After almost 20 years of working in TV production, Katie Horbury is now a producer on some of the most successful competition and reality TV shows in Hollywood. We caught up with her to find out all about her journey from the UK to LA and everything in between.
Katie, thank you for taking a break and talking to us. What project are you working on at the moment?
It’s my pleasure, I just started preparing to produce on the next season of Dancing with the Stars, so I certainly have some super busy but also very exciting times ahead. I have never worked on the show before, but I even knew about it when I lived in the UK, so it’s always fun to work on those shows I used to watch before I worked in the industry.
What shows did you love watching before you worked in TV?
I have always loved being able to just get lost in a TV show. As we all know, binge watching a full season of a show is one Sunday, is a relatively new cultural habit. However, back when I was young, 1 episode a week was, of course, the norm. So when Big Brother started and was on air every single night, it really opened up a new level of engagement and a completely new genre. I was still in high school and everyone was talking about it every day. So it became this huge cultural experience. We didn’t just watch it for the episode, we watched to talk about it at school the next day. I love that about it and the show’s success just multiplied with every season. So 10 years later when I landed a producer job on it, my 15-year-old self was very happy. The same goes for X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent, but it was all the U.S shows I was obsessed with that gave me to push to move to LA.
What was Producing UK Big Brother like? Tell us all!
It was such a fun experience and as a producer it is the one show I am always so thankful for. The fast pace of it is like no other. You’re navigating between the control room, the edit suites, interviewing, and screening cuts all in a day’s work. It’s crazy and so much fun. Such a huge learning experience too, there are few shows that can teach you so much about storytelling in 1 summer.
How did you end up moving to LA and working in Hollywood? I always wanted to live here, I feel like LA just has everything. The weather (of course – a huge draw for any Brit), the industry I love so much, incredible talent and people. I moved here a year before the pandemic, but even though I was locked away for half of it, I still just felt like L.A is where I am supposed to be right now. The last 2 years have been a real mad struggle for all of us, but coming out of the other side of it now (hopefully) I am really excited about my future in LA. I can’t wait to find out more and more about this exciting city and, of course, more of what the industry here has to offer.
What’s the best thing about working in TV?
There are so many things. I have worked in the UK, Australia, South Africa, Fiji, Hawaii, Mexico, and now I’m here in LA. It’s wild. So the traveling opportunities I am so grateful for. It is also the people I meet and being able to be creative with them on a daily basis. Some shoots can be so grueling and challenging, but you really do come out of it with friends for life because we’re so lucky to be able to share such incredible experiences.
Who is your favorite ever reality TV star?
Tiffany Pollard is absolutely my number 1. After the infamous David’s Dead episode of UK Celebrity Big Brother. How could anyone compete?
What is one of your proudest achievements?
Working at ITV on shows like I’m a Celebrity get me out of here! And Love Island both were really rewarding because of their success. The season of I’m a Celebrity get me out of here! that I produced on, reached 14 million viewers just in the UK alone. This was a groundbreaking figure for a reality TV show. Love Island also has been viewed globally to millions and is still showing reruns of old seasons all the time. Both of those shows are also known for their critical acknowledgment, having won countless major awards in the UK and around the world. So being part of such a hugely successful team is something I am proud of because, creatively, I feel I achieved and learned the most in my career so far.
So, LA or UK? Which is better?
No comment, hahaha! Honestly, I couldn’t possibly decide, it’s just too hard!