Prelude I had the honor of visiting one of the most distinctive and creative web sites to grace the Internet in years. Welcome to the world of Katharine Leis, Model - Actor - Writer. My first thought about the site was "brilliant" a mix of beauty, intelligence, intrigue and sophistication. Katharine's writing is nothing short of brilliant, this site makes you actually want to read the pages, many average sites tend to use only "sexy" images to entice their viewers not Katharine's.
Viewers don't get me wrong Katharine is one of the most beautiful models out there today, however it's her creative and unique writing style that keeps you wanting more!
Simply check out her biography and you will immediately know that this writer has something special, she had me laughing throughout the entire page, then when I checked out her "real" biography :) see for your self!!!
Katharine also has launched her first book, "Glimpses," is now available as an e-book and in Paperback!
E-Book $3.95 Paperback $9.50 - Please visit www.ikatharine.com for all the details!
Q & A section with Katharine Leis (13 questions)
Diamond: What inspired you to start up Ikatharine.com and how long has your web site been on line?
Katharine: I had been acting and doing some print modeling and saw that a lot of models had their own sites. Since I do not have an agent, I thought it would be good to have some sort of a web presence. I started the site on Nov 27, 2001 with a site builder program. It was awful…red buttons on a mustard colored background….I think it was a total of 3 pages. But everyone has to start somewhere, and it’s been quite a fun “work-in-progress” to date.
Diamond: Tell us a little about your two short films "Run" and "Perspective"
Katharine: “Perspective” is very dear to my heart. It’s a movie about two men having identical days, but shows how they view the events that happen to them. Some are subtle, and I hoped to show on a small scale that life is really what you make it. The movie stars Joey Bassi, a wonderful actor who I just loved working with….not forgetting co-stars Sheri Lawrence and Barton Anderson who also were just awesome! “Run” was also a good time. It’s a dark comedy/horror that stars Brad Boyce and some blonde actress who isn’t very good. It’s about a woman who goes on a nightly run alone on a dark street…scary stuff…
Diamond: How did you get involved in directing?
Katharine: I had acted in a lot of different independent movies, but also had ideas and stories of my own I wanted to see on screen. I found that although I do love acting, I also loved watching and learning about the whole process. I tried to pitch some ideas to people but they laughed at my dramas and were stone faced at my comedies so I cried and ran away. Then I shook my fist and said “They haven’t seen the last of me!” Ok, it didn’t really happen EXACTLY that way, but close. So much goes in to every detail that most people may not even notice. I started my little production company, Iko Productions (www.ikoproductions.com ) and gave it a go. I now have done three short movies and one feature length, and have plans for many more.
Diamond: Do you ever see yourself doing featured films on the big screen?
Katharine: Honestly, I’d really like to, but I won’t be crushed if it doesn’t happen. With 300, 000 actors in New York and LA alone, there are a lot more roles out there than people to fill them. A small pond is still a pond, you know?
Diamond: What types of films inspire you?, what are your top three movies of all time?
Katharine: Movies that make me think, or at least make me forget about everything else for the time I’m watching them are the best. I have a lot of favorites. One awesome independent comedy I saw recently is called “Moving” (www.whatismoving.com) and is definitely the best movie I’ve seen all year. Stir of Echoes was fantastic, as was The Truman Show, The Ring, and of course one of my all time favorites, Back to the Future. They are all so well thought out, so put together and so flawless that they are believable. I admire that.
Diamond: Who are your favorite actors, both male and female?
Katharine: Johnny Depp is my favorite male actor. Not just because of his performances, but because of his extreme diversity. He’s been everyone from the guy in the suit to the modern day Pinocchio(Edward Scissorhands) and was true to the characters in all of them. Michelle Pfieffer is probably my favorite female actress for the same reason. She’s not afraid to be goofy (Married to the Mob), unmade (Frankie and Johnny) but can be glamourous (The Fabulous Baker Boys) or strong (Dangerous Minds) just as well
Diamond: As a writer what types of things inspire you, who are some of your favorite writers?
Katharine: I read more articles than books…Mark Hill, Dave Barry, Joe Bob Briggs, Teresa Strasser, and Wil Wheaton are all brilliant minds who I feel I learn from whenever I read their work. Even though they are so smart, they don’t write in a pretentious way, and though they have opinions, I’ve rarely seen judgements. They can be funny or serious, whatever the mood calls for.
Diamond: Tell us a little about your debut book "Glimpses"
Katharine: Glimpses was written last year, and published at the start of this year. Though I write a lot of comedy in articles, Glimpses is a fictional drama. There are ten characters, five males and five females, differing in ages from six years to sixty-seven. I tried to show a peek or a glimpse into each of their lives in just a few pages. Where they’ve been, where they are going, and in some cases what they’d rather be doing or what they’ve learned from life so far.
Diamond: Hobbies, what do you do for fun?
Katharine: Well, honestly my work is so much fun that I do it a lot. I do take pictures though, people, places, nature…I work with another photographer here in Orlando and together we have S V Seal Photography (www.svsealphotography.com) which is a good sampling of the collection. Plus, I finally figured out how to get my thumb out of the frame…that makes the pictures MUCH better.
Diamond: What types of music do you like?
Katharine: I like a lot of different types, mainly I think it depends on my mood.
Diamond: Who are you all time favorite recording artists? (both male and female)
Katharine: Moby, Dwight Yoakam, School of Fish, Aerosmith, Coldplay, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, and many other who probably wouldn’t have much to say to each other at a party besides “please pass the chips.”
Diamond: Fashion, who are your favorite designers?
Katharine: Er, um…the clearance section at Ross…
Diamond: Tell us a little bit about your modeling career?
Katharine: I do commercial print and conventions, mainly. I’m a spokesmodel for Girlybox Purses and Eyes4less Sunglasses. I’m a bit too short and homely to be one of those high fashion deals, but I have fun with what I do. I’ve been doing the conventions and promotional sales for a few years and it’s not hard work and provides a relatively steady income. There are a lot of conventions in Orlando with the big convention center here so I think I got pretty lucky choosing this town to throw down my roots.
This site is tons of great photos as well , make sure you check out this site.
