Treehouse Staffs Up with Addition of Producer Kathy Whitbeck

Spring may be a few weeks away, but that hasn’t stopped Treehouse Edit from growing. The Dallas post production boutique has added depth, experience, loyal client contacts and a high degree of smarts with its most recent new talent signing: producer Kathy Whitbeck. Her hire was announced by Treehouse editor and partner Peter Tarter and executive producer Jeremy Besser.

Most recently executive producing for YesGo, a Dallas production company, Whitbeck comes to Treehouse with such companies as Rock Paper Scissors, Reel FX, Stardust Studios and Breed Music on her resume.

A Texas native, she launched her career with Beaucoup Chapeaux, the Dallas-based outsourced agency production service that provided producers to a number of agencies in the Southwest. For the next five years she produced broadcast spots for such agencies as Square One and others, working for brands like Miller Lite, The Travel Channel, Whataburger and more. 

After leaving Beaucoup Chapeaux she moved to Los Angeles and made the jump into post production, joining the staff of Rock Paper Scissors. From there she moved to the VFX studio Radium before returning to Dallas to join Reel FX. Whitbeck also spent a number of years on the music side of the business, first as EP of Listening Chair Music, then as senior producer at Breed Music, both in Dallas.

Whitbeck says she was drawn to Treehouse on the strength of the shop’s reputation and its work. “You look at their reel and you just go, ‘Wow'. It’s all great work for amazing clients,” she observes. “Who wouldn’t want to work for a company like this?”

Joining Treehouse will reunite her with the company’s senior Flame artist Bryan Bayley; the pair worked tougher together during her time at Reel FX. And back in her agency producing days, she worked with Besser when he was producing for local a live action company. 

In her new post she expects to draw from all the skill sets she’s mastered over the course of her career: “One consistent thread I’ve learned is the importance of communicating with a team and with clients, and managing their expectations,” Whitbeck says. “And what I love about working on the post production side is that it’s where the magic happens, and where the storytelling comes together. Now, at Treehouse, it feels like my career has come full circle, back to my time at RPS. I’m looking forward to contributing in whatever way I can.”

Tarter says Treehouse’s steady growth made Whitbeck’s hire a necessity. “We’ve really been leaning on our producer corps here, what with six editors on staff, two Flame artists, colour grading and audio,” he notes. “Jeremy and our producer, Kim Estrada, were carrying the weight, but we needed to bring on an additional person. Kathy has this calm air about her that’s a great fit for us.”

Tarter is also looking forward to tapping Whitbeck’s music chops in her new role as well. “We’re constantly sourcing music, so she's going to be a big help there, too,” he adds. “I’m ecstatic that she’s here. I can’t say it enough.”