Four Inane Questions with local renaissance woman Kate Valliere

Photo Courtesy of Morgan Miller Photography

Whatever you do, don’t try to label Kate Valliere. She’ll do that for you. “I’m a producer, quilter and crafter, singer, writer, marketer, traveler, and all-around curious person,” she says.

Never one to pigeonhole herself, Valliere tells us she began her career in television wearing Kevlar and jumping out of armored vehicles on A&E’s Kansas City SWAT. “Later, I followed the KCK homicide team on The First 48,” she says. 

She jokes that she’s since mellowed, co-hosting the movie review podcast The Center Seat and creating a wild array of marketing content. Recently, she joined the production team for the W. 18th Street Fashion Show. And she’s been known to sing around the metro with her partner, musician Michael Tipton. She also launched her passion project, What You Make Matters, to explore the creative process of artists of all kinds.

The once-a-producer-always-a-producer Valliere mentions she’s always looking for the next big thing, so, if you know of any job opportunities for this all-around renaissance woman, she’s game. (We didn’t ask if she still has her Kevlar vest.)

We caught up with the in-demand Valliere in between assignments to query her with our whacky questionnaire. Once she saw the questions, she made us get her another espresso. Bless.  

Photo Courtesy of Morgan Miller Photography

The Pitch: If you were the sixth Spice Girl, who would you be? 

Kate Valliere: Bratty Spice. I have a little chaos demon to me. I’ve always been very well-behaved, and I have an overdeveloped respect for rules and authority. But there’s a subversive troublemaker that exists in my personality—the side that likes to push buttons just to see if I can get away with it. 

If I get bored, I will stir some shit up just to see what will happen.

Photo Courtesy of Kate Valliere

What is your all-time favorite Dolly Parton wig? 

Wait, those are wigs??! Dolly is her own authentic caricature, like Bowie’s Ziggy. I love that she indulges in impossible beauty standards but has always called them out as exactly that. 

I loved her giant, gorgeous, hot-rolled look in the ’70s. She was so far ahead of her time with the exaggerated glamour of her early looks, but I feel like she really stepped into what she’d be known for in the 1970s. I think they were softer and more flattering than the later choppy, straight-layered ones she had. More iconic, less trendy.

You can only keep one app on your phone—What are ya choosin’?

I don’t like this reality. I’m a full-on Instagram addict. It’s a problem, but it’s also my source of news, inspiration, entertainment, and connection. I sing ‘scrollin’, scrollin’, scrollin’ to the theme from Rawhide while I lose time. 

The goodie-goodie, type-A answer would be my calendar, as I’m intensely reliant on it. But, the truth is, my longest paid relationship with an app is Spotify and I will never let go. Their end-of-year content is absolute fire and I share it shamelessly on Instagram. 

Photo Courtesy of Kate Valliere

You’re a villain in a movie—Who do you use as your inspiration? 

The first movie villain I remember being enchanted by was Maleficent in the 1950’s Sleeping Beauty animated movie. There weren’t many females like her in the media when I was a kid. She was unapologetically angry and powerful, but also covered head to toe and not sexualized. 

She was powerful and vindictive and shape-shifty and cruel. She also had that throaty laugh that made her a little sexy. Then, she turned into a dragon, which was badass. Also, I understand the urge to ruin lives over not being invited to a party. But, if I was invited, I’d probably leave early—if I showed up at all.