We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kate Alden. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kate below.
Kate, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I’ve been a creative person all of my life, but I came into the film industry a bit sideways. Starting as an actor (in theater predominately), I focused my attention to filmmaking in college. From there I had a thirst for knowledge with all things film and it was a natural sidestep to move much more heavily into producing from acting in my twenties. Producing opened doors to a side of the industry that I had not had the opportunity to really explore, including directing. But I think the resilience to keep going in any creative field really came from early experiences with rejection. You get very accustomed to rejection growing up as an actor. And it builds an unwillingness to give up that I have found is incomparably important in this industry and in life.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am currently a somewhat nomadic filmmaker who has lived and worked across the US, with concentrated stints in Los Angeles, Seattle, New York, and Boston. I graduated from Chapman University (after transferring from Emerson College). My creative spark and desire to see everything with a least a smidge of humor comes from my experiences as a kid of divorced creatives (a visual artist/designer and an acoustical engineer/musician), as I forged an identity early on out of perseverance and curiosity. I started out as an actor, appearing on a multitude of features, commercials and tv shows, including ‘Twin Peaks,’ ‘Sorry For Your Loss,’ and ‘The Librarians.’ About a decade ago, I switched my focus to production and dove head first into the entire process, helming projects for Paramount, Blumhouse, Warner Brothers, Viacom/CBS, and many others. I helped develop and creatively produce a short called ‘Relationship Deli’ in 2018 that went viral and was featured with Funny or Die and the New York Times. Since reviving my focus on directing (with a slight ambition jump from the plays and shorts I made with friends as a teenager), I have created several music videos and shorter form media projects and I strive to perpetually be building new things with incredible people.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I think being able to move between different areas of the industry (in front of and behind the camera) has given me a tremendous knowledge base about what it actually takes to make something from start to finish. Curiosity, drive, humor and resilience have been such a toolkit on this journey. My advice for anyone looking to be involved in film is to learn, hands-on, as much as you can. Keep an open mind and lead with a kind heart. There is no one formula or path for anyone to take in a creative field and it’s never too late to get into it.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I’m always looking for new people to collaborate with! I think the strength in this community is that it’s all about collaboration and discovering new perspectives. My website (katealden.com) is an easy place to drop a note!
Contact Info:
- Website: katealden.com
- Instagram: @kateabouttown
Image Credits
Tyler Core Brendan Donahue
