Catherine McKenzie thought she was destined to become a professional clarinet player in a small orchestra. But that all changed when the Minnesota native left St. Olaf College in 1992 and received an NAACP production fellowship at WCCO TV in Minneapolis. That’s when she says she fell in love with television news.
“I loved everything about it. I worked in the news departments, sports department, investigative department, I went out to press conferences. I did it all,” McKenzie tells ESSENCE. “If it wasn’t for that program and for the NAACP paying attention to what was going on in the media industry at the time and doing that, I would never be in this business,” she says.
McKenzie, a proud Afro-Latina and daughter of immigrant parents from Panama, has helped tell thousands of stories throughout her 24 years in the news industry. “It’s about finding the best always, but also about going the extra mile to showcase voices that aren’t always heard, which I think is really important,” she explains.
The Emmy Award winning producer who simply goes by “Cat” has worked at WITI-TV in Milwaukee and spent 13 years at WABC-TV in New York as a weekend and live events producer. She went on to ABC News Network as a senior producer for Good Morning America. She then served as a supervising producer at The Queen Latifah Show and also helped launch CBSN during her time as a senior producer at CBS Interactive.
WATCH: ESSENCE Behind The Scenes At GMA3 With Catherine McKenzie
Now, she continues to run the show as executive producer of ABC News Live and “GMA3: What You Need to Know,” a program she created and launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“She’s the power. She’s the producer.”
"Cat's energy, instincts and unique ability to understand what audiences need to know, makes her a force to be reckoned with. We’re all lucky to work with her and proud to be a friend and colleague,” says Amy Robach, co-anchor of GMA3: What You Need to Know in a statement to ESSENCE.
Cat says she takes a three-pronged approach to GMA3, a news, health and lifestyle program: provide useful and accurate information to audiences, illuminate stories that deserve greater attention and include some entertainment.
“It's a great responsibility to be able to produce and to be able to prep anchors and decide what story is going to run down and how much time each story gets and what we're going to cover and what direction we're going to take the story, always keeping in mind that we have to be truthful and steadfast in our reporting,” she shared.
Cat recently made history as the first Black woman to executive produce a primetime news special at ABC News celebrating Juneteenth in 2020. That special led to the creation of the groundbreaking "Soul Of A Nation" series in 2021.
The documentary series is described as one that “presents viewers with a unique window into the authentic realities of Black life” and provides a deeper dive into the crucial moment of racial reckoning in America.
“Cat is a shining example of why having diverse and representative leaders is not only good for workplace culture but for success. She is part of the secret sauce that makes ABC News No. 1,” ABC News President Kim Godwin shares with ESSENCE in a statement.
“I've never thought of myself as like a glass breaker, change maker or whatever. But wow, what an honor,” Cat said, adding that she wished it didn’t take so long for Black women to achieve such career milestones.
Her advice to other women, be it in the news industry or another profession is to always remember that you are enough and to not be afraid to go after what you want because “as long as it's from the heart, you are on the right path,” she said.
Cat credits her father for being the reason she recognized the true importance and value of her role as a producer. “Once I got in the business, at one point, my dad was really sick, and I worked all over the country, and I was back in Minnesota visiting,” she says. “I remember we were walking across the skyway and my mom said ‘Don't you want to be on camera? You're so pretty and so articulate.’ And my dad said, ‘But Thelma, she's the power. She's the producer.’ And, I always remember that.”
This is the first installment in the series Black Women In The News. ESSENCE is highlighting the stories of Black women who are making a positive impact in the media industry. Some may be well-known, and others are just emerging, but the work they do brings important stories to us, be it on-screen, on the radio, on-stage and beyond. They make a difference in an industry where Black women are still underrepresented. These women are known for bringing stories to audiences globally. With Black Women In The News, we share theirs.