Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Land.
Ashley, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Born and raised in the windy city of Chicago, I grew up on the city’s south side. My brother and I were raised by my single mother, who always emphasized the importance of education and a good work ethic. From a young age, I always knew I wanted to work in the entertainment industry because I saw the power that television and film had to entertain, bring people together and challenge perceptions through on screen representation. Thankfully, during my time at Pomona College I was able to merge my interest in film and production with my quickly developed passion for fighting for social change and dismantling all systems of oppression.
Attending a predominately white institution as a Black woman was no easy feat, especially considering I entered on the heels of Trayvon Martin’s senseless murder and the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement. After getting involved in activism and advocating for the Black and low-income, first-generation college students on campus, in 2016 I became the first in my family to graduate from college with a B.A in Media Studies. Shortly after, I planted roots in Los Angeles, where I fell in love with Community Coalition’s mission to build a safer, stronger South LA and began working in their communications department.
For three years I had the honor of working on multiple campaigns with the Coalition as my main role was to engage and empower their thousands of social media followers to pass important ballot initiatives and organize within their own neighborhoods to revitalize what has been neglected and deprived for decades, and transform it into a flourishing place where they can live, learn, own, work, shop, and ultimately thrive. What made going to work there so impactful was every day having a new opportunity to hone my creativity and production skills in order to amplify the stories of inequity and resilience that the residents we worked with on a daily basis proudly shared. It was also the first time I realized that I am a storyteller and that there was even more work to do on a macro scale.
What we consume on a daily basis has such an important impact on how we function as a society and as a long time aspiring television producer, I knew it was time to fight for social justice in the Hollywood sphere, where I currently work as a receptionist at a production company. Although this pandemic has been a rough period for the entire world, it’s exactly what I needed to begin flexing my superpowers of building community, changing perceptions through digital content and fighting for social change. Cut to March of 2020, the birth of my platform Welcome To Ashley Land.
My Instagram talk show, which has now migrated over to YouTube, has been a powerful way to connect with my followers and discuss important topics such as politics, pop culture, the economy, and the fight for Black lives. I originally hosted my talk show for an hour every Monday – Thursday, where I would ask my friends to tap in and have the normal conversations we would have on a daily basis like building generational wealth or issues affecting Black folks like COVID-19 or police brutality, but simply on a broader platform. Now, I produce a video for YouTube every week, with my recent ones focusing on topics like how to be a better ally to the Black trans community or things people who say they are allies of the Black Lives Matter movement probably shouldn’t say. Either way, Welcome To Ashley Land has truly been a labor of love. Folks can check out my YouTube channel every Tuesday for a new, relevant and timely video that I promise will entertain, inform and make them think in a way they may have not thought about before.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Managing Welcome To Ashley Land has been an amazing, but also challenging experience in terms of the amount of effort and energy it takes to produce. I am a full-time employee so all of the hard work I put into it either comes before or after work and on the weekends. Inspiration for a video can strike me at all times of the day so coming up with a plan, then recording, and lastly editing each video takes a lot of time, but it’s definitely rewarding.
I also am currently recording in my room very simply on my iPhone, so I eventually want to raise enough money to buy some higher level equipment like a DSLR camera and a backdrop to take my videos to the next level. Although it isn’t always an easy process, consistently cranking out content for the past three months has been very fulfilling and it reminds me that we all have a voice and we shouldn’t be afraid to share our thoughts and opinions with the world. You never know who is listening and who you might positively impact.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Welcome To Ashley Land – what should we know?
Welcome To Ashley Land is a Black-owned media platform that entertains, educates and inspires folks through honest dialogue and creative content covering a wide array of issues within politics and pop culture. Most importantly, it is a brave space where I (Ashley) am able to be my genuine and authentic self and encourage others to do the same.
At Welcome To Ashley Land, Black narratives matter, Black creativity matters, and Black girl magic is automatically present. What makes me most proud about my business is that all of the content I release comes from the heart. For example, my “Shit Non-Allies Say…To Black People” has over 2,500 views on IGTV because although it’s humorous, it showcases the reality of being Black in America through sarcasm and sincerity.
The show’s tagline is be bold, be beautiful, and be you because at the end of the day the only person we all have to answer to is ourselves. What sets my business apart from others is that it’s communal. With every new video, I am building a community of life livers and truth spitters. I don’t want my opinion to be the end all be all. My viewers and I are all learning and experiencing things at the same time and figuring it all out together. My platform is a deeper dive into my world and my views, but it also allows others to form their own opinions as well.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Authenticity has always been key to my success in life and I want that same energy to be felt and seen through my content. What is the point of having a platform if you never say how you truly feel? I want people to follow me because they genuinely love and support my thoughts, values, and opinions, not because I look a certain way or project a false message…PERIOD.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.youtube.com/welcometoashleyland
- Email: welcometoashleyland@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/welcometoashleyland/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamashleyland
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