Meet Kat Uyenco | Television Executive Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kat Uyenco and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kat, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I was born in Cebu City Philippines and my family immigrated to the United States when I was 8 years old. My parents divorced when I was 9 years old and my mother raised 5 children mostly on her own (she had a 2nd husband that helped when I was a teenager). But I always think of my mother when it comes to how I became the strong independent woman I am today. She was always selfless and put her family above everything else and never failed to provide for us. She held 2 jobs to make ends meet and taught us about hard work and sacrifice. Failure was never an option and I carry that belief to this day. If you never make failure an option, you won’t fail! There is always a solution, you just have to work at figuring out what that is. Whether it’s an actual solution to the problem or an adjustment to how you react to that problem, there is a solve. With that said, I do believe that hard work and perseverance combined with faith that God and the universe (or whatever your spiritual beliefs are) will take care of you, you will succeed and good things will come to you!

Not only did my mother provide for us the best she can, she also taught us at a young age about responsibility and dedication. In our family, we were automatically responsible for the younger sibling after you. I’ve always taken care of my younger sister ever since I can remember. This established the value and importance of family and taking care of each other. To this day, I have a close relationship with my family and they keep me grounded and always a great source of support.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I moved to Los Angeles when I was 21 years old to pursue a career as a Make Up Artist. With the support of my family, I enrolled in MUD (Make Up Designory) and studied special effects make up and animatronics. I worked as a freelance make up artist for a few years – along with other interesting jobs like background extra work, club promotions, clothing design, etc. I had a zest for life and wanted to try lots of different jobs in Hollywood. Then I fell into an executive assistant job for a friend’s boyfriend. That’s when I discovered that I wanted to work in television. It was the beginning of the world of reality television. One of my first jobs was an exec assistant to 4 executives, talent coordinator and make up artist on season 1 of “The Surreal Life” (WB and VH1). I got my hands into everything as I had such a lust for learning. I worked my way up from assistant to executive over the years and my career came full circle this year with the reboot of “The Surreal Life” (VH1) where I was an executive. What a fulfilling and satisfying reward! It was not always easy and I overcame so many challenges along the way. But I never failed to have fun while doing it – I think that is one of the secrets to enjoying your career. When you stop enjoying it, it’s time to pivot and find something else that will fulfill that space. Life is too short, don’t waste it not enjoying it.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
LA has so much to offer and I love being a tour guide for friends and family when they visit.

I also am a huge foodie so we would plan our days around where we are going to eat! Some of my favorite spots and must try’s:

– iXLB on Sunset Blvd – wonderful family owned dim sum
– Bao on Beverly Blvd – another great dim sum and Chinese food joint
– Din Tai Fung – yummy dim sum
– République – great for brunch and owned by an amazing Filipina Chef – Chef Margarita Manzke
– Sari Sari Store at Grand Central Market Downtown – also owned by Chef Margarita
– Sushi Time on Bevery – amazing small independently owned sushi restaurant
– Sushi Katsu-ya Studio City – the OG Katsu-ya! Where I discovered my love of spicy tuna on crispy rice.
– Luv2Eat Thai Bistro on Sunset – amazing flavors and women run restaurant – Chef Fern & Chef Pla
– Night + Market Song in Silverlake – another amazing Thai place
– Egg Tuck – the most delicious breakfast sandwich
– Chosun Galbee – delicious Korean BBQ with an awesome outdoor patio
– Park’s BBQ – another delicious Korean BBQ joint
– Bumsan Organic Milk Bar in Koreatown – yummy soft serve ice cream with fun cones and toppings
– Tan Cha – one of my favorite boba and milk tea joints (Tiramisu milk tea yum!)
– Gwen Butcher Shop on Sunset – fantastic prefix menu steak house
– Met Her at a Bar – adorable brunch spot owned by a cute couple!

Other places to visit and do:

– Hike Griffith Park and visit the Observatory
– Hike Runyon Canyon (for some possible celeb sightings)
– Drive the PCH with the top down and end up in Point Dume Malibu. Grab some burritos and spend the day in an amazing little private-ish cove
– Visit museums – The Broad, MOCA, etc
– Take the ferry from LBC to Catalina Island and spend the day in Avalon
– For the kiddos – Santa Monica Pier and Long Beach Aquarium
– A Korean spa day with the ladies at Olympic Spa
– Walk Venice Beach Boardwalk
– Pasadena Rose Bowl Flea Market
– Melrose Trading Post
– Shopping at The Grove, Americana, Beverly Hills/Rodeo Drive

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My mom Emma – thank you for molding me into the strong independent woman I am today!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katventures_100/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katuyenco/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=4HfDhULyu7GmN_1eDySFEg

Image Credits
Cornell Josey (1st and 4th photo) Jason Martinez (last photo)