Meet Katie Felber | Producer / Director / Healer

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

Hi Katie, can you tell us about a book that has had a meaningful impact on you?
A book I read recently that has had an immense impact on my day-to-day life as a person in the creative arts is “Inner Engineering: A Yogi’s Guide to Joy,” by the one and only Sadhguru. Although I was brought up culturally Jewish, I’ve always found myself drawn towards Eastern modalities of thinking. Getting into comedy in my 20s, and later producing and directing, was kind of a therapeutic choice upon reflection. From a young age I’ve always dealt with anxiety and depression over often “unanswerable” existential questions (that, and I once fainted getting off an airplane after eating too many Sour Patch Kids™ – true story. Google “Katie Felber + Zoloft ” for the recap. I’m not shy!!). Anyway, a friend of mine from high school, Jay Weingarten, who also happens to be a hilarious comedian here in LA, introduced me to Sadhguru last year and his teachings have honestly been life-changing. The process of Inner Engineering is basically a set of tools derived from the science of Yoga to re-engineer yourself from the inside out. We’re always looking for external solutions to our problems and spend so much time trying to design the outside world in ways that make us comfortable. But this book along with Sadhguru’s 7-step online course, show you exactly how to shift your mind to find joy in the tiny, everyday moments. I would highly recommend Inner Engineering for anyone looking to develop more mental clarity transcend self-limiting beliefs. Sadhguru is bae!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
In a nutshell, the projects I create and am involved with sit at the nexus of comedy, sports, and mental health. During the day I work as a producer/director at Brat TV, a Gen Z media company, in their podcast division and work with a lot of young talent (i.e. rich TikTokers and aspiring actors) to find their voice. I also host a show for Brat on Snapchat called “Past Your Bedtime.” In my afterhours, I produce standup specials and help run a camp for aspiring comedians (check out Comedy Fantasy Camp with Adam Carolla & Jay Leno). The last standup special I worked on was Phoebe Robinson’s hour special, which will likely air sometime next year. Because I’ve always struggled with anxiety and depression, sports were also a huge part of my life growing up and an incredible outlet for energy that I didn’t know what to do with. During the pandemic I created a podcast called “Sad Jocks” about the intersection of sports and mental health and interviewed athletes and comedians on their respective journeys. I would LOVE to revive this podcast in some form (ideally with a co-host!) because I think these stories are so important to share. Growing up as an athlete and eventually playing D1 lacrosse at Berkeley, it was often hard to find the spaces to discuss the nuances of mental health in the sports culture at the time. These days, things have improved a lot but I would love to continue to create projects that build on these stories and discourse! Comedically, I want to grow more as a producer and work towards directing standup specials down the line. I’ve always looked towards humor as a way of coming to terms with life, and I deeply respect the art of standup and love working with comedians, even though they’re usually insane… like me!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There are SO many amazing things to do here in La La land! Let’s pretend we’ve got a day. If you’re eastside like me, go ahead and start your day by grabbing an iced latte at Alfred’s in Silverlake, at which point you can head up Hyperion to the Trader Joe’s to REALLY wake up. That parking lot will immediately humble you and it’s better than any cup of coffee you’ll find. For breakfast, pop over to Proof Bakery in Atwater Village for some delicious pastries- and who knows? Maybe grab a European-style, freshly made sandwich on their rustic baguettes to go. Now that you’re even more east, head on over to Descanso Gardens and eat your TJs snacks by the pond with a favorite book. Is this too much nature for you? Too bad! It’s time to play tennis at Griffith Park’s Vermont Canyon Courts – my all time fave spot to work on my backhand. After beating a random guy from Hinge who you’ll never speak to again, maybe head up to the Griffith Observatory for a planetarium show and think about how small we are in the vastness of the Universe, right before bumping into a gaggle of tourists and taking their pic. Wait, are you thirsty? Head down the hill to the Trails Cafe, nestled at the base of Fern Dell, and grab a matcha while you observe some cute dogs. You’re probably hot though, right? Time to head over the Roosevelt Hotel for some much needed pool-time. If you drink, get some cocktails….you deserve it! While swiping on dating apps by the pool (it’s the LA thing to do), start planning your fit because you’re about to see some comedy soon. That’s right, you and your crew have secured tickets to the “Best of the Comedy Store” on the iconic Sunset Strip… and rumor has it, Chappelle is dropping in! But before the show, you gotta fuel up with sushi at Yamashiro’s in the Hollywood Hills. After the show, you grab some late night eats at Mel’s Diner on Sunset before ending your iconic day doing karaoke at The Brass Monkey in K-Town. Are you exhausted? I know I am. I’ll be sleeping til approx 11:30am and then grabbing brunch in at The Butcher’s Daughter in Venice, then napping on the beach til 2. Namaste.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
As a Virgo, my brain works in lists – so I’d love to include a list of all the people who have shaped my journey:

My brother, Bryan – an accomplished editor and director with an unmatched work ethic (he runs marathons for FUN) and the patience and compassion to deal with my neurotic ass
My Aunt Linda for helping me get on Zoloft 🙂
Jay Weingarten – for introducing me to Sadhguru and helping me understand the fusion of spirituality and comedy
David Fishof – Creator of the Comedy Fantasy Camp, for bringing me on as Camp Director and giving me the chance to help aspiring comedians on their journeys
Matt Schuler – a new connection and amazing mentor for teaching me the ropes of Line Producing in the standup comedy world. I would love to get to the level he’s at (producing 30+ specials per year with Partnership Entertainment/800 Pound Gorilla Productions).
Marc Maron – I don’t know him personally, but I am an avid WTF listener and feel like he is a second Jewish dad to me
Mai Perches – my iconic and stylish friend, who is almost as silly and crazy as me, for always holding a safe space to discuss big emotions
Caroline Goldfarb – my longtime homegirl who is a hilarious writer on “The Sex Lives of College Girls” for shaping my humor in countless ways, whether she knows it or not 😉
My Reiki instructor Kristin White – for attuning me to Levels 1 and 2 in Reiki and providing the gift to heal others
Allen Strickland Williams – for walks, wisdom, friendship, and ongoing cleverness. There’s no one like him!

Website: https://www.kfelbs.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kfelbs33/?hl=en

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

Image Credits
Andrew Max Levy
JD Dominguez
Alessandra Lichtenfeld
Elyse Lefkovitch