” she said. “I worked on the character Angel, played by Indya Moore, and we really bonded.”

Wilder won a Creative Arts Emmy award, for her work on the last episode, “Once Upon A Time,” alongside the Pose make-up department, including Timothy Harvey, Barry Lee Moe, Rob Harmon, and Greg Bazemore.

“The team that I was with was amazing and I would not trade it for the world,” Wilder said. “It was a full-circle moment because I told them early on that we were gonna get the award.”

When she attended the award show, Wilder recalls being anxious yet confident that her team would win.

“When they announced that Pose won, we looked at each other and just knew that our hard work had paid off,” she said. “I have always helped and mentored young women, so this award was not just for me, but also for everyone who has ever come into my life that pushed me and valued me in my moments of doubt.”

After winning the Emmy, Wilder is enthusiastic about what the future holds.

“What’s next for me is an Oscar! The Oscar is next and it is coming,” she said. “I have accomplished all that I have asked for and now this moment is about enjoying the fruits of my labor and taking advantage of what I can ask for now.”