Katja Blichfeld (born 1979) is an American writer, director, producer and casting director. She is known for co-creating and directing High Maintenance, a Vimeo web series and HBO television series. She won a Primetime Emmy award for Outstanding Casting on a Comedy Series for her work on 30 Rock.^[1]

Early life and education

Blichfeld was born in Long Beach, California in 1979. She was raised as an evangelical Christian and attended Christian schools until graduating.^[1] Her parents are first-generation immigrants from Denmark, who moved to the United States in 1970.^[2]

Blichfeld was briefly enrolled in Long Beach City College before dropping out and moving to Chicago.^[1] In 2004, she moved to New York to pursue a career in casting.^[3]  

Career

When Blichfeld was nine years old she wrote, filmed, and starred in a short film about the dangers of marijuana.^[4]

In 2005, Blichfield began her casting career on Comedy Central's Roast of Jeff Foxworthy as an assistant. The next year, she worked as a casting associate on the mystery-thriller Freedomland.^[5] In 2010, she transitioned from film to TV by joining Jennifer McNamara as a casting director for NBC’s 30 Rock.^[1] She won an Emmy in 2013 and was nominated for two more in 2010 and 2011 for her work on 30 Rock.^[6]

Blichfeld is the co-creator and director of the Vimeo and HBO television series High Maintenance. Blichfeld and her co-creator, Ben Sinclair, initially started the show as a passion project.^[7] The pair were the sole writers for 18 of the 19 webisodes, which they produced for less than $1,000 apiece before it was picked up by HBO.^[4] Prior to meeting Sinclair, Blichfeld had never professionally written or directed.^[3]

She is currently co-writing a screenplay with her girlfriend, Adele.^[3]

Personal life

In 2009, Blichfeld met aspiring actor Ben Sinclair at a barbecue in Los Angeles.^[8] They began writing together only days after becoming a couple and moved in together in the span of months.^[2] In 2010, the pair married.^[4] While on a bike ride across the Williamsburg Bridge in New York City, the couple devised the idea for High Maintenance.^[2] They launched the show together in 2012.

The couple separated in 2016 following Blichfeld's admission of infidelity with a woman.^[2] Their divorce was finalised prior to the commencement of season two of High Maintenance.^[4] The pair continued to collaborate on three more seasons of High Maintenance, until the 2021 announcement of the show's indefinite hiatus.^[9]

At 37, Blichfeld came out as a lesbian and began to openly date women. She met her current partner, Adele, while on a date with another woman in 2017.^[1] They now live together.^[3]

Blichfeld has been open about her struggles with anxiety and depression. A few years into High Maintenance's production, Blichfeld sought therapy and began taking antidepressants.^[2] Following her coming out, Blichfeld’s struggles with anxiety began to subside. She no longer takes antidepressants, but still regularly goes to therapy.^[2]

Filmography

Awards and nominations

At the 2010 Primetime Emmy Awards, Blichfeld was nominated alongside Jennifer McNamara for Outstanding Casting For A Comedy Series for their work on 30 Rock. They were nominated for the same award in 2011 before finally winning in the same category in 2013.^[6]

Blichfeld was awarded Stareable Fest's inaugural Creator Achievement Award in 2020 for creating High Maintenance.^[10]