2021-2022 New Voices Interview Series: Katherine Ruppe
To kick off the New Voices Interview Series, we asked our 2021-2022 New Voices fellows to share about their writing process, their experience with mentorship, and what inspires them to change the world, one story at a time. This interview is with Fellow Katherine Ruppe.
Humanitas: What was the first script that had a profound impact on you?
Katherine Ruppe: I took a “Films of the 1950s” course in college and was blown away by Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers On A Train, based on the Patricia Highsmith novel. I loved the suspense created by the unpredictable, dapper psychopath.Hitchcock was a master of the interplay between good and evil, light and dark. His unique compositions inspired me to go into my first career in cinematography.
H: What are you reading now?
KR: I’m reading The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. It’s a powerful exploration of social justice from a Black teenage girl’s perspective. It gives me insight both for life and writing. I’m also deep into The Lost River by my explorer friend, Richard Bangs, who made the first descent of 35 rivers around the world. The rafting trips I’ve taken with Richard’s family have been life-changing and we’re developing a white-water adventure story together. Rivers are such great metaphors for life.
H: If you could have dinner with any writer, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
KR: I’d love to meet up with writer-director Taylor Sheridan. I grew up barrel racing and pole bending in 4H rodeos and am a cowgirl at heart, so I gravitate to his character-driven stories about the new wild West like YELLOWSTONE and HELL OR HIGH WATER. My first pilot was a crime drama about a Blackfeet female cop turned fighter for justice, so I’m also compelled by his explorations into Native American issues. I love that he writes badass women!
H: What kind of characters do you love to write and why?
KR: I write intrepid, underdog characters who overcome their inner demons to go after the impossible. Whether it’s in the pursuit of justice in my thrillers or rocketing to space, as they do in my pilot, Liftoff. My characters often struggle to get their voices heard. I’m a rebel at heart and love portraying resilient, complex women doing cool things. Through them I get to pretend I’m a detective, explorer, soccer star, or even an awkward teenager with big dreams.
H: Which writer working today inspires you?
KR: So many! I’ll go with Phoebe Waller-Bridge for her unconventional, bold female characters. To quote, she “depicts characters who say the unsayable, do the undoable, and defy every stereotype of feminine behavior.” She punts the dreaded note about making female characters “likeable,” yet still makes us fall in love with them, even the murderous psychopath in Killing Eve. I’m clearly fascinated by psychopaths.
H: What are you watching right now?
KR: I’m developing a social issue sports drama, so I recently watched Sisters On Track, an inspirational documentary about three resilient young sisters who rise above loss and poverty to excel at track. I’m also loving Reservation Dogs, Succession, and Better Things—woot, Pamela Adlon! Her funny, offbeat single mom character has such a rocky but heartfelt relationship with her three hormonal daughters. It both scares me and prepares me as my own daughter enters her tween-age years.
H: How does your identity shape your writing?
KR: Growing up I straddled two worlds—the small town where I was born in Michigan’s rugged Upper Peninsula and “civilized” Washington, D.C., where my dad served in Congress. My characters are often fish out of water, caught between worlds, striving to prove themselves. Infusing female empowerment and diverse perspectives into my stories stems partly from my mom, who went from housewife to Director of the Peace Corps, bringing home fascinating stories of the strong women she met in villages across the globe.
H: How can writers use their art to make a difference?
KR: Writers can use their art to motivate people to dream big,to see their own reflection on screen,to feel less alone,to share laughter and tears. I wrote Liftoff so I could inspire my own daughter to go after her dreams, just as the first six women astronauts did in 1978 as they integrated NASA and made tremendous leaps for humankind. If you can see it, you can be it!
H: Why do mentors matter?
KR: Mentors matter because their advice, expertise, and encouragement help you hone your craft, navigate the industry, and amplify your voice. While researching my underdog sports drama, I discovered the number one thing a good coach instills in their players is a belief in themselves. Only then can they succeed. The validation and support a mentor brings is similar, and I feel so lucky to have gained one through HUMANITAS.
H: If you could go back in time to when you wrote your first script and give younger you a piece of advice, what would it be and why?
KR: Believe in yourself and your voice. Don’t be afraid, don’t overthink it. Just write.
Katherine Ruppe is a film/TV writer whose underdog characters pursue the impossible - whether it’s rocketing to space or seeking justice. Her Humanitas-winning drama, LIFTOFF, was awarded an Alfred P. Sloan Development Grant and also selected for the Film Independent Episodic Lab. Her feature, TRUE NORTH, is an Athena List Winner and set to be produced by Resonate Entertainment. Katherine’s passion for story-telling was sparked while hitchhiking the Australian Outback, shooting Super 8 film and absorbing stories of the Aboriginal Dreamtime. She’s developed an original crime drama with WBTV, been selected for the PGA Producing Workshop, and was also a fellow in Film Independent’s Screenwriter Lab and FastTrack Program. A former camera operator in the International Cinematographer’s Guild, Katherine traveled the world on movies, docs, and TV shows. She’s originally from Michigan’s rugged Upper Peninsula, where she raced in rodeos and campaigned for her Congressman father in way too many parades.
Katherine’s script, Liftoff, intercuts the propulsive true story of America’s first female astronauts – six intrepid pioneers who blast through the chauvinistic brotherhood of spaceflight in 1978 – with the heartrending tale of the Challenger disaster, which claims the life of one of our first women and spurs Sally Ride to investigate, uncovering NASA secrets even as she keeps her own.
New Voices is a four-month mentorship program for emerging television and screenwriters. The program is committed to identifying and empowering five writers each year who are currently at work on a 30- or 60-minute pilot or feature film screenplay that upholds the mission of Humanitas.
Learn more about Humanitas’s New Voices Fellowship here.