Everyone, it’s Cate Ness, our Laner of the Week! She hails from the Lehigh Valley, PA! She’s worked in hospitality, culinary arts, and performed as an actor for [plausible deniability] years. An avid animal lover and advocate, Cate volunteers with different organizations and community groups. “Dogs are simply the best and make life grand, I’m completely smitten!” You can catch her spoiling her dog, doing trapeze yoga, swimming, hiking, traveling the globe, and cooking. She’s also been working on transforming her space into a pollinator friendly garden – with herbs and flowers to enjoy! But this is just the tip of the Cate Ness iceberg…we’ve got more to learn below!
What do you like about Mustard Lane or just working events in general?
I adore working events, and I love working a crowd! M/L has been a pro team to work with and I so appreciate their professionalism, friendliness, support for the creative community, and interest in their people. We are nowhere without our people and community.
When you’re not on the Lane…what are you doing?!
Watching football matches (soccer)! I also volunteer on half a dozen committees with SAG-AFTRA and enjoy working as a film actor. I also recently joined the teams at Botld and Bello Vino as a sales specialist, bringing my passion for great spirits to the Lehigh Valley and surrounding area.
Favorite restaurant or food?
Cheese is life.
What is one of your goals for 2025?
To stay moving!
Fave place to travel to…Go! Any fun stories here?
Scotland. I’ve visited the countries my family moved from, but felt most at home in Scotland. The people are so kind, trusting, welcoming, and FUNNY. True story: went to Scotland, rescued a cat…I was hard pressed to find a distillery in the highlands actually open on a Sunday. I climbed the steps to see if the doors to Clynelish were open and atop I found this friendly little kitty. Someone stepped out of the doors and asked, “Is that your cat?” We brought her inside, tracked down her owner’s at a distance away, and she immediately started ruling the office. I kept in touch after my trip, she is more a happy mascot in her distillery home as she decided to keep returning there. The mascot is the Scottish Tiger (that is a real thing) and the nearby Aigus Field Center is actively working to conserve that native wildcat so it was extra special to find such a perfect creature make her home there. Shout out to Opal (our kitty queen), Hazel, and Alfie for being absolute darlings. And great whiskey!
What’s your favorite way to spend a day off from the Lane?
Coffee, indulgent meal, a long walk with my dog, something bubbly, book, and a hot bath.
Summer is here! Any plans?!
Grow things.
Pool or Beach?
Pool! Less sun, no sand, clear water.
Any good media consumed recently?
Weezer is just a flat out good time.
What’s your hidden talent?!
Knowing exactly how to start a conversation with any person.
Now that you’re Laner of the Week…if you could have your dream job tomorrow, what would it be?
Mermaid for hire.
What’s an essential part of your daily routine?
Trying to catch every sunset (and sunset kissies with my dog)
What life lesson did you learn the hard way?
Control what you can and let the rest play out as it will.
What’s a brand or event that you would love to represent or work for on the Lane, should the chance ever arise?
I’d actually love working with talent at comicons. I’m a huge nerd…love getting to spend a day with a new person, and love working a crowd. It’s a great experience learning how much people’s creative work has impacted so many people and what it means to them.
What inspires you most?
There’s a whole world out there. I aim to see as much of it as I can and enjoy interacting with as many people as I can. There’s so much to learn, see, do, and we’re all on the rock together so we can all find ways to help one another.
Any Laner advice for someone looking to get into freelance gig work?
Be accountable. Don’t just say yes, you must be able to meet expectations and responsibilities with wiggle room for problems. Read your details, make sure you’re OK with doing the job, and show up to make the most of your job and complete all you are asked to do. Make it fun!
To learn more about Cate, check out her instagram @thecateness.
Want to learn a little more about how to work with us? Read our latest blog post!