Ashley J. Long shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Ashley J., thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
Make some coffee and then my morning round of creature work. I keep a variety of exotic pets, some very micro in scale, so even when I’m not overseeing a show for work I have many little communities to manage. In no particular order that entails: the morning affection rituals for each of four rescue cats, letting our outdoor desert tortoise out of his house to roam the yard, turn on eight sets of tank lights to wake everyone up, mist three of those, and then on to food prep. Poison dart frogs and micro geckos get cultured fruit flies, dwarf seahorses get freshly hatched brine shrimp. I have a number of dart frog tadpoles in little cups that each require their own cleaning and feeding check ins. Right now I’m also participating in a conservation related project, helping raise larval hermit crabs. I’m partnered with a group of expert keepers, through the Hermit House organization, who are trying to establish a reliable captive bred hermit crab network. The end goal of this is preventing hermit crabs from being stolen from the wild for the pet trade. So little is known about this process and we’re all pioneering it together and recording our findings. The process is all about building a successful system, which is the core of my career as well. The care is very fastidious and makes good use of the attention to detail I bring to my art and animation jobs, combined with lab work and animal care that has always fascinated me. If I’m lucky, I remember I made that cup of coffee before it gets cold!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’ve been working in the animation industry for twenty years and began my journey as a Supervising Director in 2017. Optimizing both workflow and working conditions for artists has been central to my approach on every project. I believe it’s possible to meet deadlines and exceed expectations while still having a crew who is excited to show up for you. In the tarot deck (something I’ve been learning about during my time between shows), the Queen of Swords represents someone who can be intimidating at first, strict but fair, and when she’s on your side you feel like you have an entire army. That’s my brand. That’s who I aim to be for my teams. I’m currently working on branching out into consulting and development related roles with the same mantra, to evolve along with the changing conditions in the entertainment business.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
This is an area where I may differ from a lot of creatives. I know so many artists who struggled to feel confident in themselves or sought validation from others for a long time before imposter syndrome wore away. Honestly, I can’t remember a time in my life where I’ve had long term doubt or uncertainty in myself. I’ve always “seen” myself; always felt satisfied with my efforts, able to achieve things I wanted to do, and in command of my own future. I realize that’s a privileged perspective to have and I’m lucky that surrounding aspects of my life allowed me to be in that headspace. That’s not to say everything was always upbeat or that I didn’t have moments as a young person where it was shaken. Sometimes others also see your potential but they resent it and want to squash it. I’ve always felt a strong sense of agency and that if I work toward something I can attain it. My first words were actually, “I do it.” I was taking a toy out of my mom’s hands and wanting to set it up quicker. Still in day care and already wanted to be management! Now I try to help the artists who work with me to see themselves and what they are capable of.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
2012 was rough. I don’t know if I gave up, but I definitely felt like every door was slamming. The show I was on downsized and I was on the hunt for work again after almost 7 secure years. I had been stripped of access to the crew I’d known so long, who were basically my California family. That hurt as much or more than the absence of a paycheck. I ended up being without work for about a year. I’m not sure if the market was just that dry or if having only one show style of samples really counted against me that much. At my lowest points I went back to doing freelance art gigs for bizarre craigslist clients who had grand visions paired with pocket change budgets. I even tried to get a job as a seasonal gift basket wrapper around the holidays, but you had to test for it! When I couldn’t make a decent looking ribbon bow to save my life, I felt utterly defeated. The artist couldn’t make a BOW! It was difficult to fight off self-doubt after so many efforts went nowhere, but I still felt like I just needed to make the right connection at the right time; that it was circumstantial and not ME. I was beyond relieved when a show I had cold called months earlier, a Comedy Central show called “Brickleberry”, finally offered me a storyboard test. I had to learn a whole new way of using Storyboard Pro software in order to complete it. I set up camp in the bedroom with my clunky old Modbook plugged into the wall and figured it out as I went. It was hard earned, but I was hired! That show would end up being the true kickoff to my career. An excellent relationship with the showrunners and other supervisors translated into retakes directing and then episodic directing the following season. I would have been waiting years for that kind of upward mobility at my previous job. Things went from zero to sixty. It made a world of difference to be around people who could recognize what I had to offer.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
Besides cats? Authenticity is something that really matters to me. I don’t like dealing in artificial exchanges. They don’t get anyone closer to solving problems or reaching goals, and you can feel the uneasiness of that invisible barrier. Obviously, there are places within business where discretion is important, but I aim to be surrounded by colleagues who are comfortable being themselves around me and I can be myself with them. My good friend and former Background Supervisor once said of me, “Ashley is one of the realest people you’ll ever meet.” I take that as a huge compliment. “Real” doesn’t have to mean abrasive, controversial, or any of the other terms that annoying influencer culture might bring to mind. To me, real means accessible for connection. That might be why I’m drawn to three dimensional mediums like sculpting or working with fabric. There’s no hiding behind filters and no chance of running into AI slop. You have to work with physical materials in your own hands and stretch your brain. The connection to the work is very tangible.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope to be remembered as the most fabulously dressed person in any room. Or loudest dressed, depending on your taste. I also hope people remember how I made them feel; for giving them their first shot at something big, for including them when nobody else did, or giving them a positive work experience they hadn’t gotten elsewhere. That’s the legacy you build when you take the time to identify potential, really get to know your crew, and nurture those relationships long term. I’m fortunate to have many of those ties that have continued beyond the jobs and shows where they started. Some of these people have already taken that spirit and applied it to their own teams, becoming that Queen of Swords for someone else, and watching that slowly grow is rewarding. I’ve read that within three generations, you’re forgotten. Everyone who knew you is gone, anyone left MIGHT have a piece of mysterious great auntie Ashley’s jewelry they inherited, but no first hand experienced. The legacy that lasts are our actions. Being the sort of friend or leader someone wants to model, then someone models them, and on and on. After a few degrees of separation people will stop calling it the Ashley way of doing things, but it can still live on in studios, classrooms, families, and friend groups way beyond me. I can look back on that and be proud. And by look back on, obviously I mean as a ghost. I’m definitely haunting people if that’s possible!
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All photos copyright Ashley J. Long
