Kate Hollowood: Headshot 2013
The amazing Richard Paris Wilson kindly took shots of my head in time for this years Spotlight renewal.
He is brilliant to work with, very quick and directs well. I could not recommend him more! Check out more of his work HERE http://richardpariswilson.com/ and let me know which shot you like best….
#Steffi – Me as Sarah Goddard
Screen grab of my opening scene in Internet series #STEFFI as Sarah Goddard… Episode out on Friday via YouTube…
ThisIsDrama “The Invite”
A little short teaser of “The Invite” Featuring myself and Keshini Misha brought to you by Emerald Films
A Cast of My Face…
The marvellously talented Mark Leeming took a cast of my face last night for my latest project…. More to be revealed…
I was rather delighted to see it revealed no hidden wrinkles!!
#InvisibleParents
I lent my voice to this gorgeous viral championing same sex adoption. I hope you enjoy. Please share this message.
Arena Flowers Commercials
Some viral videos for Arena Flowers featuring myself and few other funny fellas!
Check out www.arenaflowers.com and add discount code “hello” for 10% off your first order!!
Photo of the Day: 1st February 2012
Today I moved into my beautiful friend Annushka’s flat and she left me her heart to warm me up!! Xx
Photo of the Day
To document 2012, I’ve decided to upload a photo each day of what I am doing, where I am or something I’ve seen.
I hope you enjoy…
Keeping things Simple and Chic in Chicago!
I’ve been hanging out in Chicago now for the past week and there is SO much to report! First off, what a city! On one of my first nights here, it was Halloween. The Americans take this “holiday” far more seriously than us Brits which I think is amazing! I’ve always had Halloween themed birthday parties since I was a kid so it was awesome to see it being done so well everywhere I looked! We went off to this Haunted House and paid to get really scared and freaked out! No expense was spared when making this attraction and for the whole hour you wonder through all these different rooms just not knowing what is coming next. It. Was. Awesome!! Chicago is probably somewhere I’d never go to unless there was a reason for the visit but my goodness am I glad I had a reason. The city has a very gothic vibe with a mix of these gorgeous old buildings and massive modern day skyscrapers. It is incredibly spacious and clean for a city and unlike London, you never feel like you’re surrounded by millions of people on the street but instead you have breathing space. There are plenty of attractions that you can wonder in and out of for free and the ones you pay for are well worth it!
The next night we headed out to the Ice Hockey. Here I was sporting a Blackhawks tee-shirt to show my support to my new favorite team and to fit in with the locals! I was actually pleasantly surprised how stylish the tee-shirt was considering it’s a supporters top and usually they are splattered with sponsorship and a bit shapeless. This on the other hand was an awesome top! You can’t really see it in the pictures but the red is a little bit see-through which is a nice detail and makes it kinda sexy, plus it is nicely fitted and works well with jeans and my cherry tomato ugg boots! As for the game, well that was also a pleasant surprise too, the Blackhawks won in extra-time and although I didn’t get to see a fight or anyone lose their teeth, I did get to see an awesome game.
I also had to spend some time this week dedicated to The Magnificent Mile, which is just as it sounds…a magnificent mile of SHOPS! I wasn’t really looking for anything in particular and enjoyed window shopping at the designer stores and stepping into the more mainstream ones. I was a little surprised by the lack of individual boutique stores in Chicago in general but here you did find more of the unusual items you only get in flagship stores.
I bought myself some gorgeous gold leaf earrings and thought I’d purchase some feather ones too to try them out. I also picked up some gloves as I had underestimated how chilly it was in Chicago this time of year. Nothing was super cheap, like it used to be when you shopped in America, but it was good to see what they had on offer. I wasn’t blown away by the clothes inside the shops but that is probably because I like to find something a little unusual. 
I didn’t get many opportunities to lose the coat either as it was absolutely freezing! However, that was cool with me as I love my new Dahlia coat and it pretty much goes with everything. I had fun adding different scarfs and rockin’ knee-high socks with it, plus it did its job of keeping me warm which says a lot about it because, man oh man did I need it!
