WM: Hi Cathy, thanks for making the time today. Let’s start with the basics: name, place of birth, nationality.

CK: I am Catherine Kyritsis, born in Pretoria, South Africa and I am Greek/ South African.

WM:Tell us about your rst day at AISB. What year was it? What was it like?

CK: Wow. Okay haha it seems forever ago. First day, we moved midyear from Bangkok, Thailand in 2003 half way through 9th grade. I remember showing up at school, it was FREEZING compared to Bangkok. Obviously. I remember I showed up in baggy pants, skater shoes and heavy eye liner, thinking I would t in RIGHT away.

I was wrong. It was a completely di erent environment than my last school. Every class was much smaller, the kids were louder and my style was extremely tom boyish compared to how the other kids dressed. I stuck out like a sore thumb but I loved it. I love change. I knew I had a challenge because it was such a small school and everyone was so tight knit.

WM: What year did you graduate from AISB? How did that feel?

CK: I graduated in 2006. Man, it feels so weird to talk about it now. I remember it felt amazing and we felt so grown up. Like this was it. We knew everything we needed to learn and now we could venture out into the world and take it over...

Thinking back now, I was still a kid and had SO MUCH to learn. The one thing I have always kept to this day, is ghting for my dreams. To this day no matter what anyone says to me or whatever happens, I ght for my dreams and that’s how I got this far.

WM: What degree did you pursue for you higher education? And where?

CK: I went to the University of Kent in England and got a Bachelors in Film Studies. Following that, I studied in New York and Los Angeles and received my Masters of the Fine Arts.

WM: What part of the world are you living in today?

CK: Today I live in the amazing Los Angeles, California.

WM: How do you like LA?

CK: I love it with all my heart. That little 5-year-old girl that used to sit and dream of being in Hollywood, actually did it. It really feels like my home, it’s a part of me and I would not want to be anywhere else. I’ve been here almost 8 years now and it feels like I’ve been here forever. 
 

WM: What are you doing in LA professionally at the moment?

CK: Currently I am an executive assistant and producer for Jeannie Mai. She is a talk show host for a daytime talk show for The Real.

WM: Tell us a little bit more about what a "day in the life" looks like for you at Warner Brothers.

CK: Man that’s tough. With Jeannie, every day is di erent. Right now, we are lming The Real, so Mon-Wed 5am-2pm our home is Warner Brothers. We come to set, Jeannie gets her hair and makeup done, while I throw out emails, texts, appointments and answers I need for the week. It’s an extremely FAST paced job. You have to always be on your toes and she is constantly throwing things at me. The amazing part is, it’s never boring and I am learning so much.

Outside of The Real, she is a co-host on a new game show called Snoop Dogg’s Joker’s Wild and we are currently producing an untitled reality show. I am so lucky because I get to see how a Boss Lady works and how she manages her business. Jeannie is a hardworking hustler and she has taken me under her wing to train me as her right-hand woman and business partner. Of course, it’s a 24/7 job but it has so many perks on top of the hands-on training. Sometimes, we will be on set all day and then we have to dash to a premiere, or party for her celebrity friends. It’s a non- stop amazing life and I wouldn’t have asked for anything else. I am so lucky I have a family that supported my dream for so long... it must not have been easy.

WM: Do you have any hobbies, sports, or other cool interests outside of work?

CK: I am part of a weekly writers group. We write TV shows, movies and shorts. I am currently producing a TV show with a writer. I don’t have much time but whenever I do, I write or study Film and TV. What can I say, I am addicted. I also just started a hip hop class with Jeannie. It’s amazing and I am not coordinated (haha) but I sweat my butt o and for an hour I don’t think about anything else. It’s a GREAT stress reliever.

WM: Do you have any plans to visit AISB/Bucharest/Romania anytime soon?

CK: I visit Greece every summer, so I hope to make it down in 2018. It’s been way too long!

WM: How did an international education help you in reaching the point you are at?

CK: I would say it made me extremely adaptable to change and open to new cultures. It trained me to walk into a room and make friends with everyone. I mean I literally could talk to a wall (I talk a lot, past teachers can agree with that, hi Mr.Nic! Haha) The education was the best part. Not many people are given the education we had. We were very lucky and it prepared us for the real world and college.

WM: What are your favorite AISB memories?

CK: Wow... so many... I would say all the beginning of the year trips. They were great for all the new students too because everyone got to know each other really fast. All the school plays, man those were long hours but so much fun. I will never forget those, Mr. J.

Actually, I don’t know if this is a favorite memory because someone got hurt. But in 10th grade, my crazy brother Jonathan and I were in a play. Jonathan, so dedicated to his role, had to throw himself onto the stage during a scene. One day, during rehearsal he threw himself so hard he broke a couple of ribs!

That’s how dedicated we all were to the craft! Some more than others haha. I just have so many amazing memories, it’s hard to pick just one. I mean most of them are of me getting in trouble for talking too much... or arguing too much haha. I have so many memories with life time friends who I am still in touch with: Anca, Ana, Andrea, George, Justin to name a few, so I feel lucky forever that the school gave me them.

WM: Are there any teachers you're still in touch with?

CK: I am so sad, Mr. J was here for a couple of days but our schedules just didn’t align. I got called into work last minute and couldn’t make it. A small memory I have of a teacher is with Mr. Nic. In biology, Mr. Nic used to race across the oor on his rolling chair. Oh that, and Mr. Nic kicking Tudor out of class hahaha.

WM: What was the best thing about growing up outside your home cultures? What was the most challenging?

CK: As I mentioned above, the best thing is learning to be adaptable to change. Being basically thrown into a culture and learning about it. The most challenging is trying to t in to a new culture and country when you are already an awkward teenager. I am so thankful and grateful for it all and I hope that someday my kids will have the same experience. 


Read the entire WORLD Magazine Winter 2017 edition here.