Vision without execution is just a mood board.

I build things that didn't exist before — departments, operating systems, flagship programs, and the teams that run them. Fifteen years across global media, creative technology, and culture, working at every level: shaping strategy with executives, designing the infrastructure that makes work scalable, and getting into the weeds with creatives, producers, and technologists to make sure the actual thing is excellent. Brand partners have included American Express, Toyota, Absolut, Estée Lauder, Converse, Lexus, and Charlotte's Web. Platforms include SXSW, Art Basel, CES, and Davos. The format has varied — live broadcast, immersive installations, retail environments, digital products, print, AR. The job is always the same: take ambitious work and make it real.

$32M
Largest portfolio managed
50%+
Profit margins delivered
–53% → +1%
Profitability turnaround in 12 months
Different formats. Different challenges.
Same rigor.

The medium has always varied. The discipline hasn't.

How I Lead
Org Design & Department Building
Creative Operations
Intake & Prioritization Systems
Capacity Planning & Forecasting
Cross-Functional Governance
P&L Management
Revenue Modeling & Forecasting
Business Transformation
Vendor Ecosystem Design
Process Architecture & Playbooks
Content & Programming Strategy
Audience Strategy & Development
Go-to-Market Execution
AI & LLM Integration
What I've Made
Live Broadcast
Video Production
Experiential
Photography
AR / VR
Branded Content
Immersive Installations
Retail Pop-Up & Brand Environments
Digital & Social
Print & OOH
Live Music & Performance
Virtual & Hybrid
Site & Venue Build-Out
Technology Integrations
Built from scratch. Produced at scale.

Each program is built on the same foundation: strategic clarity, operational discipline, and creative ambition. The formats are different. The standard isn't.

Fake Love (NYT Company)
Rebuilding How a Creative Organization Works
A creative technology agency — experiential, video, VR, AR, branded content — running at -53% margin. Diagnosed the operational failure, designed the fix, and built a Program Management department from scratch to execute it. Restructured cross-functional workflows across creative, strategy, client services, and technology. Turned profitable in 12 months. One of 3 employees retained when NYT closed the agency.
The FADER / Cornerstone
Full-Stack Agency Inside a Cultural Moment
Simultaneously closed deals, concepted bespoke brand experiences for each client, got sign-off, then produced everything — 30+ brand partners, world-class artists, 60,000+ attendees, four days, $5M+ budget. Part business development, part creative director, part producer. Built the production department from scratch to run it. One of the most operationally complex programs I've run, and one of the most creatively rewarding.
The New York Times
From Podcast to Immersive Experience
Sold out in one day. Developed the production strategy to bring a flagship podcast to life as an immersive live experience at SF Jazz Center, building team capability for real-time production decisions in an unpredictable format featuring OpenAI leadership.
Esquire × Absolut
Creative Direction Meets Fabrication
Conceived the idea, brought in Rockwell Group, and oversaw fabrication of a five-room branded installation at Caesars Palace — custom Murano glass, bespoke carpets, hand-printed textiles. Designed to run three months. Stayed over a year because people kept coming back. The full stack: concept, creative partnership, vendor management, production execution.
Esquire × Hearst
Industry Firsts
Identified emerging technology before anyone else in the industry had figured out how to use it. Built the vendor partnerships, sold it to Lexus, and executed the first augmented reality magazine implementation and first electronic magazine cover in industry history. Became the Hearst-wide AR expert.
The New York Times
Concept to Sold-Out Execution
Partnered on concept development for NYT's first wellness event, built on audience data showing clear demand. Led all production. Oversold ticket allocation, 45% profit margin in Year 1. Sponsors including Estée Lauder and Danone. Guests including Tracee Ellis Ross and Dwyane Wade.
The FADER × Toyota
When Things Go Wrong
Multi-agency Toyota activation at Art Basel with a vendor in crisis and a timeline collapsing. Managed five stakeholder groups simultaneously, sourced contingency plans in real time, and earned the client's trust through radical transparency.
The New York Times
Consumer Experience Reinvented
Rebuilt NYT's flagship food festival after a three-year hiatus with a new strategic approach — intimate, culturally diverse programming replacing a format that had lost sponsor confidence. Sold out at 2,500 attendees and brought sponsors back to the table.
Strategy first. Then build. Well. Then ship. On time. On budget.

Every organization I've joined needs the same thing: someone to transform ambition into infrastructure. Here's how I do it.

01
Ask the right questions
What's the goal? Who needs what? What does success look like? Map the stakeholders, find the gaps, define how you'll measure it. Strategy before action — always.
02
Make it real
Assemble the team, design the systems, manage the P&L, negotiate the vendors. Get into the work alongside the creatives and producers. Deliver at the highest level the budget allows.
03
Prove it worked
Deliver on time and on budget, then measure impact. The work isn't done when it launches — it's done when you know what it delivered and what you'd do differently next time.
The through line.