One unexpected surprise of this week was that I had a casting for a commercial that I was offered after the casting director saw me walking down the street! It was a little random but pretty cool to take part in and I was asked to wear a colour that would compliment my skin tone and hair so I opted for a cool burnt orange number I picked up in a boutique in Hull – but more about that next time!
Must go…the zoo is calling! I’ll let you know how I get on next week!
The Music League: A Charming, Intelligent and Brave Female…
It takes a lot of courage to start up any music venture these days. With record sales plummeting, massive high street chains such as HMV closing down and major labels struggling to move with the times, you don’t often hear “good news” about the business side of music. Unsigned musicians play in venues all over the country every night in the hopes it will lead to their dream career but… How often does someone step up to help that dream come true?
So it was a delight when I stumbled across someone brave enough to champion unsigned musicians and provide them with a much needed platform to showcase their talent. She comes in the form of a tall, slim, twenty-something who, three years ago, founded The Music League (more about this in a moment). When I first met Sophie McCreddie, I was instantly impressed by the confidence and sheer passion she has for music and the bands she works with. Dressed in her own quirky style she is charming and intelligent. A musician in her own right, Sophie fronts electro indie band, The Scenes and understands the trials and tribulations all unsigned acts come up against. So with this in mind Sophie thought about setting up a new type of competition with the aim to giving acts the support and guidance they need as well as a decent stage to show the world what they can do.
Me: What inspired you to start The Music League?
Sophie McCreddie: I am a musician myself (& the only female in the band) but after playing gigs all over London I was frustrated by the gig scene. It seemed to me a lot of promoters were out for themselves and there really seemed to be no end goal to playing lots and lots of gigs and getting your fans and friends to come and see you. With The Music League (TML) the end goal is something that every act strives to achieve…. a big festival slot. The acts that playin TML not only play to their own fans and friends but to the audience the other three acts have brought along as well. It is a great way for musicians to grow their fan base and meet likeminded musicians. I get a group of music lovers, of all different tastes, together to rifle through all the acts that apply. Together we choose 30 of the best acts to go on to the site and from here the general public choose the final 16 to go into the 8 live rounds. We like to see in the acts we choose; dedication, talent (obviously) and passion in what they do. This has resulted in a really friendly and supportive competition and TMLnights have grown a reputation for providing a wide range of great music.
Me: What have been your biggest challenges?
SM: Setting it up and running TML by myself has to be the biggest challenge. I have help here and there in different areas but ultimately it is down to me. It was very daunting at first, speaking to festivals and venues trying to explain the idea behind TML but the longer I did it the more I took on board, learned and got to know the best way to do things. I am really luckyto have had help and advice from lots of brilliant people and thankfully venues and festivals such as Winterwell and The Secret Garden Party have put their faith in TML. The acts I have had the privilege to work with make it all worthwhile.
Me: You’ve built this up from an idea all on your own – what keeps you going when times are tough?
SM: It does get stressful at times. What keeps me going is the idea that got all this started in the first place. I want to get new music heard. So much of the time we are spoon-fed music; those who don’t get themselves out there listening to new artists are told what to like by big music industry machines. I am always so amazed by the level of talent that is out there just screaming to be heard. It’s all about listening to live music.
Me: You now manage the band who won TML last year, did it just feel like a natural progression for you?
SM: Last year’s acts were so amazing and the top 4 were all just so brilliant. It all, in the end, comes down to how the audience feel and who they have been impressed by. I was impressed by all of them but I, like the audience, was particularly impressed by Nimmo & The Gauntletts. They are so fresh and raw and so now. Their songs excite and recharge you. They are amazing people as well and a joy to work with. It was sort of like asking them out on a date and they said they had been wanting to ask me too……so now we have a relationship…….in the music sense!
Me: What about your own band? Do they feel hard done by watching you get other bandstop slots at big UK Festivals?
SM: No not at all. The Scenes are totally behind TML. They have been to the nights and think the quality of acts is amazing. We are making our own way. By being in the band I can empathise with all the acts I deal with. I am aware of all the everyday problems they come up against and it seems to work well.
Me: Do you miss performing or do you prefer the business side?
