New York, NY. Dec 20, 2021 – The Catalyst Story Institute is excited to announce Nikki Coble as the new Director of the Catalyst Story Institute. In her newly expanded role, Coble will oversee the growth and execution of the Institute's year-round educational programming and creative community events.
“While the annual Catalyst Content Festival is our main public showcase event, the year-round Story Institute is the heart of our organization," says Philip Gilpin, Jr, CEO/Executive Director of Catalyst. "The institute provides content creators with a creative sanctuary and trusted career pathway to advance their knowledge base and make new professional connections. It has grown to include hundreds of content creators from around the world and now requires its own dedicated leader. Nikki comes from the creative side of the industry and has been a part of the Catalyst creative system, so her unique experience enables her to understand exactly what content creators need and what they go through when trying to bring an idea to fruition. We are thrilled to have her in this leadership role.”
“As a creator in 2019, I marveled at the superb quality and ingenuity of the festival content, as well as the vibrant, collaborative spirit of the Catalyst community," says Coble. "As the supervising producer of the festival event this year, I realized that's only where the magic starts! Recent developments like the local production incentives in Duluth, our mentorship program with NATAS, and the expansion of Catalyst Story Institute's programming have made this an extremely exciting time to support the momentum of indie TV and the network of artists and industry executives leading the way. I feel especially lucky and extraordinarily proud to connect with these outstanding creatives and the unique stories they have to tell.”
Coble was previously the Supervising Producer of the Catalyst Content Festival event in Duluth. She will report directly to CEO/Executive Director Philip Gilpin, Jr who will continue to oversee both the institute and the festival.
About Catalyst
Catalyst is a Duluth-based non-profit that discovers episodic storytelling artists, develops their creative skills, showcases their story ideas to the world, and advances their careers within the television industry. The institute’s year-round operations include seminars, workshops, networking events, and mentorship opportunities in partnership with organizations such as the National Academy of TV Arts & Sciences (aka, the Emmy Awards), the Korea Foundation, and UMD. While Catalyst maintains Duluth as its international hub, its other locations include Los Angeles, New York, and Savannah, GA, as well as an international presence in South Korea, Algeria, Nigeria, New Zealand, Brazil, Mexico and Europe. By attracting the TV & film industry to Duluth, Catalyst puts the Northland on the map as a destination for future productions that can grow the local economy.