We were lucky to catch up with Katie Mack recently and have shared our conversation below.

Katie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

I started working when I was 16 years old, so I have a lot of experience in different fields doing different things. Working was always just a means for me. A means to pay bills, to buy things I liked, to help my parents. I’ve never felt joy in working for someone else. Granted, I have always been grateful, but feelings of joy were never present. My last job was supporting executives at a start up, this was at the heel of my first creative failure – not getting the funding I needed to finish my first feature film. I was in a really dark place mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. I had just started this job and was thankful that I had something to keep my mind busy because my creative spirit was shot. What I was reminded of at this job was that, I’ve always hated working to make someone else’s dream come true. I hated everything about it, and the effect it was having on my mental health. I quit with no other job lined up, no clue how I was going to continue to pay my rent or bills, but knew in my heart that that was the last time I would ever give someone else’s dream more of my time and energy than I’d give my own. The lesson for me was, if you know your purpose…what you’re really meant to be doing, at some point you just have to give it all you have. You have to have faith in yourself. You owe that to yourself.

Katie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I never would’ve imagined that being bitten by the acting bug at 7 years old would resurface in my late teens, early 20’s. I started taking acting classes post high school and ended up completing a two year conservatory program at William Esper Studios in NYC. I was often typecast at auditions, so I went back to writing, producing, acting in and directing my own content because I had full control of the roles I’d wanted to play. My love for being behind the camera…directing has grown on me in such a wonderful way, and I was able to create a lot of work, and work with a lot of really talented people over the years. Building trust and relationships with these actors…these humans, have made me really proud that I’m able to connect with so many brilliant individuals in this thing that we do…this art. I think that what sets me apart from other filmmakers and directors is how I approach the work. I think that being an actor lends a special je ne sais quoi to being a great leader, because that’s what a director does, we lead…with intention. The heart of the KMackBrand is “Be inspired, be you.’ I bring my inspiration to the table, I bring me to the table. I’m proud that I’ve always shown up as my authentic self in every project that I’ve ever done or have ever been a part of and will continue to do so in anything that I am a part of.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is knowing that I have no shortage ideas or stories to tell. I know that I’m resourceful and will tell my stories by any means necessary.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

If someone gave me a crash course on NFTs for Dummies, I can assure you I still wouldn’t be able to tell you what that are.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kmackbrand.com
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVA0uZmdJ9Io5SmbP7TTysw
• Other: Podcast: KMackNYC on all podcast platforms.

Image Credits
Chuck Wolf