SM: I used to dread performing but now I love it. The keyboard player in my band and I are actually self recording our EP so I am also involved in the recording and mixing side of things which I find very rewarding. I don’t really see TML as a business, just something that I am totally involved in and committed to. Both are very exciting in their own way. Obviouslyperforming is all eyes on you which I can cope with better now but with TML I am behind the scenes and making the cogs churn and I like to see it all working and coming together which it has so far.
Me: The music industry is pretty male dominated, have you found it tough to be taken seriously?
SM: Not really. You come across the odd patronising person but then I just steer clear of that. I think some people who work in the industry can be unnecessarily short and unhelpful but generally my experience has been pretty good. I think if you are honest and cut to the chase there should be no one that has anything bad to say about that. In my experience I have dealt with as many women during this process as I have men so that is always positive. With something like TML there is always the chance that people will lump it in withother vaguely similar things but I feel TML is different and offers a lot more when it comesto getting exposure. It becomes a little family for those who have been part of it. I am still in communication with all the acts that have been in past TML nights, offering them gigs or the like that I feel they are suited to.
Me: What are you looking for from the bands this year who want to sign up to TML?
SM: Well we accept any genre of music, bands, solo artists and groups so you don’t haveto fit any criteria when it comes to that, you just have to be unsigned. It is mainly acts from London we would be looking at although we do allow acts from in and around London. We are just looking for great music. Great songs. Great live performers. Something that will capture people’s interest. Acts who thrive on performing live. Ultimately if you are a great musician with great songs our doors are open.
Me: When does the competition start?
SM: It all kicks off tomorrow, May 5th, with our first four acts – check out our Facebook event (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=216245101719367)
To find out more about The Music League or the bands taking part this year visit www.themusicleague.co.uk
From Sick to Stunner
Minding my own business on my commute into work today, I’m sat as I am every morning, reading the Metro, drinking a latte and slowly waking up! Suddenly, I hear a splash, my lap feels warm, and my brain catches up with the situation…a woman has been sick on me. Yes my friends, SICK on me…
However, she was pregnant and I felt awful for her so I just said not to worry and a woman opposite offered me a Kleenex (really like drying up a swimming pool with 1 sheet of kitchen roll) which I accepted wondering how this was going to help! I couldn’t go back and change as I’d be late to which my boss would be furious, but I did have sick on me so obviously I had no choice but to shop (!) and I went seeking a new outfit on Carnaby Street. I tend to stay away from mainstream high-street shops because I like something a little more individual and quirky. I was pretty new to London but had found some great Boutiques around here but until today, had not discovered the best of all…
Just off Carnaby Street is a little shop called, Dahlia. It is magic.
I went in very conscious of the smell of sick on me and hoped the lady behind the counter wouldn’t notice! I scanned the rails and to my relief and delight, discovered something right away to try on. I then kept looking around just in case there was something better and sure enough, there was something else I liked. In fact, everywhere I looked in this small boutique, I saw clothes I loved! Without meaning to, I began to linger and take my time eyeing up the clothes but was soon snapped out of it by the buzz of my phone and my boss shouting at me, demanding to know why I was late.
I ran into the changing room and changed into a dress I knew I was going to buy before I even tried it on (I’ve teamed it here with a fur wrap to add a little something) and then went back at lunch to snap up a few more items! Delighted to find this place as its the most reasonably priced clothing I’ve come across in London that really reflects my style.
Check them out, they also have an online store (www.dahliafashion.co.uk)
It turned a rather horrible day into a truly successful one!
Music: Its Power
I am always amazed by the capacity music has to evoke so much emotion and affect how you feel so easily. Music holds a million memories. I often hear songs and immediately get transported to that time in my life when I was first listening to it, university days, travelling the world, a single moment in time when your eyes meet his across a room… Music allows you to relive these moments and remember things you haven’t thought about in months, sometimes years!
A song’s power over your thoughts and emotions is more often than not, positive. I’m one of those people who will listen to something, remember a happy memory and beam from ear to ear as I walk down the street! It makes the arduous, robotic, monotony of the “daily commute” enjoyable and time passes so much faster.
However, there are occasions when listening to music is more like…slowly torturing yourself! It can flood your thoughts with memories that your heart cannot handle. It creates a constant film playing in your head of happy times that are easier to just block out or that are simply too raw to remember.
