Katie Uhlmann is an award-winning director, writer, and actor. She was born and raised in Trenton, Ontario, Canada. After graduating from Queen’s University, with a degree in drama and psychology, she started pursuing a career in film and moved to Toronto. Katie has acted in countless shows (Workin’ Moms, Just Passing Through, Paranormal Witness), commercials and independent films (Kingdom Come). She is also known for her work as a host on her web show entitled Katie Chats, where she completed over 3000 interviews with guests including David Cronenberg, Tatiana Maslany, and oscar-winning actress Juliette Binoche. Katie has now turned to focusing on creating female character driven comedic content. Her first short film entitled Pyramid Scream is an absurdist comedy about a woman, who will go to any length to recruit a new member to her pyramid scheme business. The film has gone to festivals internationally, and won several awards including The Festival Director Award at the Toronto Independent Film Festival. Katie is the director, co-creator and co-star of the critically acclaimed comedy webseries, My Roommate’s an Escort.
We had an opportunity to catch up with Katie, to discuss her latest projects. Check the interview below.
Hello, Kate! Thank you for granting the interview. Let’s talk Pyramid Scream. This is your first film short. Tell us more.
Pyramid Scream was my first comedy short film that I wrote, co-directed and acted in. It’s about a woman, who will go to any length in order to recruit a new member to her pyramid scheme business. It’s an absurdist comedy, and was a great way to get my feet wet in the directing world.
Do you plan to make more short films?
Making another short film is not a current goal of mine, because we are focused on doing more work in comedy series. However, short films are a great and challenging medium, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I created another one in the future. It’s just a difficult medium, because not a ton of people watch short films, and there’s not really a sustainable business model. It’s a great way to start and learn as a filmmaker, but it’s very difficult to have longevity in that format specifically.
We never thought of the longevity aspect of short films. They are a hot medium, at the moment. Wit that said, the success of Pyramid Scream has spawned the hit web series, My Roommate’s an Escort. Tell us what inspired the series.
My Roommate’s an Escort is co-created by myself and my writing partner Trish Rainone. We met January 2016 at a mutual friends birthday party, and bonded over a bottle of wine and the commonality that neither of us were getting the acting roles we wanted. Initially the show was called Learn from my Mistakes, and was going to be about the adventures of two women dating in Toronto. When we got together to write however, we thought it would be more interesting to focus on the relationship between two women, as opposed to their dynamic in relation to men. We’ve both had a fair amount of roommates, and although the series in not based on anyone in particular, it is inspired by a variety of situations that we lived through.
When you’re directing, tell us what experiences you draw on to play the role.
When directing, I try to think about real life situations that are close to what we are shooting, and I think about how people would react in real life, and use that as a starting point. I’m very specific in regards to the casting process, so on set I typically direct the performers to be as natural as possible. It helps when you’ve co-written the scripts, because you already know the intentions behind the characters actions. Sometimes as a performer, you get a script, and a lot of the work is trying to figure out what it’s about. In this case, myself and my writing partner created the world, and it made my life easier as the director in terms of deconstructing the script from a directorial perspective.
Let’s talk about the characters of My Roommate’s an Escort. Walk us through the character development.
We have a variety of characters in our show – it’s very much an ensemble cast with seventeen significant roles. Most of the characters are somehow a reverse stereotype. For example, the tattoo artist Terri, who has a tough exterior, only wants to settle down and have a baby. Another example would be the mobsters who appear friendly, but then turn out to be really dangerous, when often we see mobsters portrayed as goonish, scary people in mainstream content. In terms of the main characters, Heather and Kesha, both Trish and I can relate to aspects of each of them. Even though Kesha is in many ways a train wreck, she is also charismatic, open, and lives for the moment. Heather, although seemingly more together, is non-confrontational, gossipy, and overly-analytical. We tried our best to create comic characters that have multiple dimensions. Neither is necessarily the villain – they both have strengths and weaknesses. I think sometimes in comedy, characters can seem a little bit one dimensional, and we tried to fight against that.
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As a director, you shape a film’s artistic and dramatic aspects. As a writer, visualize the script. Is it a challenge to manage both roles? Is there ever a conflict being both director and writer?
The director’s job is to collaborate with every department on the project from pre-production through to post production to ensure that their vision comes to life. I was very hands on working with the team who were an incredible group of people. My strength as a director is that I have a very strong sense of the characters, and I love working with actors. My weakness as a director is that I don’t have a ton of technical background- ie. I won’t always know what lens to use on the camera. Luckily, I had a director of photography (Russell Goozee), with decades of experience who could fill in those gaps, and help me out, when I needed. Due to the fact I co-wrote the scripts with Trish, my vision of the series was incubated very early in the process. By the time we got to shooting, I had a very good sense of what I wanted. However, because it’s a performance based medium, it’s important to stay open minded and collaborate with your actors on the day. Magic can happen when everyone feels like they’re in a safe and fun space.
Which episode of My Roommates an Escort is your favorite?
My favourite episode of My Roommate’s an Escort is episode seven- The Tuck-in. Without giving too much away, I’m a twelve year old kid at heart, and really appreciate a good poop joke.
What types of stories would you like to tell in a future project?
I would like to work more on comedies in the future. Hopefully, I’ll get play some more well-rounded comedic roles. Trish and I recently got a writing agent in Los Angeles, and are hoping to work in some writing rooms for sitcoms. We also hope to continue writing and creating our own projects, and hopefully we will be able to continue with My Roommate’s an Escort, but in a longer format.
Thus far, what has been the best experience working in the industry?
The best part about working in the industry is the incredible community of people you get to know. We have been so fortunate to work with amazing individuals, like David Carruthers, Stephanie Baird, Julian Adderley, Matthew Willson, Bobby Del Rio, and many more. It’s so nice to be surrounded by like-minded people, who are so passionate about what they do. It’s not easy to pursue a career as an artist as there can be ups and downs, but the people that you get to collaborate with make it all worth while.
What do you like to do between productions?
Between productions, I am mostly just working on my next production. However, I do play recreational volleyball, volunteer for ACTRA Toronto, and I like to take long walks around the city. Seriously, if my destination is within an hour walk, I will be going on foot.
Do you have any upcoming projects that we haven’t mentioned?
I was recently offered a part in a feature film, but I can’t say too much, yet. I’ve also been hired to direct a short film, as well as a commercial.
Complete this sentence, if I had an opportunity to do anything I want, I would do ___________.
If I had the opportunity to do anything I want, I would want to inspire other artists to create their own work. I would also want to help build a community so that people don’t feel alone, because the world can seem like lonely place. Hopefully some day I can inspire young women and men to pursue their dreams, whatever it may be.
Connect with Katie:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KatieUhlmann
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katieuhlmann
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KatieUhlman
IMDB: http://www.imdb.me/katieuhlmann
Connect with My Roommate’s an Escort:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/escortroommate
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roommatecomedyseries
Web: http://www.myroommatesanescort.com
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