Cattitude

Susan Michals has an extensive background in television (producer at E!), film (producer, This is Orson Welles, The Woman Who Created Hollywood, Cannes Film Festival 2015, 2016),and journalism (The Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair). After creating Cat Art Show LA in 2014 to critical and popular acclaim with famed artists including Shepard Fairey and Mark Ryden, Michals opted to expand beyond art and developed CatCon, a multi-platform convention that redefines what it means to be a cat person. CatCon became an instant hit with millennials at its debut 2015, attracting over 12,000, and is now the biggest experience in the world dedicated to cat and pop culture. The annual event attracts top talent from the worlds of felines, television, and film, such as Ian Somerhalder, Nala Cat, Lil BUB, Clea DuVall, Jerry Ferrara, Seth Green, Tess Holliday, Jessica Lowndes, Julie Newmar (“Batman’s Catwoman”), Simon Tofield (“Simon’s Cat” creator), and Kat Von D.  Year on year, brands join the event like NBCUniversal, Rachael Ray Nutrish, Zappos, Animal Planet, Kat Von D Beauty, and Petco. To date, 63,000 people have attended CatCon, 1.9B press impressions have been generated, 504 cats have been adopted, and $193,000 has been donated to animal charities. This month, Michals was named one of Pet Age Magazine’s 2019’s Women of Influence. Her first book, Walter Chandoha: Cats. debuts this summer from TASCHEN publishing, and the fifth annual CatCon takes place June 29th and 30th, at the Pasadena Convention Center, in Pasadena, CA.  CatCon and Cat Art Show are solely owned by Michals. She on the other hand, is solely owned by her cat, Miss Kitty Pretty Girl and her dog, Buddy.