Meet Mackie Kravitz: TV Producer & Host

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

Hi Mackie, why did you pursue a creative career?
Growing up, I was always involved in the arts. Both of my parents worked in the entertainment industry and I knew I wanted to follow in their footsteps from a very young age. I participated in musical theatre summer programs and was heavily involved in my high school’s theatre program. This later inspired me to pursue theatre in college at USC. I took many acting and film courses and my spare time was spent producing and hosting live TV for their student-run network, Trojan Vision. In college I was more set on being an actress than a producer – in fact I had absolutely no idea what being a producer even entailed. What I did know was that I loved the fast pace of working on unscripted TV and how every single day brought a new challenge. When I graduated college most of my friends went into comfy corporate desk jobs like consulting and sales and I knew that was not the path for me. Although working as a freelancer seemed daunting at first, I knew my heart was in it for the right reasons and if I remained passionate and worked hard it wouldn’t be an issue. I graduated in May of 2019 and 2020 was a rough year to say the least. However, not even 2 years post-grad and I am a segment producer working on shows for major companies like CBS, E!, and Snapchat to name a few. I’m still learning the scope of everything that a producer does – but I will say I learn something new every day. The reason I loved doing theatre growing up was the collaboration aspect. There’s something special about being part of a team that shows up every single day, holds each other accountable and works tirelessly together to create something bigger than all of us. I’m lucky to say that I found a job where this same principle holds true.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
When I started working in the entertainment industry, I had no clue what I wanted to do. My mother who had been in the business for 20+ years told me “sometimes things just fall into place.” Although I don’t fully believe that to be true, it did kinda happen for me that way. My first job in the industry was a production assistant job on a show called Big Brother. It wasn’t the standard cleaning up trash, refilling fridges, making copies PA job that most people know (although, I did later do that too). Instead, I worked out of a hotel and assisted cast members when they were sequestered before filming began. I did this a number of times for various different shows and I honestly loved it. I was always a “people person” so getting paid to hang out with people and sometimes travel was a dream. But I knew that kind of job wouldn’t last forever, I wanted to move up and move forward in my career. In the beginning of 2020 I got hired as the Executive Producer’s assistant on Love Island USA. That’s where things started to click. I got to see how a reality show comes together from start to finish. I was fortunate enough that my boss gave me much more creative freedom than assistants usually have and allowed me to shadow producers and participate in creative meetings. I saw how all the different departments work together to create a successful show. From that moment, I knew producing was the path for me. Since I started working as an associate producer I’ve done everything from creating contact grids, stalking cast social media for post footage, scouting and contacting locations to film at, making flower arrangements, sourcing props, and logging daily footage. I’m still new to the producing world but what I can say is there truly is never a dull moment in the life of a producer. I genuinely love what I do and it continuously challenges me to grow into the hardworking, diven woman I am today and will continue to become.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I am Los Angeles born & bred. I love this city so much and there’s so many things to do and see. Everything from the sports arenas, the hikes/lookouts, the food is incredible and unique. Some of my must-see spots are: Dodger Stadium for the best baseball experience of your life. Elephante is currently my favorite restaurant on the West side – their house cocktail and eggplant dip are unmatched – trust me on this. Sugarfish is a chain sushi joint with locations spread out across LA and the quality is always top notch. On a Sunday morning I love driving to Studio City and going for a hike at Fryman Canyon followed by the local farmers market on Ventura Place. I love walking up Sunset Blvd in Silverlake and checking out their unique shops. The list goes on…I’ve lived here for almost 24 years and still haven’t even scratched the surface of all the things to see/do in LA!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I was lucky to grow up surrounded by other passionate artists. My friend, Rosalind Bevan has always inspired me. She’s a writer and director working out of Boston, MA who is striving to make theatre a more inclusive art form. Rosalind is passionate, intelligent and talented. She challenges herself and everyone around her to become the best version of themselves.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mackie_rae/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mackenzie-mackie-kravitz-a54233133/

Image Credits
Dana Patrick Photography