Katherine Brooks

Growing up in rural Louisiana, the concept of film school was foreign to me. I believed that making movies required living in Los Angeles. Determined to pursue my passion, I obtained my driver’s license, left high school ahead of schedule, and ventured to Los Angeles at just 16 years old. The decision was made easier by the fact that I was facing bullying from friends and family due to my sexuality.

Upon my arrival, I found myself living out of my car. It was not long before I connected with fellow artists who, like me, had left home for similar reasons. Joining the ranks of a group called Zero Pictures, led by Michael Kastenbaum, proved to be my four-year film school. Under his guidance, we pioneered a free-form, process-driven approach to producing micro-budget movies. During those transformative years, we successfully created a dozen feature films, each distributed and sold. The experience granted us the opportunity to don multiple hats, from script supervision and AD to camera assisting, grip work, and even electrical tasks. We immersed ourselves in every facet of filmmaking, spanning pre-production, production, and post-production. From mastering negative cutting to Avid editing, we embraced every element.

At the age of 22, I directed my debut feature film, which gained recognition in festivals and caught the eye of an MTV network executive. This marked the beginning of my directorial journey in the realm of the groundbreaking “Reality TV” genre. Over the next decade, I helmed popular documentary-style shows such as “The Real World,” “The Osbournes,” “Fear Factor,” and “The Bachelor.” The proceeds from these endeavors funded my side project of crafting another feature film, “Waking Madison,” which I not only wrote but also directed. This achievement ultimately led me to become a member of the DGA (Directors Guild of America).

BOOKED (Reality/Doc TV) Director - A&E (2023)

LOST IN TIME (Feature Film) Director - Post Production (2023)

CAPTURING HOME (Reality/Doc TV) Director - Discovery+ | Max (2023)

MY 600 LB LIFE (Reality/Doc TV) Director - TLC (2022)

THE ART OF VINTAGE (Reality/Doc TV) Director | Producer - Discovery+ (2022)

BOOK OF SECRETS (Reality/Doc TV) Director - History Channel (2021)

IMPACT (Reality/Doc TV) Producer - National Geographic (2020)

NIGHTWATCH (Reality/Doc TV) Producer - A&E (2019)

FACE 2 FACE (Feature Documentary) Director - Netflix (2015-2018)

MEET THE BARKERS (Reality/Doc TV) Director - MTV (2015)

LOVING ANNABELLE (Feature Film) Director | Writer - Netflix (2011-2014)

WAKING MADISON (Feature Film) Director | Writer - Annapurna Pictures (2008-2010)

THE SIMPLE LIFE (Reality/Doc TV) Director - E! Entertainment (2005-2007)

NEWLYWEDS: NICK & JESSICA (Reality/Doc TV) Director - MTV (2003-2006)

TOWN HAUL (Reality/Doc TV) Director - TLC (2005)

THERE & BACK (Reality/Doc TV) Director - MTV (2004)

THE REAL WORLD (Reality/Doc TV) Director - MTV (2004)

LAST COMIC STANDING (Reality/Doc TV) Producer | Director - NBC (2003)

THE OSBOURNES (Reality/Doc TV) Director - MTV (2002-2004)