ProductionHUB Feature

Leroy & Clarkson owner Kate Hillis was recently featured in a ProductionHUB article on women leaders in the industry! Read Kate’s interview below, or check out the full article here.

Kate Hillis, Owner/Managing Director, Leroy & Clarkson

Owner/Chief Executive Officer at Leroy & Clarkson, Kate has led the award-winning creative studio since 2014. When she acquired the studio, it was one of the few women-owned creative studios in New York. In a move designed to offer clients a deeper palette of creative services encompassing creative strategy, production, 2D/3D animation, visual effects and design for every visual medium, creative agencies Leroy & Clarkson and ANATOMY have joined forces. Under Hillis’ guidance, the company has grown by both expanding its roster of clients and successfully taking on projects with greater scope and complexity. Some recent standout projects include work for National Geographic Channel, NBCUniversal, AMC, ABC News, The Rockefeller Foundation, TNT, Nasdaq, Lifetime, PBS among many others. 

PH: Can you talk a bit about how you got into the industry? What made you want to own your own creative studio?

Kate Hillis: My background is in nonprofit and documentary filmmaking.  I did most of my work overseas, primarily the Middle East and Africa. With my background in production, I joined Leroy & Clarkson as their Managing Director/CFO to manage the business side of the company. I was asked to sit in on a lot of client meetings discussing creative ideas and production.

At the time, I didn’t have much to contribute to those meetings and I realized I was usually included just for the optics of having a woman at the table. But I took advantage of the opportunities and absorbed and learned all that I could.

Fast forward 7 years, I acquired Leroy & Clarkson because it was an integral part of the media and entertainment industry, and as a forward thinker, I wanted to continue growing this agency with the ability to steer its direction. It's been 5 years now, and I love working with our creative and production teams, I love getting to know and collaborate with our clients, and I am so proud of our work.

PH: What prompted the acquisition of ANATOMY and what are you most excited about with this new merger? 

Kate Hillis: L&C didn't acquire ANATOMY. It’s probably better to call it a merger. And it’s been a great coming together for all parties, a perfect fit with Leroy & Clarkson. I'm so excited to work with the immensely talented and widely respected Mark Valentine, who is now our Chief Creative Officer. I believe in the power of collaboration, and that is Mark's credo as well. I'm excited about Mark’s arrival. It makes us better as we continually grow and expand into new arenas and platforms, which is what it’s all about.

PH: Who inspires you? What makes you excited to go to work every day? 

Kate Hillis: Years ago I was blessed to have been introduced to Lesli Linka Glatter, a prolific director and one of the first females in that role. Being exposed to Lesli, I've watched how hard she's fought for the rights of women in the industry. She's amazing at her craft, and she's indefatigable and downright effective in her fight for women. Lesli has heard on set: "'I've hired a woman once and it didn't work out,'" and yet you’ve never heard, '"I've hired a man once and it never worked out."' She's right. Lesli has made such a difference in the advancement of women who faced a steep barrier to entry, and I'm grateful. I’m a byproduct of her determination.

I'm also truly inspired by people who do kind things for others, for no other reason other than to be kind. Kind people will win. They will always come out ahead on a scale that truly matters. I believe that.

As half of our population knows, this isn’t easy — a full-time job, building a business, caring for your kids, unloading the dishwasher, chaperoning the field trip, meeting a client deadline — it goes on and on. I'd be out of my mind to do this without loving it — being excited every day to go to work and make something, to create something. I love the challenge of it. I love when people respond positively to what we've accomplished. I love the people I work with. And I'd love to be able to help pave the road for others. You have to do that. I'd like to be as true to Lesli’s spirit as I can.

PH: Can you talk a bit about some of the upcoming projects you're taking on this year? 

Kate Hillis: We have some really amazing things coming up for L&C in 2019. We just completed some projects for FXX, TNT, and the Hallmark Channel, and continue to work with our vast portfolio of broadcast clients on projects I can't mention yet. Additionally, we’re working on several projects that are profoundly important  – "Queen Collective", a project showcasing the work of diverse women filmmakers for Proctor & Gamble in partnership with Tribeca Studios and Queen Latifah.

We’re involved with a PBS "Summer of Space" campaign surrounding the 50th Anniversary of the moon landing, and we’re taking on a great project about prison reform with USC's Post Conviction Justice Project, an issue that I’ve become very passionate about.  It’s definitely an exciting year for us as we continue to expand into the consumer brand space, enrich our multiplatform creative and take on more pro-social work. It’s exactly the course I envisioned for my company.

PH: You have one of the very few women-owned creative studios in NYC — what is that experience like? And how are you hoping to inspire other women who may be aspiring to do the same thing? 

Kate Hillis: I think this business is still very much a boys club, but I don't think it's necessarily exclusive anymore. The fact is men were the majority of the players for so long, but that is changing. Here I am. I'm happy that Leroy & Clarkson is an alternative option to the old boys club. Clients want that. And they still want extraordinary work. Leroy & Clarkson is providing both.

Our suite of offerings remains the same: blue-chip clients, blue chip work. But our bonus of being woman-owned means something to a lot of our clients.  I hope that from a risk-taking and entrepreneurial perspective, other women are inspired by me. It is humbling to think that could be the case. I feel that if you're in a position to help other women and minorities, you need to do that. The more female business owners and leaders there are, the bigger the opportunity to empower other women in the workplace.

PH: What piece(s) of advice do you live by?

Kate Hillis: Kindness Matters. Did I say that already?