Each role has been an exercise in creating something — often from nothing, always collaboratively. Departments, systems, revenue streams, and teams built to last beyond my tenure.

2025 — Present
Proskauer Rose LLP
Associate Director, Global Events
VP-equivalent
Building global operational infrastructure and strategic frameworks for executive client engagement across 75+ annual programs. Leading 10-person global team across NYC and London.
Org Design Global Operations Infrastructure Building Executive Engagement Experiential Digital & Social
2020 — 2025
The New York Times
Acting Managing Director | Head of Production + Program Management
Built and ran the operational backbone of NYT's flagship experience portfolio — $32M annual P&L at 50%+ margins. Managed and coached team of 25+. Partnered across sales, editorial, marketing, and product to align strategy with business priorities. Executive produced DealBook Summit, Hard Fork Live, Well Festival, NYT Food Festival, and Climate Forward.
$32M P&L Emmy Award Team of 25+ Content Franchise Media Product Brand Partnerships Live Broadcast Video Photography Experiential Virtual & Hybrid Digital & Social
2018 — 2020
Fake Love (NYT Company)
Vice President, Program Management + Delivery
Led operational and financial transformation of creative technology agency. Built Program Management department from scratch, partnering across client services, creative, creative technology, strategy, and communications. Transformed financial performance from -53% to +1% profitability within 12 months. One of only 3 employees retained when NYT closed the agency.
Business Transformation Creative Org Design Agency Operations Enterprise Clients VR / AR Experiential Video Branded Content Immersive Installations OOH
2015 — 2018
The FADER / Cornerstone
Vice President, Marketing + Production
Led integrated marketing and production for leading music/culture media brand and creative agency. Created production department serving dual client base. Directed FADER FORT at SXSW — 60,000+ attendees, $5M+ budget, 30+ vendor relationships. Closed brand deals, concepted bespoke activations per client, got creative sign-off, then produced everything. Managed full site build from architectural planning through multi-zone installation.
Business Development Creative Direction Client Management Brand Partnerships $5M+ Budget Live Music & Performance Experiential Branded Content Retail Pop-Up & Brand Environments Site & Venue Build-Out
2014 — 2015
UrbanDaddy
Vice President, Marketing
Generated $9M+ revenue in 11 months. Created white-label production agency establishing a new revenue stream. Managed operations across web, mobile, social, and experiential platforms for Fortune 500 brand activations.
Revenue Growth New Revenue Streams Experiential Branded Content
2014
Epicurious (Condé Nast)
Vice President, Marketing
Led complete brand transformation for a 20-year-old Condé Nast brand, partnering across editorial, sales, product, and communications on new identity, strategy, and go-to-market approach.
Brand Transformation Condé Nast Go-to-Market
2005 — 2014
Esquire (Hearst)
Executive Director, Strategy + Creative Services
Managed brand strategy and $10M+ budget, working closely with editor-in-chief and sales leadership. Conceived and produced the Absolut Flavor Suite at Caesars Palace — five-room branded installation designed by Rockwell Group, ran for over a year. Pioneered first augmented reality magazine implementation and first electronic magazine cover in industry history. Drove $1.4M incremental revenue through strategic campaigns.
Industry Firsts $10M+ Budget Creative Direction AR Pioneer Print & OOH Experiential Immersive Installations Retail Pop-Up & Brand Environments Original Video
From colleagues and collaborators.
Kate was handed FADER FORT twelve weeks before doors opened — the same year we expanded from four days to six, adding entirely new programming across comedy, art, and tech. She assessed the creative and production plan, made the tough call to restructure the team, and brought in the right partners to elevate the work. A huge challenge turned out to be one of the strongest events in company history — Kate executed on superb production quality, strong brand integration, and improved margins. Kate sees the creative vision, builds the strategy to get there, and then delivers it seamlessly. She is consistently poised, professional and polished. I have the utmost trust in her to deliver time and time again.
Steph Lund
CEO, MSQ Sport + Entertainment
Kate and I worked together at Fake Love, a New York Times company. She led production, which meant ensuring that all small and large-scale events and experiences were executed seamlessly. Kate built and oversaw a dynamic team and was responsible for delivering projects on time and on budget, and that aggressive profit targets were met. Kate is able to switch between execution to operational excellence to big picture thinking with ease, and would make a fabulous addition to any org.
Kendra Schaaf
Creative Agency Founder | AdAge Leading Woman
I had the pleasure of working with Kate at The NYTimes on a number of projects. She is an incredible leader and can traverse highly matrixed organizations with many competing priorities. She has the rare ability to motivate teams and deliver complex projects on schedule that capitalize on large scale business opportunities.
Samantha Katz
Head of Product, theSkimm
Ready to make something?

I'm always interested in conversations about ambitious programs, operational challenges, and teams that want to do their best work.