Kat Skiles

Behind every great political selfie is an even greater staffer, and Kat Skiles has long been that person. Rarely caught without a camera in hand, Skiles has coordinated House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s selfies and run messaging for the Democratic National Committee where she managed the social, video, and studio teams, and was behind the digital strategy for Beto O’Rourke’s presidential campaign. Skiles’s influence played a large role in O’Rourke’s down-to-earth folksy videos and helped usher in an era of politicians inviting Americans into their kitchens and living rooms with lo-fi, direct-to-camera approaches. Skiles’s vision of “defying the traditional aspects of cheesy, over-polished ads and utilizing documentary storytelling as the North Star of all production principles” has brought her to her latest venture: Narrative Creative Agency, a group that takes a personal approach to political videos and digital strategy, especially in the age of COVID-19. Narrative Creative Agency works with clients like congresswoman Grace Meng to create video messaging for their constituents from their own homes, without the fuss of consultants and scripts. “While this pandemic has had a huge impact on my work—both in nature and in substance—I’ve continued to get after it, changing things up with video production techniques that adhere to the social distancing practices that will keep ourselves and others safe during these trying times,” said Skiles.