Kat Hargrave, HCKR Agency
To get our blog started off, Kat and I decided to interview each other.
Kat and I met way back in 2008 (that’s over a DECADE ago) while we were in college at Abilene Christian University. We made out in my car in January of 2010 after I broke up with my girlfriend (like, literally, hours after). We’ve been doing life together since then, making it official in November of 2013. I’ve seen her be a waiter, a performer, and now, on her path to becoming an agent. She’s fearlessly brave, persistent, and the best listener I know.
Thanks for doing this! Will you introduce yourself: Hey y’all! (yep, I still say y’all). I was born and raised in Sugar Land, TX, a suburb of Houston. I saw Sutton Foster in Thoroughly Modern Millie when I was 12 and couldn’t get enough. I went to Abilene Christian University and got my BFA in Musical Theatre. After college, I worked at Flat Rock Playhouse as an apprentice and, from there, moved straight to NYC. As a performer I worked at Hong Kong Disneyland for several years, Disney Cruise Line, and a few different regional theatres. In 2018, after moving back to NYC from Cleveland, OH where I was for my husband’s grad school, I made the switch to the agency side of things. I interned at The Price Group, was an assistant at DDO Artists Agency, and now am an Associate Agent at Harden Curtis Kirsten Riley.
From your note, and, you know... because we’re married, I know you didn’t always dream of becoming an agent. What changed?
Yeah, it’s funny. Like I say, my first goal was to be on Broadway. I fell out of love with performing pretty quickly after coming to NYC. It made me anxious. I absolutely hated auditioning. I just wasn’t as obsessed with the craft of acting as other people were. Somewhere during our Disney cruise contract I remember looking at you (Peter) and saying “I just want to play Natalie in Next to Normal and Ariel. Beyond that, I don’t really want to be a performer anymore.” Serendipitously, I got to play those two parts- Next to Normal at a local theatre in Cleveland and then I went back to Hong Kong Disneyland to play Ariel. I imagine a lot of people don’t get to have the closure with performing I did. But, like, the SECOND I got the call about Hong Kong- I knew it would be my last gig.
I danced around a lot about other things I would like to do. My in-laws are marital therapists and I entertained that thought for a second. But I knew I would miss the business. While I was in Hong Kong in 2017, I just had this moment where I thought, “Being an agent is everything I want to do. I love talking to people, I love organizing schedules, and I want to have a front row seat for people achieving dreams.”
What were the things you did the first year trying to break into the agency world?
It was tough. I didn’t know anybody that had made the transition I was trying to make and it would’ve helped A LOT if I knew a few more people on this side of the business. But:
1) Get an internship. I was SO lucky I had some Disney money to help get me through the three months I worked for $100 a week. And I was lucky to find an internship that didn’t automatically go to a student. 2) Write specific cover letters. I would spend hours looking at people’s websites,
instagrams, anything I could find to cater my CV to the person that would be interviewing me. 3) I had to make some hard decisions at several points during my first year. One was not settling for a salary I couldn’t support my family with. The second was trying to move divisions. I always wanted to be a “legit agent”, covering Theatre, TV/Film. My first job at DDO was in the Voiceover division. I slowly pushed to become the assistant in their commercial/film division and then I made the leap to HCKR. I’m an associate at a legit desk, but that took almost a year to come to fruition. I’m glad I had the patience to stick with it, but I always wish I would have landed at a legit desk earlier.
What’s your favorite part of being an agent?
At it’s best, it’s everything that made me want to do it. I’m still obsessed with theatre and different people in the business. Now, some of those people are folks I talk to every week. (Recently, Tara Rubin called our office and asked to talk to me... I almost dropped the phone.) And, best of all, the times I get to call out jobs to actors. Specifically the jobs that are life changing.
Did you always know you wanted to be in NYC?
Absolutely, 100% NO. Before I got my first acting job, I spent a year and a half waiting tables at Applebee’s. New York is hard and that really got to me. When we moved in 2014, I didn’t think we’d ever come back. The thing that we did really well, looking back on it, was listening to our guts. After the cruise ship, we lived in LA for a few months before your (Peter’s) grad school. I took an office job in Cleveland when I had no clue what I wanted to do. Then, when we sat down in 2017 and talked about coming back... it just felt right. NYC is still hard and my job can still be overwhelming, but now it feels like the place I WANT to be.
Looking back, what’s one thing you would change?
One thing? Sometimes it feels like I would change a lot...
The overriding thing I would change is my addiction to the narratives in my head. When I decided I didn’t want to perform anymore, I decided that I would leave the business entirely because “I didn’t have enough connections.” It was true, I didn’t have many. They were the same ones I had, however, when I started the journey four years later. I’ve seen over and over in my life the narratives I have in my head have limited or delayed my potential. May I stop doing that moving forward...
Are you at the top of your mountain?
Not yet! I LOVE what I’m doing right now and think I’ll be doing it for a long time. But it’s not the “end goal” yet. Most notably, I’ll need the experience to make the leap to a franchised agent. What I love about my job right now, though, is that I'm learning a ton and more sure than ever that I’m on the right path. Now all I have to do is enjoy the journey!
RAPID FIRE!
What’s your favorite Broadway show?: Right now, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
Favorite TV show: Veep
Call or email?: Email!
Religious or nah?: I am!
Name your former side hustles: Waiting tables, catering, hiring medical coders, nannying, babysitting.
Actor question you’re sick of: How many of “me” are on your roster? Valid question, but... try and look it up on IMDBpro!
Your favorite Casting Director to work with is: As if I’m going to tell you that...
Biggest beef with the business: Certain schools get certain auditions.
I have enough money for one class: Bob Krakower at One on One.
How do I get a meeting with you?: Hopefully, you know a client of ours, mention them in your “short and sweet” email, and attach video your materials (it doesn’t always have to be a professional reel, but it helps SO much if we have SOMETHING.)
Tip for my meeting: Try not to be nervous! You’re human, we’re human. I’m trying to achieve my dream too! Maybe you’re the person that helps ME do that. (Just be realistic in your goals!)
Anything you’d like to promote: I mean... I hear there’s a really interesting blog coming out...
Interview by Peter Hargrave