We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Gemma Smith. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Gemma below.

Gemma, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I would say Catbaret, my cat-themed variety show that I’ve been hosting and producing since 2018. I started the show as a monthly variety show at a small comedy club in Queens, New York, and over time it has grown and evolved. For the past two years, I’ve been producing it at Caveat, a theater on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Our past two shows have been packed, with over 100 cat lovers in attendance!

The show has grown from a small monthly event into a larger quarterly production, and my purpose (or should I say purr-pose!) is really to build a community of people who love cats and the arts. It’s cheeky, fun, warm, and inclusive. I give everyone cat ears to wear, and there’s always an audience paw-ticipation segment and raffle prizes.

The raffle funds benefit a local rescue, Rescue NYC, and we also spotlight their adoptable cats in our show slides. Our last two shows were also sponsored by Weruva, the cat’s meow when it comes to premium pet food, and we were able to share samples with the audience for their cats.

It’s my own project that started small and, over the past seven and a half years, has grown into something I’m really proud of. I’m especially proud of the relationships I’ve built and the friendships I’ve made with other performers who love cats, as well as the audience members who return show after show. It truly feels like a community, and I’m grateful to be creating something that also gives back to the cat world here in New York City.

Gemma, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I describe myself as a cat-loving creative producer and host based in New York City. I produce and host Catbaret, NYC’s cat-themed variety show, and I also host an indie podcast called Tails and Tassels.

With Tails and Tassels, listeners get a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of burlesque and nightlife performers, their craft, their cats, and the ways those worlds intertwine. We also feature bonus episodes with cat experts and creatives. It’s a really fun intersection of my personal interests – cats, creative living, and personal growth – because I learn so much from talking with artists about their journeys. There’s something really special about connecting with people who are not only creatives, but also fellow cat lovers, whether they’re pet parents, fosters, or volunteers.

My background is in theater. I moved to New York about 14 years ago to pursue acting, and over time I realized I really fell in love with hosting and producing my own work. I’ve also performed burlesque and created a reality TV-inspired variety show, so I still step into performance from time to time, but producing has really become my creative home.

In my day-to-day work, I’ve built a career in animal welfare, where I’ve had the opportunity to represent a national nonprofit on camera and help connect people to ways they can support animals in need. That experience has shaped a lot of how I think about community, storytelling, and impact.

What sets my work apart is really the heart behind it. Everything I create is about building community and creating a space that feels warm, inclusive, and genuinely fun. Whether it’s a live show, a podcast episode, or a collaboration, I want people to feel like they’re part of something.

I’m especially proud of growing Catbaret and Tails and Tassels as independent projects. Indie podcasting and live producing are true labors of love, and I’ve built these platforms from the ground up while also working full-time. Seeing audiences return to shows, listeners tune in, and collaborators come back again and again means a lot to me.

If there’s one thing I’d want people to know, it’s that I care deeply about what I create and the experience people have with it. If you love cats, creative work, and a sense of community, you’ll feel right at home in my world.

Have you ever had to pivot?

The initial motivation behind Tails and Tassels actually wasn’t a podcast. I was a little resistant to podcasting at first – it felt like a lot of work (which, honestly, it is), and I had my sights set on something bigger in the reality TV space.

I created Tails and Tassels as a reality TV concept where I would host and work with burlesque and nightlife performers and their cats, bringing in feline experts to help with behavioral or medical issues. It was inspired by real life as I’m often the person friends come to when something is going on with their cat, and I love connecting people with resources.

I invested time and money into creating a sizzle reel, hired a cinematographer and editor, built a pitch deck, and spent months researching and reaching out to production companies. I had several meetings, which was exciting, but ultimately the feedback was that the concept wasn’t feasible in the current TV landscape.

That was a tough moment. I had spent close to a year working on this idea, and I had to decide whether to let it go or find another way forward.

Instead of taking no as the end of the road, I chose to pivot. I reimagined Tails and Tassels as a podcast, which allowed me to keep the heart of the project – conversations with creatives who love cats – while making it something I could fully produce on my own.

It ended up being one of the best decisions I could have made. The podcast has given me a platform to grow a community, share meaningful conversations, and build something that’s entirely mine. And who knows – maybe one day it evolves into something bigger. But for now, I’m really proud of what it’s become.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I’m still in the process of unlearning is the idea that I had to “make it” by a certain age. I just turned 40, and for a long time I carried this belief that there was a deadline, that I needed to reach a certain level of success before then.

Now I’m really questioning what “making it” actually means and what my values are. My word of the year is “ease,” and that has shifted a lot for me. It’s become more important to feel grounded, peaceful, and fulfilled in my day-to-day life, not just focused on external milestones.

In that sense, I do feel like I’ve made it in some ways. I’ve built creative projects I care about, I have a supportive community, and I get to create alongside a full life. That means more to me now than chasing a specific version of success tied to age.

I also think it’s a limiting belief that there’s any kind of expiration date on creativity or growth. People are evolving, creating, and doing meaningful work in every decade of their lives. I’m still actively working on letting go of that pressure, but it’s been a really important shift for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.gemmasmith.net
• Instagram: @gemmasmithnyc
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemmacsmith/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TailsTasselsPod
• Other: Podcast Pod Link Page: https://pod.link/1757684410

Image Credits

El Jong
Desiree De Sade