While studying theater studies at the Free University of Berlin and after graduating, Cathrin Ehrlich worked as an Assistant Director and Dramaturg at various theaters and on film productions. Her two daughters were born in 1990 and 1996. From 1991 to 2002, she served as Executive Director of the German Academy of Performing Arts. She then worked until 2014 at ZDF Theaterkanal, ZDF Kultur, and the cultural channel 3sat. From 1995 to 2015, she also organized the Baden-Baden Television Film Festival and served as its Director from 2015 to 2021. Since 2014, she has directed the German Television Crime Festival in Wiesbaden, and since 2022, she has also served as a Program Consultant and Host for the International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg. She also regularly serves as a Jury Member at various film festivals.