I need music throughout my day. It usually lifts my spirits, distracts me and gives me an artificial soundtrack to my life in which I can lose myself and drift off. I like to daydream as well as reminisce, just get lost in my head. Music has always been a passion but in the past two years, it has become more a “way of life”. Every day I listen to it, new music, old favourites, whole albums. I read music Blogs and share new music with friends. I managed a band for around 18 months who filled me with passion and made me appreciate the finer details in the music, what makes a song go from “alright” to “special”. I like travelling on my own because it gives me time with my music, which ultimately feeds my thoughts. I love that time to just “be”. I love to talk about it, share ideas, opinions. My main use of twitter used to be to discover and share news and advances in the industry (however this has recently not been the case)!
So…where am I going with this…that listening to music has been…a challenge lately? Absolutely. It’s been done with a heavy heart, reluctantly and I’ve had to force myself to “tune in” and “zone out”. But its been a challenge worth taking on…something I felt I needed to “force” myself to do.
Recently, a woman told me her husband died and for 7 years she could not listen to music. Nothing. It had that strong affect on her emotionally. This is obviously an extreme example but it got me thinking about the power music has and in turn, how I could use music and these thoughts and memories to…help me.
It has been a strange experience because, on the one hand, listening to my favourite bands has been almost impossible, I’ve often started listening to a song and quickly had to change it or turn the iPod off altogether! Arcade Fire’s “Crown of Love” is an example of a song, full of emotion that before Christmas, I could deeply empathise with and relate to. The Nationals “About Today” actually made me feel sick, I could feel everything he was singing about and it allowed me to hear my deepest worries out loud. I decided I’d download Radiohead’s entire discography and just let it play (a band I’ve never fully appreciated) and lost myself in my head. Yet on the other hand, it has been a positive escapism too. Listening to songs that indulged in my feelings was, in a weird way, exactly what I needed. It’s like hearing everything you can’t stop yourself from thinking, being sung in a poetic and often deeply honest manner that it is actually…comforting. You’re suddenly not “alone” and someone else is sharing in what you are feeling.
Music is magical. Listening to these songs now, even though only a relatively small period of time has past, my mind does not react the same way and it’s once again uplifting. I put on “Crown of Love” last night and thought of nothing except that it would be a lovely song to dance to, I want to be spun around and held! It no longer held the…emotional attachment, the hope that it did just a few weeks ago.
Listening to a wider range of my favourite bands has also reminded me of the many amazing times I had with “that guy from across the room”. Each song, everything, seems to hold some memory for me, some forgotten joke or moment or…argument even. I guess I have realised that…it’s OK, that for a while it is just how it’s going to be. Certain songs will probably forever flood my mind with thoughts of “us” but they are welcome memories and they deserve to be remembered.
They will also hopefully hold new memories, new moments with new and old friends and if I just stop listening, then I’m depriving myself from letting music in, stopping it from sweeping me away and taking over my mind…It’s a passion and a need that don’t think I would be able to live without.
New Year: New Style!
So another year has rolled around and I find myself in a situation I’d not planned for. I work in an office in Mayfair for a start (not exactly the actors dream!), I’ve also recently had my heart broken and I live in a fairly dodgy part of London. All of these factors and a few more minor ones were really getting me down. I wanted to start feeling good about myself again. I wanted to at least take control of one part of my life. So, being a totally girlie girl and never needing too much of a push to go shopping, I thought I’d take my control of my appearance. I didn’t want to “reinvent” my style, but I did want to feel like I was starting over. New Year, New Chapter…New Wardrobe! I started going over the things I loved about my “look” and I also looked at the stuff I always left hanging in my wardrobe and never wore.
I started to see that I had different “types” of clothing i.e. The Festival Look, The Rocker Look, The Garden Party Look and as much as I liked these clothes, I wondered what my wardrobe really said about who I am? I came to the conclusion it said…”I have no idea!”
So I started where, in my opinion, we all should… Looking at myself naked in a full length mirror. I went over in my mind what I liked about my body, what I couldn’t stand about it, what I should accentuate and what I should really cover up. I found this actually really uplifting because all I’d usually focus on was, what wasn’t right when I looked in the mirror. I know it is pretty typical to just focus on the negatives and all to easy to do too. However, finding those things that I do quite like allowed me to feel good about my body. THIS massive and very vital piece of the puzzle meant I had confidence to go shopping knowing what I wanted to show off, knowing what I wanted to hide and having a far higher hit rate in the changing room!
