Rising Stars: Meet Katie Cazorla of Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Cazorla.

Katie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve always had a love for stand-up comedy and started when I was young, writing sketches and jokes. I eventually moved to LA when I was 20 after winning a stand up comedy competition. I think between being thrust right into it and the struggle of living in my car for two months, toughened me up and made me who I am. I was fearless.
My first ever produced show I pitched was in the belly room at the Comedy Store with Judah Friedlander, where comics would perform and then sing karaoke afterwards. Then I eventually started making my rounds and ended up running my own show at the Laugh Factory for many years called Wild Wednesdays. I was their only female producer running a show there.
I built a rapport with some of the best comics and being a business owner I knew this would be the perfect foray to open my next venture.
The Kookaburra Lounge was born and aptly named after the laughing bird. My mom would always sing the Kookaburra song to me when I was little. Plus I love vintage bird prints and illustrations, so it all came together. I added an art deco Hollywood design to accompany the vibe of the club. I wanted it to feel like an escape.
Adding to the fact that I am married to Walter Afanasieff, a record producer/songwriter, we had to have it sound amazing too.
We now host music acts, like Live Jazz Band and Burlesque as well as Singers and Songwriter nights. I guess you could say we were a true Hollywood Cabaret.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Opening any business is tough but especially in LA! The red tape and wait times are INSANE! It’s very pay to play here too. It’s all about who you know and how much more you can pay to expedite things. I hired some people to help me in the beginning, very early on and learned that, that was a huge and costly mistake. I have learned so much more on my own now, that I honestly feel like sharing that knowledge with everyone. I wish it was way easier to get businesses open here, there’s so many vacant spaces, it’s sad. Especially in the food space. But I get it, opening a restaurant is so hard! But it does help us when booking a variety of events because we do have a full kitchen and good food 🙂
I’m hoping I can inspire people to go for it!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I feel like, I like to have my hands in a lot of different things. For instance, I am working on pitching and developing a show about what it’s like to run a comedy and music club in Los Angeles and navigate keeping a social life and my sanity with my female comedian friends called Funny Business.
This would actually be my third docuseries that I’ve been on. I had a show about my nail salon in Studio City called Nail Files that ran on POP and another show Second Wives Club that was on E! and is now streaming on Peacock. I always find it so fun to watch people run businesses, how they do it, and how they juggle their lives on shows like this. It’s definitely a rollercoaster ride.
When it comes to being proud of accomplishing things, I would have to say that opening The Kookaburra Lounge is probably one of the biggest and scariest things I’ve done.
I just dove right in and was ready to expect the unexpected. It’s been wild!
And maybe the other thing that I am proud of is, I have a day named after me in my hometown of Elmira Heights, New York and I also received a key to the village, which was a very special moment for me and my family.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Trust your instincts! I feel like I still have problems doing this because I want to see the good in everyone and there is a lot of bad apples out there. I would say the other important thing is to make friends with people who do what you do or close to it. Be friends that also champion your business and your well-being. When you are around people that secretly wish they were doing what you were doing or show any sort of jealousy, it can turn ugly really fast.
If something doesn’t spark joy, toss it!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thekookaburralounge.com
• Instagram: @thekookaburralounge
• Facebook: /thekookaburralounge