By Lindsay Peyton

Kate Becker has a vision. She wants Seattle to take a starring role in the film industry and move into center stage as a music city.

And Becker is in just the right spot to move the agenda forward. As director of the city’s Film + Music Office, she is poised to help filmmakers and musicians produce their dream projects.

It’s been an ideal job for the culture maven.

“I’ve been a music lover as long as I was alive, and, from a young age, I was interested in photography and film,” she said. “That passion has continued up to this minute. I love going to shows, love listening to music. I love film and the stories that are told in film.”

She is also a major fan of the city – and is proud to shine a spotlight on local culture.

Becker first came to town in 1991 while on a road trip from her New England home. She set out for adventure after receiving her bachelor’s degree in filmmaking from Hampshire College and landed in Seattle at a pivotal moment.

“It was September, and Nirvana had just released ‘Nevermind,’ the Stranger went into production, and ‘the End’ went on the air,” Becker said. “I thought, ‘Seattle’s got it going on. I like this city. Seattle was the place for me.”

She decided to stay – and while establishing her home in a place where she did not know a single soul, she connected with the mayor of Redmond, Rosemarie Ives.

Becker had a background in working with teenagers in the arts, even when she was only a teen herself – and Mayor Ives was looking for someone to engage non-traditional youth.

The mayor recruited Becker to brainstorm ideas.

Becker went around town, talking to as many teens as she could. They all said the same thing – they wanted to see live music.

“There were all these bands emerging with nowhere to perform,” Becker said. “I feel like I was at the right place at the right time – and I moved forward in that time.”

She founded the Old Fire House, an all ages venue. The first show was held in September 1992, and 324 eager teens attended.

“The kids never stopped coming,” Becker said. “It was great.”

She also became a force in fighting the city’s Teen Dance Ordinance, which made it illegal for teenagers to be in the same clubs as adults older than 21 and restricted all-age music venues.

“We were internationally famous as a mecca for music, but young people could not gather for the purpose of listening to music,” Becker said. “It took a long time to get that law repealed.”

Finally, in 2002, the All Ages Dance Ordinance was established, eliminating the old law from the books.

Becker went on to co-found the all-ages music and arts venue, the Vera Project with James Keblas and Shannon Stewart, which just celebrated its 15-year anniversary.

Becker also worked with the Seattle Theatre Group and served as a strategic advisor and code compliance team facilitator in the city’s Department of Finance and Administration, working on nightlife and marijuana policy.

Becker was appointed to her current position by Mayor Ed Murray in February 2014.

“My job now is to elevate and grow the music and film industries here,” she said. “It’s an honor to be in this position – and it’s never dull for a second.”

Becker believes her role is to make Seattle a friendly city for creative professionals to call home and a place to produce top-notch work.

“I would love Seattle to be a center for the creative economy – with lots of opportunities for the creative sector to live well,” she said.

Her long-time friend and former co-worker Shannon Roach Halberstadt, executive director of Artist Trust, said Becker is the perfect person to boost local musicians and filmmakers.

“Kate has a couple of distinct superpowers,” Halberstadt said. “First is that she’s a rare visionary, and second is that she’s a connector. She’s very adept at networking and bringing people together who need to work together.”

Halberstadt worked alongside Becker at the Old Firehouse and the Vera Project. She said Becker is a role model for many.

“She has helped create pathways for people to be successful,” Halberstadt said. “For young women, it can be inspiring to see a woman in a position of power – especially in an industry where women are traditionally underrepresented.”

Halberstadt said Becker is not the type to let anything stand in the way. “She always asks, ‘How can we make it happen?’” Halberstadt said. “If she believes in something, if she thinks something will benefit the community, she removes all barriers.”

And for those who want to follow in her trail-blazing footprints, Becker has the following advice: “It’s all about having fortitude and not giving up.”