Today we’d like to introduce you to Ash Blodgett.
Hi Ash, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
Making people laugh has been my lifelong pursuit, and I believe comedy is just as important as every other genre. To me, bringing someone joy when they really need it is priceless. This has been true more than ever, thanks to the pandemic. But there aren’t many female comedy directors out there, and even fewer films that bring a female perspective. So, at an early age, I knew I wanted to direct comedies.
At least comedy had always been my main focus until my father unexpectedly passed away in the beginning of 2021. Due to COVID, I hadn’t seen him in over a year and could not make it to the hospital in time to be with him when he passed. Instead, I spent the last moments of my father’s life with him unconscious over the phone.
It was my father who inspired me to be a filmmaker because of his passion for movies. He started my film education early, not minding if my age didn’t reflect the film’s rating. In high school, he let me take my pick from his VHS library, and when I wanted to start making my own films, he and my mother managed to scrape together what little money they had to get me a used Mini DV camera.
His love of humor also left a mark, as he was always making people smile with his jokes. Through him, I learned the tremendous power of laughter, and I knew I wanted to share that in my films. His humor sparked a love of comedy, and his passion for films sparked a love of filmmaking.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Every filmmaker will tell you their major obstacle is funding, especially as an indie filmmaker. It’s extremely hard to fund short films as there’s no return on the investment as there’s no distribution for short films. Thus, I’ve had to self-fund all my short films.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m an award-winning director with a passion for telling stories that spotlight modern social issues through the lens of comedy. I have directed multiple award-winning short films, including the 2019 micro horror-comedy Zombie Debt, which was accepted into 17 film festivals, won 6 awards, and premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. As well as the 2023 short film Good Grief that has screened at the Catalina, Sedona, and SIDEWALK Film Festivals.
In 2022, I was selected into the Women In Film Mentoring Program, where I was mentored by industry professionals over the course of the year. The following year, I was selected into the Sidewalk/Stowe Narrative Labs for my feature screenplay Extra Life. In 2024, my short film Good Grief and its Director of Photography, Becky Davis, won a Panavision-sponsored $60K Film Package when it won Best Cinematography at the Worldwide Women’s Film Festival.
I’m currently in pre-production on my next short film, May I Put You On Hold, which is shooting in August of 2024, and writing my first feature film with my writing partner Patrick Edwards that I hope to shoot with Becky Davis in 2025 using our Panavision grant.
I also serve as a live-action director for LinkedIn Learning, where I direct and manage the production process of online courses. To date, I’ve directed over 100 courses that have been viewed by hundreds of thousands of learners.
I specialize in comedy and horror comedy, but I’ve also spent several years doing sketch comedy on YouTube, totaling over 19 million views. With a flair for satire and a well-rounded production experience, I love bringing engaging stories to life on the screen.
We’d love to hear what you think about risk-taking.
I think risk-taking is a must in filmmaking. Everything about making a film as an indie filmmaker is risky. Films cost a lot of money, and if you’re paying for it yourself, you’re risking sinking a lot of money into a project that could potentially not turn out for various reasons. For example, you could plan to shoot at an outdoor location a specific day and pay lots of money to rent gear and have cast and crew ready to go only to find it rains. Filmmaking is all about problem-solving like that and pivoting to make the film work.
You’re also risking the liability of anyone who could get injured on set or even rented gear being broken or lost. This is why it’s critical that you have production insurance and that you have a great Assistant Director who’s keeping a sharp eye on set safety.
And as any artist knows, making art is always a risk because you never know if it will be a hit with your audience. You can pour your heart into making a film only to find that it doesn’t hit with an audience. You also don’t know if it will get into any film festivals or, in the case of feature films, if you’ll get distribution and make your money back, which honestly isn’t likely with your first feature film. But that’s also the process of art, learning from the failures and continuing to be willing to take the risk because the drive in you insists that you keep making art.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ashblodgett.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moust_ash/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashblodgett/
- Twitter: @AshsStash
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/FilmItYourselfToday
- Other: https://www.gofilmityourself.com/
Image Credits
Lalita Silvas
Nathalie Rodriguez
