How has Kate Elson kept the industry curious for two decades? 

From building renowned companies to sealing the fates of industry legends, Kate Elson’s fearless leadership has continued to turn heads at every step of her esteemed career. But how you ask? Eleanor President Sophie Gold sat down with Eleanor UK’s newly appointed Managing Director to uncover just that. 

Sophie: Your career spans over two decades in the UK, beginning with agency roles under Tim Ashton at Bates Dorland before transitioning into production. How did your early experiences on the agency side influence your approach to production and talent management? 

Kate: My first job at Bates Dorland was to work with Tim Ashton to create The Egg, which was a creative hub in the center of the creative floor. The sole purpose was to watch reels and screenings and advise on directors. So that experience taught me the value of knowing and reading your audience when you're sharing work. 

Now, whenever I go into an agency, I do extensive research into the agency and the creatives and producers work to tailor a reel and match talent together with the agency. In a human way, if you're not interested or inspired and curious about the minds you're in front of, they're not going to be interested in you. It's a partnership. And whilst it's called sales, I've learned to view it as much as matchmaking. 

Sophie: During your tenure as Head of New Business at Harry Nash, you were instrumental during the golden years of directors like Fredrik Bond and the late Ringan Ledwidge. What were some key insights and lessons you gained from working with such exceptional talents early in their careers? 

Kate: It was also the beginning of my career, we surrounded ourselves with remarkable people. The chemistry between us all was vital—arguably more important than the scripts at that stage in our careers. Ringan collaborated early on with Richard Flintham and Andy McLeod, two of the all-time greats in the industry. Their initial projects at DDB and later at Fallon shaped all of their careers. The energy and synergy between Ringan, Rich, and Andy was contagious.

At that time, I was quite naïve and fearless because of it. From the start, it was clear that Ringan was exceptional. Being around his talent, charm, and generosity fueled my passion for advertising.

Fredrik worked alongside Jan Elliot and Luke Williamson at Mother on the Super Noodles West Side Story ad. Mother was young, disruptive, and full of excitement. It was always about forging that personal chemistry. When Fredrik, Jan, and Luke met, you could see that a long-t partnership was forming. It was never just about a single job; they were curious, evolving, and I wanted them to have partners in the industry who could help create something extraordinary.

Rich and Andy, alongside Jan, Luke, Ringan, and Fredrik, all rose through the ranks of advertising together. You knew that anything born from their collaborations would be magical.

Sophie: There are so many directors now and so many different agencies and so many different clients and all the different things that have changed from 20 years ago. Do you think that curiosity still exists in the industry? 

Kate: Yes, absolutely. Absolutely, I do. Possibly even more so, because most creatives are musicians, or they're artists, or they're poets. They're more curious, in a way, because they want to absorb more in order to keep up and to keep fresh. Everybody is so curious.

It's more our job to make them curious about our filmmakers, about our talent, about us. It's an overcrowded marketplace, so you need to figure out how to make them curious about you. I think that's our biggest challenge. But lack of curiosity is not a challenge. 

Sophie: Throughout your career, what strategies did you employ to cultivate and maintain strong relationships with such diverse and leading companies in the industry?

Kate: The main strategy was always honesty and a forensic knowledge of talent.  As a rep, people come to you because they want you to filter the work for them—they don't want to sift through 50 reels. They rely on your judgment to recommend who you believe is the best fit. I made it a point to be upfront if I felt a director wasn’t right for a particular job, explaining my reasoning and discussing alternatives. It’s about aligning multiple companies with the client’s needs, which can be challenging because both the agency and the company you represent are your clients. You’re constantly walking a fine line, but you have to be an arbiter of taste at all times.

The key is transparency—being clear about why you're putting certain directors forward and offering continuous feedback and strategy. It’s not just about showcasing the obvious talent but about explaining who fits best and why.

You don’t want someone visiting your site and saying, "I want so-and-so for this job." You want them to say, "I love so-and-so, but do you have anyone else in mind?" It’s about always offering something new, something challenging, or something unexpected. 

Sophie: You have a remarkable track record for discovering and nurturing talent, notably identifying Fredrik Bond and championing the early careers of Ringan Ledwidge. What qualities did you recognize in them that signified or that signaled their potential for greatness, and how did you support their development during those formative years?

Kate: The work always comes first, but what stood out about both of them—beyond their boundless enthusiasm and passion—was that they truly knew what they were doing. They had a deep understanding of the craft, from technical knowledge of cameras and equipment to a clear dedication to learning. You could tell they’d spent time mastering their craft.

What really set them apart, though, was their empathy and curiosity for people. They asked about my thoughts, my preferences, and about the company, rather than focusing solely on themselves. Even though they didn’t yet have an extensive portfolio, you could see their acute intelligence and empathy. You just knew they would connect with people, whether it was the crew, the cast, or the client.

