WRITER

The Tracking Board named Kat O’Brien to its 2015 Young and Hungry List: Top 100 Writers on the Verge.

 

Story editor turned screenwriter, Kat O'Brien is an expert in story development with an intuitive and proven sense for a project's commercial viability. After she was hired to pen the long-awaited sequel to China's first-ever romantic comedy, Dayyan Eng's award-winning, Waiting Alone, Kat was tapped to develop a slate of comedies that have led to many writing assignments and original options.

During the Pandemic, Kat wrote, directed, and produced a daily show turned weekly show, We Still Teach, which innovated connecting teachers to students learning remotely from home during school closures. For this work, Kat and her late producing partner, Tamika Spaulding, were awarded the Chicago Teachers Union LEAD Award as Champions for Educational Justice.

Post-pandemic, Kat continues to write for page, stage, and screen -- diversifying her creative writing for performance across platforms to publish and produce.. Currently, Kat is partnering with US-based and international producing partners for her original screenplays and pilots in development. In addition, Kat has a new play, a solo show, her debut guide to creativity, and her debut novel slated for 2026-2027. Meanwhile, Kat publishes and produces short form content regularly on Substack and social media.
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Kat connects with her audience through her earnest, heartfelt storytelling and wry comedic sensibility. Whether she's crafting broad, absurdist comedy, scathing satire, or a fresh rom com, Kat's relatable characters are always intimately complex. Known for her ability to bring realistic characters to life off the page with empathy and keen observational humor, she elevates her work above typical genre-fare with the purpose-driven, socially conscious themes she explores in her storytelling.​ Always intrigued by a compelling story, Kat gravitates towards writing underdog characters, finding the humor in the bleakest of circumstances, and exploring awkward moments.

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Kat holds a BFA in Writing for Film & Television from the University of Southern California - School of Cinematic Arts.​

 

She is represented by Chris Cowles, All Day Every Day, and Pete Kaufman, Kaufman Abdel-Aal LLP.