Next was to look at the clothes I always reached for, my feel good clothing. Why did they make me feel good? What colours do I favour? What cut do I typically chose? I also thought about women I admire and how they dress, what do I like about their clothing? How do they put together an outfit? Would that suit me?
If one good thing has come from working in an office, its the money that I get for it! My disposable income isn’t massive but if I pinch pennies in other places, I could afford to get myself some new clothing that says so much more about me. So, I hit the shops of London in search of my ideal outfits. I wasn’t totally clueless as to what I was after but I was trying my best to be open to new trends and clothing I wouldn’t typically put myself in. I really recommend this. It really forces you to focus in on what you like to wear and what you don’t, you see yourself in things you’d usually avoid but actually end up suiting and you have a lot of fun in the process!
I also recommend shopping alone, it gives you more freedom to search the aisles and the opinion you have of the clothing is yours alone. I was always talked into buying things I wasn’t sure of and sure enough, never wore! It is OK to ask someone what they think, but remember, people don’t want to hurt your feelings and will be careful, which isn’t always helpful.
Also, follow your heart. If you like something on yourself that’s a little more “out there” and “daring”…do it. And do it with confidence. What is most important is how you feel in the clothes you are wearing.
I’m pretty thrilled about my purchases and I really feel I’m starting to express who I am through my clothes…but more about that throughout my next blog updates…
Let me know how you got on!
The First Days of Spring – Noah and the Whale
To set the scene… I am sat at about 1 am, with a glass of wine, tears in my eyes and I hear this for the first time. Possibly the most unbelievably “close to the bone” album that I could possibly listen to. My ex boyfriend has returned to our flat and wants me to listen to it, will think I can relate to it. I do.
Have you heard it? No?…then please listen. It certainly seems a massive leap away from songs on their first album such as “5 days time” and “Jocasta” which are fairly standard mellow commercial tracks that got the Noah and the Whale name out there and pleased the label enough to justify a second album.
But this second album…what an album. It is rare you find a whole album that you can listen to start to finish but…this is one of those albums. From the moment it begins you can tell it is going to be a lot darker and deeper than its predecessor. On this first listen, I didn’t know the context or the history of the album. I was open to hearing it and curious as to why my ex boyfriend thought it would touch me so much. It is part of a “greater-whole” and there is also a film on DVD which I have not yet watched because at the moment I’m enjoying the scenes I see in my head. However, on the first listen, I immediately felt that it was part of a movie sound track. Emotive, and deeply honest, the tracks all make you feel something and you are compelled to listen, drawn in by the soft vocals and simple yet…somehow epic melodies. There is lots of long notes on strings and heavy piano that build and drop back down taking you on a journey. I could picture each scene intensely and I could relate to everything being sung about.
I don’t want to “review” the album…that would be a little pointless seeing as this was released in 2009 and their 3rd offering is out this year. However, I do think that if you haven’t listened to it, take the time to do so! If they are a band who you have ignored or let pass you by, find some time for them and particularly this album (although I haven’t heard number 3!). They are bloody great musicians and even with all my emotional attachments aside; if you just want to find yourself a new band, a new album to listen to…please give this one a go! I would be amazed if it didn’t grab you.
However… if you, like me, are walking around with a broken heart, unable to get it out of your mind, you might take comfort in the lyrics. Almost every song says something to me that makes my skin tingle and that floods me with those feelings again. I don’t know…it might not be the most helpful thing to you! But for me, it does help. Its poetic, dramatic, descriptive and real. There are lyrics that relate to anyone who has ever had their heart broken and lead singer, Charlie Fink sings of moments and scenes we have all had with people we are losing. It might hurt too much to listen, but it might also make you feel less alone. And if you ever just need to cry and feel all the things everyone else tells you to distract yourself from, then indulge in The First Days of Spring. Let yourself feel those things. Sometimes, that is what we need.
MY TOP THREE TRACKS (although I really do love them all)
The First Days of Spring
Our Window
Slow Glass
SPOTLIGHT CV