Directors need that ability to read people and build rapport if they’re going to achieve great results. That combination of empathy and deep technical expertise was key to their success.

Sophie: Working closely with Bond and Ledwidge, what were some pivotal moments or decisions that significantly influenced their career trajectory, and how did you facilitate or guide them through these phases? 

Kate: Even in their early days, Ringan and Fredrik were fearless auteurs. We were absolutely fearless. If they wanted, let's say John Mathieson, we'd get John Mathieson. We were never like, oh, we can't have him. They had super strong partnerships with their producers, editors, DP’s So it was always a collaborative effort for the right team, the right location…down to the right runner on, on the jobs.  It was all so perfectly orchestrated by them. There was nothing left to chance along the way. We took calculated risks, but we also celebrated successes alongside them. I also feel that I learned it was more important to let things naturally unfold rather than give into my immediate desire to try and solve potential issues.  Of course you have to be prepared for every eventuality but creativity needs to be given room to breathe. It was very collaborative and inspiring. Everybody around them just wanted to do their best for them as they were so generous with their success. They took you on their journey. It was like hopping on the Orient Express every morning!

Sophie: What motivates you to consistently invest in gaining knowledge or insights about directors and clients and the industry at large so that you are able to advise your partners on what they should do or who they should work with creatively?

Kate: It's a continuation of 20 years of unquenchable thirst for knowledge, learning, professional development. I think the more you learn the more obvious it becomes how little you know.  I have tried to not let experience stand in the way of knowledge!

Maybe I shouldn't tell you Sophie, but I do still make mistakes. It's learning from those mistakes and celebrating them as much as your successes.  It’s a continuing evolution. I mean, the industry doesn't stand still, so why would anybody in it? 

Read voraciously. Get involved in the industry network. There's always new people to meet. Keep thinking outside the box. Think long term. Think short term. Try and strategize those two. It's always like a jigsaw puzzle in my head. I'm always searching for that missing piece! 

Sophie: What attracted you to the role and what is your vision for Eleanor UK's future under your leadership? 

Kate: Your passion for the industry and the roster you carefully curated is truly infectious. Eleanor’s unwavering commitment to craft, creativity, and impeccable taste, is evident in every detail of the work produced. The presence Eleanor has earned in the advertising world continues to expand through your relentless and meticulous pursuit of excellence. It is exciting and inspiring to be joining at such a pivotal time in the industry and Eleanor’s journey.

I have career aspirations of my own, centered around constant growth and skill enhancement and just always trying to improve and learn. I believe you offer that as the global President, to everybody who works with you, the way you champion people creates a positive impact. Eleanor brings an exciting alternative to the table that will reach and inspire new audiences.

Sophie: Eleanor has a strong presence in both the UK and the US. How do you plan to leverage this transatlantic footprint to create synergies and expand the company's influencing capabilities in the global production landscape? What are your immediate priorities as you step into the role officially, because you've been working in your personal time at Eleanor UK, and how do you and how do you envision addressing the current trends and demands of the industry to drive growth and innovation?

Kate: Both of us on either side of the pond and globally are active members of industry forums. We both engage in public speaking. We're on juries, we're there to advance the industry. And I think being recognized as an authority, we can both position Eleanor brand as a leader in our space. It's being at the forums. It's understanding the trends. It's reading. It's going to movies. It's speaking to people. It's networking. So I think the immediate priorities will be to match-make Eleanor with creators and  like-minded people, creative talents to support younger people in the industry. I think one of the things I'm very proud of in my career is a lot of first ADs were my runners, a lot of Heads of Production at agencies were my receptionists. A lot of reps were the runners, or the head of vault. I think to create that environment where everybody can grow would be a huge priority in a welcoming environment and  our amazing offices to continue to function as a creative hub. 

Sophie: Why am I excited that you're joining? I'm excited for you joining because you love advertising. It's your love of advertising, and because of how you love it, greatness just is attracted to you, and it's evident from the companies, the directors, the work that you've done, the work you continue to do.

Kate: It's a bit corny, but it's not a job. It's a way of life. 

Sophie: Oh yes, it's like these two, three week, four week intense romances, where we're texting each other every single day and we're, you know, traveling to some far off destination and we're both in this project that was once just an idea. It's your love of advertising, and because you love it, everything that you do around it is great. And there's greatness because it's born out of true love. And to me, that's been very inspiring. In our conversations, you can see the love. 

Kate: You've got to love the madness. I also think that the nurturing part I love. I love creating something or nurturing something, be it a director, be it an idea, a script. With some artistic license on Kahlil Gibran's famous poem I would say, you are the bows from which your directors as living arrows are sent forth! I just love that thought of releasing some magic.