Kate Mclean is a filmmaker and producer living in San Francisco. She has co-directed a number of short documentaries including The Caretaker (Cannes Film Festival, New York Times OpDoc, POV Broadcast), Marathon (New York Times OpDoc, POV Broadcast), and Gut Hack (SWSW, New York Times OpDoc). Kate is producing Jamie Meltzer’s documentary TRUE CONVICTION which was supported by Sundance, Tribeca and the MacArthur Foundation, and tells the story of a group of exonerated men who form their own detective agency. The film premiered this year at the Tribeca Film Festival, where it won a special jury prize. It will air on the PBS series Independent Lens next year. She is also the producer of Jason Sussberg and David Alvarado's film BILL NYE: SCIENCE GUY, which premiered this year at SXSW. She produced their previous film THE IMMORTALISTS which screened in competition at SXSW, BFI, and CPH: DOX in 2014. Kate is a 2015 Sundance Creative Producing Summit Fellow, a San Francisco Film Society KRF Grant winner and an SFFS Film House Resident. She has a master’s degree from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.
Read moreShow less
Biography from TMDB.
- Director, producer and writer
- 6 on Motif · 11 credits in all
What are Kate McLean's films like?
Across their 6 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Ideas and Society.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 6
Light 2 · Serious 3 · Dark 1
Grounded 5 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0
Gentle 2 · Charged 4 · Intense 0
Steady 6 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0
Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 0 · Relentless 0
Casual 2 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 2 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 1
Resolved 2 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Bittersweet4
- Ambiguous2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Kate McLean's films?
As of October 24, 2026, all 6 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).
Subscription and free streaming for Kate McLean's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
11 credits, 6 with a Motif page.
Any Problem is No Problem (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2025)
We Are As Gods(2021)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Freeland(2020)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Simple as Water(2021)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
Marty (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2018)
Bill Nye: Science Guy(2017)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
Gut Hack (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2017)
Marathon (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2015)
The Immortalists(2014)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all filmsThe Caretaker (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2012)
The Botany of Desire(2009)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 9 titles from 2012 to 2025.
How do Kate McLean's films land?
Their typical Motif film has a Midcredits score in the 70th percentile, the median of all 6; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 72nd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up1
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th1
Shape of the crowd
2 of their 6 titles are Cult Classics.
- Universally Loved1
- Cult Classic2
- Crowd Pleaser1
- Mixed2
Reviewers score the atmosphere 79/100 and the pacing 56/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Kate McLean work with?
People who share at least 2 of Kate McLean's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Jason Sussberg shares the most, 4.
Directors
- Jason SussbergShared titles: We Are As Gods (2021), Freeland (2020), Bill Nye: Science Guy (2017), The Immortalists (2014)See all 4 shared titles with Jason Sussberg
- David AlvaradoShared titles: We Are As Gods (2021), Bill Nye: Science Guy (2017), The Immortalists (2014)See all 3 shared titles with David Alvarado
Composers and editors
- Annukka LiljaShared titles: We Are As Gods (2021), Bill Nye: Science Guy (2017), The Immortalists (2014)See all 3 shared titles with Annukka Lilja
- William Ryan FritchShared titles: Freeland (2020), Bill Nye: Science Guy (2017)See all 2 shared titles with William Ryan Fritch
Producers
- Jamie MeltzerShared titles: We Are As Gods (2021), Bill Nye: Science Guy (2017), The Immortalists (2014)See all 3 shared titles with Jamie Meltzer
- Henry S. RosenthalShared titles: We Are As Gods (2021), Bill Nye: Science Guy (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Henry S. Rosenthal
- Laura HebertonShared titles: Freeland (2020), Bill Nye: Science Guy (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Laura Heberton
Mixed roles
- Christopher DonlonShared titles: Freeland (2020), The Immortalists (2014)See all 2 shared titles with Christopher Donlon