It\u2019s always intriguing to learn about the diverse interests HARMAN employees cultivate outside of work. As a photographer, makeup artist, genealogy buff, dog rescuer and costume collector, Executive Assistant Erika Killen leads an exceptionally vibrant personal life while supporting the work of Senior Vice President and GM of HARMAN Professional Solutions\u2019 Entertainment business unit Bryan Bradley and several other executives.<\/p>\n
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Before joining HARMAN 11 years ago, Erika worked in the hockey industry, assisting CAA power agent Pat Brisson and former L.A. Kings star Luc Robitaille. \u201cThere have been lots of\u00a0\u00a0changes at HARMAN since I came here, but working with Bryan Bradley and the team is really fun and exciting; it\u2019s a great group,\u201d said Erika.<\/p>\n
Although she commuted to the Westside for many years, Erika grew up just a few blocks from HARMAN\u2019s Northridge campus. While the rest of her family is musically inclined, Erika\u2019s creative instincts led in a different direction. \u201cI was a ballet dancer and involved with the theatrical world,\u201d she said. \u201cBut, when I was 29 years old, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and stopped dancing. Live theater was my absolute passion, though, and for a while, I tried producing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSince then, I\u2019ve collected costumes and vintage gowns,\u201d said Erika. \u201cI love 18th<\/sup> century, \u201820s, When Erika was a young, girl her mother gave her a Kodak Brownie camera that became a prized possession, igniting a lifelong hobby and, for the last several years, side business. \u201cI do a\u00a0lot of weddings and portraits on weekends,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s my creative outlet, and I especially love shooting portraits.\u201d<\/p>\n Erika\u2019s portrait photography has grown to include both two-legged and four-legged models. As a devoted animal lover with three rescue dogs, she often\u00a0volunteers at a local rescue, photographing dogs that are available for adoption. \u201cHaving good online photos makes a huge difference in finding homes for pets,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Perhaps the most timeless and overarching of Erika\u2019s interests is her fascination with genealogy research, which she has pursued for 20 years. \u201cI remember being a little girl and asking my\u00a0mother about some old pictures in our house. She told me the stories she knew about our ancestors. The most fascinating\u00a0was about my second great-grandmother, who was 13 years old just before the Civil War started,\u201d said Erika. \u201cHer father was thrown into the river and drowned while helping escaped slaves cross the Ohio River. I was captivated by the thought of this young woman, the ![\"12074527_10153027297796338_4999666757303365849_n\"](\"http:\/\/pro.harman.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/12074527_10153027297796338_4999666757303365849_n.jpg\")
Edwardian and Victorian-era costumes, so I have little bits from all those periods.\u201d Although she rarely has an opportunity to wear the outfits, Erika donned an 18th<\/sup> century Marie Antoinette gown for HARMAN\u2019s 2015 Halloween costume party and proudly won first prize.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/pro.harman.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/12115629_10153067283146338_8951853823818240525_n-e1471993604206.jpg\")
Erika is also a professional makeup artist and, after studying special effects and beauty makeup at Makeup Designory (MUD) in Burbank, worked on film sets. \u201cI loved creating characters, but film work is an 18 hour a day job and not at all glamorous. Your whole life becomes working on the film; it\u2019s like going underwater for 30 days at a time. It wasn\u2019t for me,\u201d said Erika. \u201cOccasionally, I still do makeup for portraits, but stopped doing it for weddings, because it\u2019s too hard to shoot the bride and do her makeup at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"10968396_10152545791801338_2470645964309037755_n\"](\"http:\/\/pro.harman.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/10968396_10152545791801338_2470645964309037755_n.jpg\")
oldest of nine siblings, going through war fatherless, helping to raise the other children. That\u2019s what sparked it for me. I wanted to know more.\u201d<\/p>\n