Kate Herron is a multi-talented individual who writes and directs for various platforms such as film, television, and comic books. She gained recognition for her directing skills through her work on the series Five by Five (2017), and later on, for her outstanding contributions to the popular show Sex Education (2019). She also helmed the highly-popular Disney+ series Loki (2021).
Early Years
Kate Herron is a British filmmaker and writer who was born in 1988 in Surrey, England. She pursued her passion for film and writing by attending the University for the Creative Arts in Farnham, where she graduated with a degree in film production.
For several years, she was unsure of how to break into the industry and worked as a waitress. It was only when she started networking with her peers and film festival organizers that she found her way in.
Kate Herron’s Professional Journey
She has a strong passion for producing female-centric stories that are both visually engaging and humorous, while also being inclusive and featuring clever jokes about the female anatomy. Her ultimate aspiration is to develop her own television series and films that embody these qualities and include frequent musical performances.
Kate Herron has been recognized as a rising star in the entertainment industry, earning titles such as ‘Screen International Star of Tomorrow’, ‘Broadcast Hot Shot’, ‘Forbes 30 under 30’, and a spot on the ‘BBC Hot New Talent List’. Sky Comedy has praised her as “a major comedic talent to watch in the future”.
Laurie Nunn created and Eleven Film produced the first season of the Netflix Original “Sex Education“, which was directed by Kate Herron. The cast includes Asa Butterfield, Ncuti Gatwa, Emma Mackey, and Gillian Anderson.
The second half of the show was released on Netflix in January 2019, to 190 countries under her direction. Rolling Stone praised it as a remarkable teen comedy, the Financial Times called it hilariously funny, and Entertainment Weekly described it as both sensual and sincere. The show’s initial season earned a 91% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 81 on Meta Critic.
Before her work on “Sex Education”, Kate’s directing credits included all episodes of “Five by Five” for BBC/Green Door Pictures, featuring and executive-produced by Idris Elba.
The series was chosen as a Critics Pick of the Week by the Sunday Times and is available on Amazon Prime. This marked Kate’s initial foray into television directing. She also helmed two comedy shorts for Sky Comedy.
Kate Herron gained experience in the television industry after working a variety of temporary jobs and creating short films for the independent film scene. Her work has been featured at prestigious festivals such as the London Film Festival, Palm Springs Shortsfest, Encounters, and Flickerfest.
Vimeo Staff Picks, Comedy Central, and the British Film Institute’s 2016 RETROSPECTIVE all showcased her work. Paul Feig praised her film “Smear,” starring Sophia Di Martino from “Loki,” as “very funny.”
Kate Herron was both the Executive Producer and Director for the entire run of Marvel Studios’ “Loki”, which featured an all-star cast including Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Sophia Di Martino, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wunmi Mosaku, and Jonathan Majors.
The series premiered on Disney Plus to widespread praise and was officially declared by Marvel as their most popular show on the streaming platform. Kate’s contribution to the show was acknowledged in Variety’s 2021 “Top of Their Game” TV Producers Impact Report.
Kate Herron is reportedly creating her first full-length film, titled “Miss Universe”. This comedic horror film revolves around a beauty pageant that is threatened by an alien invasion. The project is being backed by producer Dominic Buchanan, known for his work on “The End of the F**cking World”, and Douglas Cox, who worked on “Dawn of the Deaf”. Kate’s co-writer for the film is Briony Redman.
