Katie Madonna Lee, born & raised in South Bend, Indiana, had the unusual childhood experience of growing up with two intense versions of Christianity, while by being raised by secular rock ‘n roll parents. She spent her in early years adoring aerobics, E.T. and Evangelical religion. And in the tradition of unsupervised children with scissors, she had the early accomplishment of cutting off her cousin’s earlobe. She grew up in a beauty salon that her Mother “Birdie” owned, and traveled with her Dad on road trips from Florida, to Texas. After attending the harsh public schools in South Bend, Indiana, Katie Madonna was accepted into Chicago Academy for the Arts as piano major and then graduated from The School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Even though she has an fun demeanor, her work addresses complex issues, mostly attempting to describe the rust belt city culture she grew up in. The gap rooted in economic status has shaped her perspective and made her committed to storytelling in an honest and raw form. Katie Madonna spent five years researching “Woman’s Prison”. Molding non-actors into actors, knowing the importance of casting those who had the real life experience and on-screen presence of the people she researched. At SVA, she won numerous awards including the Alumni Award, and is also the recipient of the New York Women in Film & Television award for her work on “Woman’s Prison.”