Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Katie North. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

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.

A former neuroscience nerd, I graduated cum laude from Princeton University, and I try to utilize my knowledge of human behavior to tell dark comedies that explore the complex, funny, and weird motivations that drive people. My comedy pilot Mourning Glory follows a ragtag group of professional mourners who will do whatever it takes to make their company, and their dead clients, look popular; it made the Red List for Top 20 Half-Hour Comedy Scripts. I am currently in pre-production for a feature, a buddy adventure comedy inspired by my relationship with my grandmother and her dementia (Nana vs. Time, recently announced on Deadline by my producers). I am also co-producing the Broadway comedy musical Operation Mincemeat, based on a real WW2 mission to outwit German troops with false papers and a corpse. I recently produced, co-directed, and acted in the Slamdance short film Bad Survivor alongside friend and collaborator, Alex Dvorak. Before that, I wrote, directed, and starred in an indie pilot about a year-round haunted house on the brink of bankruptcy, which won “Best Episodic Series” at the Katra Film Series, screened at Dances With Films in New York and LA, and received the NYC Women’s Fund.

Katie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I was so green shooting my first film that, at one point, my friend and executive producer had to lean over and whisper, “Call action.” I am extremely grateful that she and the rest of my crew were so generous with their experience and time, guiding me to grow into the filmmaker I am still working to become. I have since shot several projects I am proud of, including Bad Survivor, which just screened at Slamdance.

As a writer / director / actor / producer, I have at times questioned whether I am overstretched — surely that many hyphens can’t be good for a person. But I have since gotten very comfortable with the idea that I am a storyteller, that my myriad of hats allows me to explore telling stories in multiple ways, through multiple lenses. In the last year, I have directed a short, written a feature, acted in three other features, and produced a Broadway musical. Taking on different responsibilities for each piece has allowed me to understand the craft and the business better, and as a result, become a stronger artist all around.

I’m ambitious, and a bit of a perfectionist, so one of the biggest obstacles I’ve faced is getting comfortable with the fact that I will never stop learning. There will always be something I could improve about my performance, my writing, my directing. It takes the pressure off a bit to remember that I will never be perfect, so I may as well share my art with the world.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

As a person who intentionally got out of many group coding assignments in college by opting to do the work alone (I have a secret nerd who lives rent free inside of me), I did not expect to choose a career that involves so many group projects. I used to be precious about doing everything myself, believing that to be the only way I could ensure quality. But making a film, or a pilot, or even a play, requires a team. I’ve learned the trick to joyful collaboration is to involve people so brilliant at what they do that I could not possibly hope to accomplish their tasks on my own. I am proud to say that I have worked with artists whose contributions to our projects have swept the floor with whatever I might have tried to throw together in their place.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I am very excited about the emergence of indie episodic television. It is my dream and ambition to make television, and I am too passionate and impatient to wait for someone with a proper budget to give me permission. The concept of indie episodic television allows for independent artists to add their voices to the giant world of streamable content, and that is exactly what I plan to do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://katienorth.com
• Instagram: @kt.north
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kt-north/

Image Credits

Dustin McWethy, Paul Gregory, Maddalena De Beni