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Kate Robertson Pryor, a SAG-AFTRA eligible actor, writer, producer, shows herself off in shimming silver cowboy boots and hot pink attire. Her company, Heartland Hunny Productions, is located in Omaha. Originally from Tennessee, she and her husband moved to Bellevue when he was stationed at Offutt Air Force Base in 2018.
“Nebraska is the best decision I never made,” she said gleefully. “I’ve been a performer since I was 3 years old. I was a dancer, I was in a traveling competitive show choir, we were ‘Glee’ before ‘Glee.’ Entertainment has always been who I am.”
She initially became a producer out of necessity to get her acting work seen. Producing was always part of the plan for her and acting was the catalyst.
“My business background has definitely given me an edge in both the business of being on and behind the camera. I can see why the road to getting here and working in this industry full time was so long,” she said. “God knew I would need all of my former experiences to help set me up for my successes in the film industry. I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be, and I could not be more thankful. It’s most fulfilling to me when I get to do both, produce and act, on a project.”
Pryor’s faith, family, and friends are her greatest supporters and inspiration.
“I love Jesus. The Lord told me, ‘Kate, this is your time. I’m about to open doors for you, get ready to run through them.’ Around the same time I moved here my acting coach, Nicole Callahan, had also moved here. We hit the ground running. I was training 30 hours a week and found coaches out of Los Angeles and Atlanta. I’ll never forget my first lesson with Nicole, I was really bad at acting,” she laughed. “All the time, energy, everything I’ve sacrificed is paying off. I’ve just completed my 14th film as a producer and my 65th project as an actor including commercial work.”
Callahan, a SAG-AFTRA actress and resident TV/film instructor at The 402 Acting Academy, said, “While it’s not a question that Kate is talented, talent doesn’t always translate to success in show business. One of the biggest challenges any actor faces is how to get noticed. When she was first auditioning early on, she faced a lot of rejection, but rather than get frustrated and give up, or get resentful, she got creative and looked for other ways in. She used her background in business, as well as her actor training, to make connections with those who could help her tell meaningful stories, and bonus, she could act in those projects. She wasn’t going to wait for someone to tell her ‘yes,’ she made it happen for herself.”
Pryor’s most recent project is Paramount’s 2024 release of Snack Shack, a movie produced by T Street and MRC.
“What a wonderful experience it was for me to be cast as ‘Sherry,’ ‘Moose’s’ (Gabriel LaBelle) mom, and work with some of my favorite named actors such as Nick Robinson, David Costabile, Gillian Vigman, and Conor Sherry,” Pryor said. “I’m forever grateful to Writer/Director Adam Rehmeier and the entire team for the opportunities this film brought so many of us here in Nebraska.”
Pryor has no qualms about giving flowers and accolades to the artists she’s journeyed with throughout her career. She speaks of a divine peace in this work and how she couldn’t plan to meet the people she has, such as Christine Burright, a screenplay writer and filmmaker, and Marc Longbrake, founder and executive director of the Omaha Film Festival. “Without the Omaha Film Festival and the 48 hour film festival, a lot of Nebraska films would have never screened. It’s one of my favorite organizations. I’m extremely grateful to them,” Pryor said.
“I think Kate is doing exactly what she should be doing for herself right now,” Callahan said. “Her season in life is well suited for the grind. While it makes it hard for us to plan a coffee date, I think those of us that know her well and support her endeavors understand that you have to make hay when the sun shines. I hope she continues to hustle as long as she has the endurance for it and recognizes when her body and soul need respite.”
According to Pryor, “Genuine curiosity in people is how you truly network. Some people go into networking thinking, ‘I need something from you.’ Find people you can support and champion and in turn they’ll do the same. What you give is what you get. There’s not enough hot pink and kindness in the world.”
This article originally appeared in the March/April 2025 issue of Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
