Meet Kacie Luaders | Founding Producer, Could Be Pretty Cool

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kacie Luaders and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kacie, how do you think about risk?
Risk-taking has been absolutely fundamental to my career trajectory. I’d say I’ve built my entire professional life around calculated leaps of faith. The biggest risk I took was launching Could Be Pretty Cool in 2020, right in the middle of a global pandemic when the creative industries were completely shutting down. Starting a freelance podcast production company when live events were canceled and budgets were slashed seemed almost reckless, but I saw it as an opportunity to pivot into a medium that was actually thriving during lockdown.

I think about risk as having two components: the potential for failure and the potential for growth. I’m not a reckless risk-taker though, I do my homework. Before starting my company, I’d already been building skills in sound design and audio production for years. I had the MFA, the technical background, and I’d been watching the podcast industry explode. So while it looked risky from the outside, I felt like I was betting on my own expertise and market trends I could see coming.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Could Be Pretty Cool started in May 2020 when the pandemic shut down live theater. I pivoted my sound design skills into podcast production, and it’s grown beyond what I imagined. I’m most excited about projects that combine great storytelling with cultural preservation and social impact. The biggest challenge was building credibility while working remotely in a relationship-driven industry. I overcame this by consistently delivering exceptional work and treating every project as a partnership.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend was visiting Atlanta for a week, I’d want to show them the creative energy that makes this city so special to me.We’d definitely hit Joystick Gamebar for great cocktails and vintage arcade games. For food, Buena Vida Tapas is perfect for long conversations over small plates, and Poor Calvin’s has that cozy neighborhood vibe.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have to start with the Spotify Sound Up Podcasting accelerator. Being a top 10 finalist in 2019 showed me that starting a business in this industry was actually possible. Before that, podcasting felt like this mysterious world I couldn’t access.

The Atlanta arts and tech communities have been incredible pillars of support throughout this journey. I’ve found mentors and collaborators who understood both the creative and business sides of what I was building.

But honestly, none of this would be possible without my family. When I decided to start my own company in the middle of a pandemic, they didn’t question my sanity, they asked how they could help. That unconditional support gave me the security to take the creative and professional risks that I needed to.

Website: https://couldbeprettycool.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/couldbeprettycool/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/could-be-pretty-cool/

Other: https://substack.com/@couldbeprettycool