CatVideoFest is an annual event that celebrates our cat companions. Each year a compilation reel of funny cat videos plays in select theaters in the USA and around the world. The event brings joy to cat fans and raises money to help support cats at local shelters. We interviewed Will Braden, creator and director of CatVideoFest to learn more about the event’s origins and how he got this purrfect gig.
Meet Will Braden (and his cat Nin)
Image supplied by Will Braden
I grew up in Seattle, and always had cats as pets. I loved cats, and I loved seeing cats in movies, TV shows, commercials, cartoons … everywhere! I studied writing in college, and then I went to film school, where I made my first short film about a cat. That led to dozens of cat short films, a cat book, and now the CatVideoFest! I’m lucky to be doing something I love. Some of it was serendipity, some of it was hard work, but in the end, my business cards say, “I watch cat videos.” I have the best job!
Mongabay Kids: For people who have not heard of CatVideoFest, can you tell us what it is and how you got involved?
Will: The idea started in 2012 at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. They decided to do a showing of cat videos outside and 11,000 people showed up! A video I made won the big prize there, and I just stayed involved from then on, eventually taking over in 2016. I choose all the videos each year and I’ve run the business since then.
I think there is something about cats that is endlessly fascinating and fun, and always will be. We love them, but we also think of them as being kind of aloof, so when we get to see them get up to silly antics, it’s all the more fun.
Mongabay Kids: How many cat videos do you watch in order to create the CatVideoFest reel each year? How do you find all of the videos?
Will: I watch between 10,000-12,000 cat videos every year, and I get it down to the best 200 or so clips for the reel. We get a lot of submissions, but I do have to search all over the internet to find diamonds in the rough. I even learned how to say “cat” in 40 languages so I can find cat videos from all over the world!
Cat stills from CatVideoFest 2024, courtesy of CatVideoFest.
Mongabay Kids: What advice do you have for a young filmmaker who wants to create a video festival for their favorite animal, for example Panda Video Fest, Butterfly Video Fest, or Giant Squid Video Fest? What steps did you take in putting together your first CatVideoFest?
Will: My best advice is to study first. I went to film school and my first successful short film was about a cat! That was how I got hooked and how everything came about. There is no substitute for just gathering up every bit of information you can on whatever you are passionate about. And this is a great time to do that because you have access to so much at your fingertips.
It is hard work to create something from scratch, but as long as you are doing something you love and worked to get better at it, you’ll find your way. I don’t know that there’s enough footage for a Giant Squid Video Fest, but I would sure watch one about pandas!
Mongabay Kids: In your experience, do cat videos help people appreciate cats more? Do you think fun video reels of other types of animals could help people appreciate those animals more?
Will: I think cats are their own category (haha) because unlike dogs, people don’t usually take their cats around with them in public. There aren’t many cat parks, there’s no “Take your Cat to Work Day.” So the internet became a virtual cat park for people to share videos and photos and funny stories of their cats.
CatVideoFest is just trying to take that experience offline but keep the magic of it. I hear often about people meeting at CatVideoFest shows and sharing photos with each other on their phones and whatnot. I think video festivals of other animals could work, but they would have to find their own unique way to harness people’s interest.
Mongabay Kids: Do you have a cat, and if so, does it like watching cat videos with you?
Will: I have one cat, her name is Nin. She has a big perch in my office at home and often relaxes and watches me work. She even appears over my shoulder in the background of zoom meetings and press interviews. I refer to her as my supurrvisor and say that she’s in charge of quality control. She likes any cat videos that don’t have kittens mewing in them. When she hears those, she looks around like she needs to help!