Today we’d like to introduce you to Katy Foley.
Hi Katy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised on Chicago’s South Side. My parents have always been extremely passionate about movies so I feel like I inherited their enthusiasm. I remember going to see Batman Returns in the theaters (to date myself). Michelle Pfeiffer’s rendition of Cat Woman inspired me to become an actor. Now the idea of me becoming a heroine who gets into a cat suit and does backflips at an electronics store seems a bit far-fetched with what I tend to work on. But a kid can dream! My sister and I got a camcorder for our birthdays in middle school and we began making movies with our friends. We remade some of our favorites like Scream (yes we had that house where we were allowed to watch R Rated Movies) and Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion. We also made our own original movies like Christmas Massacre and Shriek! We were interesting kids.I remember one time I asked my friend to be in one of our movies and she said “Katy, you always want to make movies and I want to play office” This tracks. She probably has a much more secure job than I do to this day – having never stepped into an office for a job to this day. Well, that is outside of working on a show or a shoot in an office.
I spent my High School years training at Second City Chicago. And was a part of the youngest group to get their own professional show. I also got to be a part of the Chicago Improv Festival and Second City Chicago’s 45th Anniversary Show. My improv group began performing private shows throughout the city. And I got an agent at that time and began auditioning.
I went to NYU for college where I got my BFA in Dramatic Arts. I wasn’t cast in any of the shows at school – I attributed this to not really hanging out with a lot of drama kids until my senior year. So instead, I began working on Off Broadway and Off Off Broadway shows. I also trained at UCB at the time.
After college, I cocktail waitressed and saved up enough money to move out to Los Angeles. I had a roof over my head because I had family out here. But I didn’t have any “industry connections” . I spent the first year self-submitting and going on almost every audition I could. This helped me build my reel and meet people. I finally landed a manager by the end of the year and began getting in bigger doors for auditions. He also introduced me to my first agent in Los Angeles.
I worked on a Web Series called “Home Schooled” directed and produced by the brilliant filmmaker Matthew Morgenthaler. This experience reinforced in me that I need to work in Comedy. It’s where my passion truly lies. But I wasn’t getting a lot of comedy auditions or bookings. In fact, it was the complete opposite. I was going out for and booking indie Horror films and Theatrical Television and commercials. I realized I needed to create my own work to create these kinds of opportunities for myself…
From that point on, I began writing, producing sketches, editing, and doing almost everything with the exception of holding a boom mic to make my work come to life. I began creating content for YouTube and Funny or Die. And by the next year, Cedric the Entertainer and Slash signed on to do my rap parody video of Michele Bachman for Funny or Die.
This experience helped form my career. In between bookings, I began not only creating my own sketches. But also began producing Immersive shows and working for brands creating content. Los Angeles is a grind. It’s all chance and circumstance with where your career takes you.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Is there such a thing as a smooth road? If so, please GPS me there. STAT. No, I kid. As in life, no one’s career is smooth. Nothing ever goes completely to plan. But it’s those bumps that actually take you where you’re going in a route your mind could never fathom. For me, a lot of personal turmoil has really helped shape my career. Tears of the clown are a real thing. And I’ve used these experiences to help shape who I am today as a writer, a performer and even as a producer – being able to step into other’s shoes for just a moment. So needless to say, I’m grateful for the bumps in the road – as difficult as they may seem when you’re dealing with it.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Many artists have a hard time because we are not taught in school the entertainment business. We are taught entertainment instead. How to write. How to act. How to produce. But getting work for yourself. Getting work made. That is something you must learn on your own. Becoming more business minded. Treating yourself as a professional so others will take you as so. My business pushes people to have a good time. Everything I do is in hopes that people will have fun. The sketches I create are to make anyone having a bad day hopefully have a laugh. Even if it means laughing at my own expense – which is most likely the case. The shows my company Katnip produces are about allowing our audience members to escape their reality for just a moment and join a new reality of absurdity. A reality where our participants can say “hey well at least we’re not as nuts as these characters”.
I’ve also had the privilege to work on more inspirational campaigns. The Super Bowl Run Like A Girl campaign is a prime example of this. It will hopefully inspire women to not allow the society norms to weigh them down. If someone tells you to Run Like A Girl that means you win the race. I also work with One Pet right now and I love having the platform to inform people about Cushing’s Disease and what you can do for your dog for them to have a happier life. And I’ve created VR content for My Horse World, showcasing young girl’s horseback riding in hopes it will inspire other young girls to do the same. I’m known for being a hustler. I’m known for wearing a lot of hats. I’m most proud of being able to do what I love every day. And what sets me apart from others is that I am me.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
The Covid-19 crisis taught me to appreciate what’s around me. I’ll go further than appreciate it. The crisis taught me to protect what’s around me. Protect who’s around me. And protect myself. Since the Covid-19 crisis, I try not to leave my house if I’m even mildly under the weather because I want to protect others. The Covid-19 crisis taught me to be careful when I’m out to protect my family. The crisis also taught me to make my environment as pleasing as possible. Because you will never know when you will be stuck at home so make it your own.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.katyfoley.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/
ktdidwhatnow - Facebook: www.facebook.com/
katyfoley - Youtube: www.youtube.com/
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