We were lucky to catch up with Kate Schettler recently and have shared our conversation below.
Kate, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
It’s a tie between a recent film role and my new music single, ‘Higher Place’ which is scheduled for November 2023 release. For the movie role, I played Nora, a loving and protective mom in ‘Secret Society of Lies’ which aired in February 2023 on Lifetime. In the film, some female students are targeted and attacked, including my daughter. As Nora, I investigate and take measures to keep my daughter safe while exposing the attackers. Though I don’t have children, I was able to tap into strong feelings of connection to my Mom who passed away in 2019 while creating the character. We shot the film around the holidays and I was really missing her at that time, so I used those emotions to fuel Nora’s inner life…I thought about how protective my mother was over me and how much she loved me. So it was easy to tap into Nora’s maternal instincts! Now, when I watch the footage, I see a lot of my Mom’s legacy in my work which is pretty special.
The new single, ‘Higher Place’ is a song I wrote several years ago in Nashville. At the time, I was living on the 17th floor of a high rise that had an incredible view of the city. My piano was facing a large window so I could sing, play and write songs while watching the skyline. It felt surreal at times. I was also feeling a lot of artistic inspiration, loneliness and isolation…so the song was birthed out of both beauty and angst. For a long time, I kept it to myself because I thought no one could relate; but when I started performing it at shows, people would tell me how much the song resonated with them. In light of new spiritual discoveries and increasing mental health awareness, this song is especially meaningful for me. I’m excited to share it!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Originally from Philadelphia, I’m an LA-based actress and music artist. After studying musical theater in college, I started my music and on-camera career in Nashville 11 years ago. I later branched out to Atlanta and made the leap to Los Angeles in 2018. Now working bi-coastally, I feel great about the roots I’ve established in both markets.
Since 2012, I have appeared in TV, film, commercials, industrials, music videos, testimonials, print and ad campaigns. Most recently, I played a helpful nurse on ABC’s ‘General Hospital.’ You may also have seen me on an ad campaign for Luminess Cosmetics which friends tell me has been circulating on the Hallmark channel!
On the music side, I released my first Christian EP in 2009 and then a pop project in 2016. After that, I began releasing singles… my genre is soulful, bluesy pop with strong gospel roots. I’ve performed in a bunch of great music venues in the Southeast and SoCal…some of my favorites include the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Eddie’s Attic in Atlanta, and the House of Blues in Anaheim, CA.
One thing that’s special about me is that I authentically engage with fans online. I’ve been very active on social media since 2009 and enjoy showing up for my followers. This connection adds value to clients who hire me to represent their brand, show or venue…they know they can count on me to help create a buzz for their projects. I’m most proud of ongoing opportunities to consistently book work and create my own content, even in difficult times. I owe all my inspiration and success to God and His fierce love for me. I’m so grateful for the doors He opens and dedicate everything back to Him!
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I like this question because in the entertainment industry, pivoting is often a daily occurrence! For example, I co-produced a music video back in 2020 for my single ‘Crazy Inside.’ We rented a movie ranch up in Santa Clarita, hired a crew, and booked several actors for the one-day shoot. It was an expensive undertaking and I was self-funding the project…so the buck stopped with me. Since this was during Covid, I organized FaceTime meetings with all the actors a week ahead of time for a wardrobe fitting….I had ordered outfits for the two female actors playing my “wing girls” and had it all planned out. Our call time on set was 7 AM. At 3 AM I received a text from one of the female actors who bailed on the shoot at the last minute. What??? I started to panic, then remembered that there’s always a solution. So I texted my make-up artist before she left her house and was like, “Can you grab a pair of jeans and black heels? I’ll explain when you get here.” Thankfully, she was a good sport and agreed to jump into the video on zero notice! She was adorable and you would never know she did double-duty that day.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
Back in 2011, right before I started my on-camera career, I read Steven Covey’s ‘The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People’ three times. It completely changed my life! One of my biggest takeaways was the importance of empathic listening and the human need to be understood…that has been front and center in my acting work over the years. Also, the concept of “begin with the end in mind” has helped me with all types of creative planning. Covey’s book spawned my own specific goal-setting exercise that I now do annually: every January, I spend three weeks mapping out the year with large, over-arching goals broken down into smaller action steps along with a system for accountability. This process has been key for me in staying focused on what I truly want, doing what’s necessary to get it, and achieving breakthroughs.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.kateschettler.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kateschettler/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KateSchettlerENT
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kateschettler
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/kateschettler
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/KateSchettler
- Spotify: https://sptfy.com/kateschettler
Image Credits
Theo & Juliet