Conversations with Ashton Scott Morris

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashton Scott Morris.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m originally from Jackson, Tennessee, and a lot of my story starts with music & sports. I grew up as an athlete and musician, and that competitive background shaped the way I approach almost everything today. I eventually earned my degree in Political Science from New Mexico Higlands University and spent time working in politics, campaigns, community organizing, and advocacy, which gave me a firsthand look at how institutions, culture, and public policy affect people’s everyday lives.

At the same time, I always had a creative side. I moved more seriously into entertainment, working as a comedian, actor, writer, rapper, A&R, DJ and filmmaker. That eventually led me to start working on an MFA in Film, Television and New Media, where I was able to develop my voice as a writer and director. Since then, I’ve continued developing original films and television projects that often combine humor, culture, sports, politics, and the experiences of communities that I don’t always feel are represented with enough complexity on screen. I’ve also been a regular on Cocoa Butter that many people have seen me on that have gotten millions of viewers. I was a musician focusing on drums and clarinet in my youth. Then have recorded music & DJed under the Ash Motown moniker.

Sports has remained a major part of my life as well. I’ve coached young athletes and continued my education in Sport Management, where my graduate research has focused on Saudi Arabia’s growing investment in global sports and what that means for U.S. sport governance and the industry as a whole.

Today, I’m based in Los Angeles and working toward bringing all of those experiences together. My goal is to continue growing as a filmmaker while also building a career in sports leadership and management. On the surface, those may seem like two different paths, but to me they are connected by storytelling, leadership, culture, and understanding how organizations and people work. I’ve also been a medalist in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu where I’ve traveled to compete against people across the nation and also have trained regularly with several professional mixed martial artists in regional and major leagues such as UFC, PFL, and ONE.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. A lot of my journey has involved learning how to keep moving even when things did not happen on the timeline I expected. I thought like many people I would be a well accomplished person by then

One of the biggest challenges has been navigating multiple industries that are all difficult to break into. Politics, sports, and entertainment can all be very relationship-driven, and sometimes talent or hard work alone is not enough to get an opportunity. There have been jobs I thought would lead somewhere that didn’t, creative projects that took longer to develop than I expected, and plenty of moments where I had to figure out my next move while still paying bills and handling real-life responsibilities.

Moving to Los Angeles also taught me a lot about patience. There is a big difference between having ambition and actually building a sustainable career. I’ve worked jobs outside of my long-term goals while continuing to write, perform, coach, go to school, and develop professionally. At times, it can feel like you are doing a lot of work without immediately seeing the reward. I’ve also dealt with the situations many people in Los Angeles have dealt with struggling with next meal or being unemployed for long periods of times not knowing if you can pay for rent or fill up the tank for any interview

I have also had to become comfortable with starting over. Going back to graduate school, developing myself as a filmmaker, and pursuing leadership opportunities in sports have all required me to be a student again and accept that I still have things to learn.

Probably the biggest lesson has been not allowing rejection or a difficult season to define the entire journey. I’ve auditioned for many roles I felt I was suited for but didn’t get an opportunity to showcase myself. I’m still growing , and I think some of the struggles have actually helped me develop a stronger point of view, more discipline, and a much clearer understanding of what I want my work and career to represent.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My work really lives at the intersection of storytelling, culture, sports, politics, and community. I’m a writer, filmmaker, comedian, and creative, but I also have a background in political organizing, coaching, and sport management. I think all of those experiences influence the way I see people and the kinds of stories I want to tell.

As a writer and filmmaker, I’m especially interested in character-driven stories about Black life, relationships, ambition, masculinity, class, politics, sports, and the complicated ways people navigate institutions. I like stories that can be funny, uncomfortable, emotional, and socially aware without feeling like a lecture. Even when I’m dealing with serious subjects, humor is usually somewhere in the DNA of the work.

I’m probably most proud of developing my own voice. I’ve written across different genres, from romantic dramas and dark comedies to crime stories, sports films, and historically based projects. I don’t want every project I create to feel like the same movie with different characters. What connects them is usually the perspective: people who are complicated, culturally specific, and rarely as simple as the stereotypes placed on them.

Outside of filmmaking, sports has remained a major part of my work. I’ve coached athletes and pursued graduate work in sport management, including research into international sports investment and governance. Politics and community organizing have also given me experience working directly with people, institutions, and issues that affect everyday communities. Those experiences give me material and perspective that I probably would not have developed by only working inside entertainment.

What sets me apart is that I’ve lived in several different worlds. I can understand the locker room, the campaign office, the comedy club, the classroom, and the film set. I bring all of that into my storytelling. I’m not necessarily interested in being easily categorized. I’m interested in building a body of work that feels distinctive, culturally honest, entertaining, and unmistakably mine.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Just keep the faith and keep going. Don’t really let anybody tell you that you can’t do it unless you under 6’5 the NBA might now give you an opportunity but you can still hoop somewhere. It might be in New Zealand but keep going

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @ashtonmorris1
• Facebook: @ashtonscottmo