Kaitlin Klose, a DePauw 2013 alumna, is already doing amazing things. Her Campus talked with Kaitlin about her surreal life in sunny Los Angeles, and how DePauw prepared her for the experience of a lifetime.
HC: Media is a passion for you. How were you involved with television at DePauw?
KK: I was a Media Fellow at DePauw. I started working at D3TV as a first-semester freshman and became General Manager my junior year. I also started producing live events, like putting Greek God and Goddess live online for the first time. I hosted the Election Party last November and produced live student-written one acts online with the Theatre department. It was through these live events that I realized I wanted to try them out in LA. I applied for the Live Events Production internship through the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences and I wouldn’t have gotten that internship if it had not been for my experiences at DePauw.
HC: Wow! Academy of TV Arts and Sciences, that is impressive! Have you always dreaming of moving to California?
KK: Actually, I wasn’t always planning to come to here. But, for my Media Fellows internship, I interned on the Ellen DeGeneres Show and had a great time. That’s when I realized I needed to go to LA after graduation. Only in a place like LA was I able to do a music video, a web series, the Emmy’s, and work at a production company all in a two-month span.
HC: California certainly is the place to be for your interests! Can you explain to readers what exactly you are doing?
KK: I freelance, so that means I jump from job to job. It’s definitely stressful, but I’m always looking for the new job and have worked pretty consistently. I work typically for a week at a time, then hop to the next show. A lot of times, I’ll get a call at 10 PM at night and have someone tell me they want me to work at 9 AM the next morning. I’ve taken a lot of jobs where I have no idea what I’ll be doing or what the event is. It definitely makes for some interesting stories! So far, I’ve worked on the Emmys, Golden Globes, Grammys, and now I’m on the Oscars. I’ve done a lot of smaller projects and live events along the way, which have helped me narrow down what I want to do eventually.
HC: That sounds awesome! How is it working on such important productions?
KK: Working on these big shows is great! I am very fortunate to have these experiences after being out here for eight months. Quite a few people have grown up out here and are used to the big events, but I’m definitely still starry-eyed. My first big show out here was the Emmy’s, and I saw all the celebrity presenters there since I was backstage. I kept my cool through most of it, but basically had a panic attack when I saw Will Ferrell. I had to literally walk away because I was hyperventilating. I get better with every show I work on, but it still takes a lot to not stare and freak out. The Grammy’s were the coolest because I got to sit in on all the rehearsals and see the performers walking around backstage. Beyonce walked by and smiled at me and I basically died. I’m working on the Oscars now and I can’t wait to see Idina Menzel perform “Let It Go” from Frozen at the show. It’s still very surreal.
Thank you so much for talking with us, Kaitlin! You are perfectly exemplify “Uncommon Success”! Next time we are watching a big awards show we will be thinking of you.