Kate McMahon
Kate McMahon believes truth is how we see the facts and context is how we see the truth. Her documentaries, podcasts, social media and writing reflect this core value.
Based in Portland, Oregon, Kate McMahon is an Emmy award-winning producer, director, writer and journalist of news, documentaries, podcasts and digital content. Kate’s work includes programs for FRONTLINE; The PBS NewsHour, NOW With Bill Moyers, national PBS and OPB. Kate’s most recent documentary series for OPB, Class of 2025, follows a group of Oregon students on their journey through school. In 2022, Kate joined Oregon Art Beat to produce short-form documentaries about artists in Oregon.
Latest Stories
“Liberace & Liza: Holiday at the Mansion (A Tribute)” at Portland Center Stage
OPB goes behind the scenes at “Liberace & Liza: Holiday at the Mansion (A Tribute)” Portland actors David Saffert and Jillian Snow invite OPB Art Beat producer Kate McMahon backstage to see how they become Liberace and Liza Minnelli in the Portland Center Stage musical, “Liberace & Liza: Holiday at the Mansion (A Tribute).” Created by and starring Saffert and Snow, the story is about an imaginary friendship between two Hollywood icons, Liberace and Liza Minnelli, who engage the audience in an over-the-top holiday party full of comedy, music and heart — set in Liberace’s Las Vegas mansion. The show runs daily through Dec. 22 (except Thanksgiving). Produced by Kate McMahon
‘The Evergreen’: OK Theatre celebrates music in rural Oregon
Ten years ago, Darrell and Christi Brann bought the 100-year-old OK Theatre in Enterprise, Oregon and began reimagining it as a live music venue. Now, they’re able to attract world-class talent to their rural community.
Finding hygge in Hood River with artist Nancy Houfek Brown
Hygge, a Danish concept that captures warmth and coziness, reflects the natural beauty of seasonal change in Hood River. During this holiday season, a monthlong series of art showings are being offered in Hood River, serving up hygge atmospheres.
The future looks A-OK for the Old OK, a century-old theater in Enterprise, Oregon
If Darrell and Christi Brann’s dreams come true, Enterprise, Oregon, could be the coolest live music venue and recording destination west of the Colorado Rockies. The couple has been busy restoring the town's century-old gem, the old OK Theatre, bringing music to, as Darrell Brann says, "this beautiful place in the middle of nowhere."
Native American arts center in Eastern Oregon welcomes new leader
The Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts, a studio on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, is focused on contemporary printmaking, professional artist residencies and Indigenous arts workshops.