Emmy Award Winning Hair Department Head

After emigrating from Finland to Canada with her family as a child, Sanna Seppanen began her career designing hair for film and television in Vancouver, B.C. As a second-generation hair stylist, following in the footsteps of her late mother seemed inevitable.

With a career spanning over 25 years, Ms. Seppanen's creativity and passion are reflected in her extensive body of work. She honed her skills in British Columbia's rapidly growing film and television industry, leading large hair departments on films such as Warcraft: The Beginning and Big Eyes. She first collaborated with producer Noah Hawley on the inaugural season of Legion and later reunited with him on the fourth season of his award-winning series Fargo, and more recently on Alien: Earth. Ms. Seppanen also recreated the iconic hairstyles of the late 1970s and early 1980s for the series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.

In September 2024, Ms. Seppanen won her first primetime Emmy Award for her leadership and work as department head on the redramatization of Shogun. For this period production, she designed and styled elaborate 16th-century looks, combining traditional Japanese samurai wigs with modern Western techniques. She has also collaborated with director Francis Lawrence on the Apple TV+ drama See, starring Jason Momoa. Her other notable credits include Pachinko, Fifty Shades of Grey, The Big White, Okja, Scary Movie, Josie and the Pussycats, 2012, and Elysium, where she took special pride in her design work on Jodie Foster’s wig.

Ms. Seppanen has also worked as a personal hair stylist for celebrities such as Emily Blunt, Courtney Love, Sarah Shahi, and Jason Momoa. An expert in wig design, she runs her own hair extension company.

She enjoys exploring different time periods, cultures, and styles, always striving to push the boundaries of her art.