The first two episodes have already been filmed. The guests are Catherine Gee, a Santa Barbara-based designer and founder of her namesake fashion brand, and Michael Holliday, FAIA, Principal Architect at DMHA.
Each episode of The White Room is created specifically around the guest. Instead of following a standard set of questions, the team studies the guest’s professional experience and identifies the subject through which viewers can gain the most valuable insight from their real-world practice.
The conversations focus on how guests make decisions, what they have learned to notice over the years, which mistakes shaped their approach, and what principles guide their work today.
The episode with Catherine Gee explores creative entrepreneurship and the decisions behind building an independent fashion brand. The conversation with Michael Holliday focuses on architectural thinking, working within constraints, and the decisions that shape the spaces people create.
Future guests of The White Room will include entrepreneurs, executives, investors, scientists, engineers, architects, designers, artists, and other professionals. The project is produced in Santa Barbara, with guests drawn both from the local community and from other cities.
The White Room was created and is hosted by Kate Kolody, an entrepreneur and creative business strategist of Russian-Ukrainian origin with 20 years of experience in marketing and strategic consulting, founder of VESNA, and author of a book on commercial strategy and buyer behavior.
“I’m interested in what usually remains outside a person’s biography — how they actually make decisions, what their experience has taught them to see, and what principles they use in their work,” says Kolody. “I want every conversation to leave viewers with several ideas they can apply to their own challenges.”
The name The White Room reflects the idea of a neutral space that each new guest fills with their own experience and way of thinking. The first episodes will premiere on YouTube this fall. Full interviews, approximately 35–45 minutes long, will be published twice a month and available free of charge.
La Cumbre Center for Creative Arts (LCCCA) is an official partner of The White Room. Other companies and organizations support the project through their resources and professional expertise.
La Cumbre Center for Creative Arts (LCCCA) is an official partner of The White Room. Other companies and organizations support the project through their resources and professional expertise.