Kathy Le Backes
Kathy Le Backes has been working at the intersection of entertainment and social impact for over 15 years. She is the Senior Director of Programs in WarnerMedia’s Equity + Inclusion group where she helps create pathways and opportunities for underrepresented storytellers. Most recently, Kathy was the Vice President of Development & Research at Wise Entertainment where she oversaw the development of the company’s slate with a special focus on inclusive content and diverse storytellers. She also executed the integration of social issues into Wise Entertainment’s creative IPs, and cultivated relationships with non-profit and social justice organizations (such as Voto Latino, Color of Change, IllumiNative and Planned Parenthood) to bolster meaningful storytelling. While at Wise, Kathy was a producer on three seasons of the six-time Emmy-nominated Hulu original drama, EAST LOS HIGH. She also produced over 100 short-form transmedia videos for EAST LOS HIGH and Hello Sunshine’s SHINE ON WITH REESE WITHERSPOON.
Prior to joining Wise Entertainment, Kathy served as the Digital Campaign Manager for the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) program. In that role, she oversaw and produced multi-platform digital and social media campaigns to help raise awareness for cancer research. She also executed SU2C social impact campaigns with brands such as MasterCard, Major League Baseball, and Lucasfilm (ask her about the time she got Yoda to tweet). Before her role at the EIF, Kathy served as Program Manager at the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center’s Hollywood, Health & Society program, where she worked closely with writers and producers from hit shows such as ER, GREY’S ANATOMY, BREAKING BAD, and LAW & ORDER: SVU to facilitate storylines that educate viewers on social issues.
Kathy is a regular lecturer on entertainment and social justice at USC, UCLA and Mount Saint Mary’s University. She is also a board member of Asia Society Southern California, and a mentor with #StartWith8Hollywood and Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Evolve Entertainment Fund, championing diversity and inclusion in the entertainment industry. Kathy holds an MPH degree from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California and a BS in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Davis.
Kathy lives in Los Angeles, CA with her husband and two kids.