Kristen Harding, Entertainment Weekly
Kristen Harding, Entertainment Weekly
💭 Thoughts on normalizing "do not disturb" mode, Rowena Social Club, and watching The Sopranos for the first time.
Kristen Harding is a Florida-born New Yorker directing, producing, and writing in LA. She is currently the Head of Video & Audio for Entertainment Weekly, where she oversees the creative production and strategic distribution of all video and audio for the brand including EW's award-winning digital covers, roundtables, celebrity interviews, YouTube series, and festival live streams. As a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts film school, Kristen has a deep-rooted passion for artistic expression through the medium of storytelling, and her work often fuses naturalism and surrealism to create a new, distinct perspective. She’s not only a Scorpio but also a Slytherin, which says everything you need to know about her.
🎯 Current focus
I’m currently directing and producing digital covers for Entertainment Weekly that I’m really proud of and excited about! Post strike, everything’s been in full force–we’ve got big talent, ambitious concepts, fresh visuals, and new stories to tell. As EW made the shift from print to digital a few years ago, our motion covers have really become billboard moments for the brand. To me, they’re bite-sized films that we get to conceptualize and bring to life, which as a filmmaker has been incredibly creatively fulfilling to add to my job description at EW. They’re also just a lot of fun to make with my directing partner and overall creative powerhouse, Alison Wild. If you don’t already know EW’s Photo Director, then you should. She’s a total genius and total babe. We’re constantly aiming to push the format forward and trying to one up ourselves (classic Scorpio behavior), which has led EW to, in my humble opinion, become the industry leaders for the medium. A studio rep recently compared our current era of covers to that of Rolling Stone in the early 90’s, which really stuck with me. That era was so fun and iconic and wasn’t afraid of a concept. If we can deliver even a fraction of that kind of lasting effect with our covers, it’s a win.
🍝 Watching The Sopranos for the first time
I recently finished watching all six seasons of The Sopranos for the first time. I know, I know–I can’t believe it took me so long to watch it either, but it really is one of the best shows ever made and even more so than that, it's clearly the “godfather” of prestige TV. It was fun to talk to my own father about the series too, which he had watched when it was originally on air. I love art that stands the test of time and resonates across generations. While I was nearing the end of the series, I was out at an Italian restaurant and Drea de Matteo aka Adriana got seated at the table next to mine. That same night I watched season 5 episode 12, “Long Term Parking,” which is a big one for Adriana. Needless to say, it all felt very kismet and very LA, and my inner monologue has now taken on a New Jersey accent.
👯♀️ Creating cool sh*t with your friends
The older I get, the more I just want to just create cool shit with my friends. I find myself feeling the most confident and creatively fulfilled when I’m making things I believe in with the people I love to collaborate with. All of my best friends are remarkably creative and inspiring. I’ve known my writing partner, H.C. Perelman, since we were in 6th grade and she’s still the funniest person I’ve ever met! I get to travel the world with Alison Wild, directing for a brand that we love. My lifelong emergency contact [and past Thought Enthusiast], Ileana Diez, is a marketing mastermind–the ultimate connector of people, cultures, and ideas (if anyone can make things happen, it's Illy). I feel beyond grateful to have all these creatives in my life, and to me, making a living collaborating with them is the ultimate goal and definition of success.
🎶 TTPD
I’m so into Taylor Swift’s new album, The Tortured Poets Department. The heartbreak! The anguish! The obsession! It’s giving 2011 Tumblr in the best way, and that relatability is what resonates with me so deeply about Taylor. Her albums have effectively been the soundtrack to my life in real time since I was sixteen. I can’t get these earworms out of my head: “But Daddy I Love Him,” “Down Bad,” “Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus,” and “The Black Dog.” Yes, I love that it’s a Matty Healy coded album.
🌙 Normalizing do not disturb mode
I’m looking forward to taking a vacation. I have some shoots coming up in the UK and will try to bop over to a beach somewhere in Europe afterwards. I think it’s so important to just take a beat and reset sometimes. It seems obvious, and maybe it is, but it’s actually sort of hard to do?! Especially in creative industries where traditional workdays and timelines are out the window. Normalize activating do not disturb mode!
👾 The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Right now the content I’ve been consuming the most is actually via my Nintendo Switch, specifically The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. I grew up with the Zelda franchise and played on my Gameboy as a kid but I recently got a Switch and have rediscovered my love for Link and all of his misadventures in his quest to save Hyrule. The worldbuilding and storytelling in ToTK is so impressive and enjoyable that I’m actively taking my time to finish the game. It’s also great for long flights–nothing beats hunting for shrines on a 10 hour trip from LA to London.
I’ve got my eye on Rowena Social Club at the moment. It’s an up-and-coming, queer-owned brand by fashion designer and heartthrob, James Ford. His stuff is weird, hot, and cool all at the same time, and ranges from funky crochet patch overalls (as seen on Gigi Hadid!!) to the chicest and best fitting custom suits you’ll ever own. James’ superpower is that he can make anyone feel and look their best, and I’m so proud of the brand he’s built from the ground up.
I just picked up a really rad super 8mm film camera to play around with to capture BTS on set and of life. Could I live without it? Yes. Do I want to? No. I actually got my start in filmmaking with a 16mm course at USC, so it all feels very full circle at the moment. When I’m into something, I go all in, so there’s been a lot of joy in relearning the medium and taking the time to have a new, old hobby.
Follow Kristen on Instagram & Linkedin and check out her website here.
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