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

Hi Katie, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The idea to start my own business was born out of a desire to provide a stable, controlled environment for both myself and my community. My father owned his own business, and growing up I saw him work like a dog every day to provide for my mother, my three siblings, and I. I’ve always believed this dreamy notion that I could have everything I want, feel fulfilled by what I do, help people, and that there was some way to achieve all this without working myself to death. I still believe that, even though the path to get there has involved more hard work than I could have anticipated, and I understand why not everyone believes it’s possible for them and gives up. I’m taking step by step towards a day where the work does itself. At the end of the road, I hope I get to wake up every day and spend my time doing what makes me truly happy, and know that it can’t be taken away by anyone.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The first challenge I had to overcome was growing up in a small town where people don’t dream of making it to another coast or going down in History. If you do dare to hope you’re met only with discouragement. My high school barely had an arts program, and when I approached my counselor with questions about transferring I was met with the worse advice I’d ever received, to “bloom where I’m planted,” but that is what I did. I’d managed to receive a state scholarship that would have covered my tuition at a public college, but it was art school or nothing for me. With what tuition I was awarded for my AP art design portfolio and my test scores, matched with what my parents had managed to save I was able to attend SCAD where the class materials were expensive, the schedule of working part time and shooting films on the weekend was a near fatal nightmare, and I found myself leagues behind my peers who had attended high schools in big cities with film programs and connections. Limitations breed ingenuity though. I had declared a tentative performing arts major, but my design portfolio had landed me in classes with the Production Designers, a career that I was completely oblivious to the existence of. I had painted sets for community theatre growing up, loved being part of the production process, and I fell into the technical niche of the Art Department and found it to be a more welcoming avenue where I could really make waves. I scratched the itch to express myself with writing, and since the Production Design classes were too difficult to take on top of each other I padded them with screenwriting classes and my brand was berthed with two heads: Character Expression and Visual Storytelling; a natural evolution like the pursuit of all passions. Writing and Design go hand in hand for me, but I have found that design and fabrication is something I’m willing to use in the service of others while writing I’ve kept for myself. When I moved to LA, I couldn’t support a strictly freelance career and devoted all of my time to establishing myself as a professional within the film and television industry. I was burnt out on building my portfolio during school, and enjoyed learning as much as I could from department heads with careers I admired. A technical internship in New York and experience with SCAD productions got me in the door after reaching out to literally hundreds in the industry. That really is what it takes: a few months rent saved up, actually being in the city where you want to work, and sending more emails than you thought you were capable of. After a few years of working my way up and finally joining a union, it became clear to me that sustainability could never be guaranteed by my industry. I’ve always dreamed of becoming completely self sufficient, but my far off dream had become a pressing need. Eventually I’ll be a one stop Production Company, for now I’m working on securing studio space and publishing my first book of poetry. I just keep taking the next step and my dreams keep getting closer and closer to becoming a reality. Making it happen is the best part.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I wish I had more time to explore the city than I do. Every now and then I’m shown a part of LA that amazes me and I always wonder where my friends get the energy to go out and explore. My favorite part of living here is the hikes through the Hollywood and San Fernando Hills. Griffith Observatory is the first place I take visitors, because it’s beautiful and you can see everything and it really helps to orient yourself to your surroundings. Skip downtown and the Walk of Fame, I’d take guests to the Huntington Dog Beach (Heaven on Earth,) get al pastor street tacos in East LA at Avenue 18, and probs go thrifting in Silverlake. I love hanging out at one of the million cute coffee places, or grabbing donuts from a mom and pop and discovering a new park. If they have to see the sights I’d take them to The Last Bookstore downtown, and then dancing at La Cita or Bar Sinister (wear black.)

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My shoutout definitely has to go to my dad, for so many reasons; reluctantly supporting my education in the arts, teaching me that it’s possible to make something lasting out of the finite resources you have, and for being there with the hard truths and admissions of the help that he received from various scrappy sources when it seemed all bets were off. More than anything, I value my father’s insistence that I pave my own way. The most gratifying aspect of my business is that I’m building it with my own two hands, and that the help that I’ve received has not been at the expense of learning what it means to keep going when you feel that you have every logical reason to throw in the towel. Help may spur you on when things have halted, but desperation is what keeps you moving day to day. There’s a drive deep within me that I know is a torch dipped in the flame of my father’s hope that his family would be OK. It’s the quality that I hold most paramount.

Website: www.katiewilkersondesigns.com

Instagram: @keep1t_surreal

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-wilkerson-1a25601a3?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@keep1t_surreal?si=mefDhk_IXjpANLdR

Image Credits
Rex Wong, Joe Russ, Noah Osuna, Seth Cunningham

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