Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Davidson.
Ashley, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Somehow I think I came into this world already head over heels in love with films. Watching movies was the family past time since I was a kid. Growing up, I think I owned 95% of all Disney movies up until Mulan. Books, movies and television were huge slices of my childhood. Storytelling was all around me while I was growing up. My mom was a high school English teacher, so books were etched into the palms of my hands and movies littered every corner of our bedrooms. Watching movies was the thing that we all did together and reading was a past time that I deeply enjoyed.
My first big dream as a child was to be a writer. My second childhood dream, which I never told anyone, was to be a voice actor, although at the time I didn’t know what it was called. I just said that I wanted to talk for cartoon characters. When I was young, I was pretty shy, sensitive and very quiet. I was always reading, at the movie theaters or watching a movie at home. I always loved the arts, but as I got older, my academic achievements started to point me towards the field of science. For most of my childhood, I secretly held on to the hope that one day I would be involved in the movie industry. I wasn’t sure to what extinct but prayed I would be there in some capacity.
For undergrad, I went to Norfolk State University in Norfolk, VA where I majored in biology. After undergrad, I went to grad school at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN and got my Master of Public Health degree. I truly enjoyed all my experiences and friendships I made both in Virginia and Indiana. Looking back, Although I majored in biology and public health, I was still able to incorporate some great artistic memories along my educational path.
While in college, I decided to write a feature-length screenplay, which was something I always wanted to do. I wrote my first screenplay and entered it into a national Christian screenplay competition and ended up winning 3rd place. I also ended up filming a short film about littering. When I was in grad school, I decided to enter that short film I did back in undergrad into a film festival in Washington state. I did and it was accepted. I flew to Washington state to attend the festival and saw my film on the big screen for the first time in my life. It was an indescribable feeling.
After I graduated from IU and returned home to Atlanta, I got a job and started working in the public health field. After a few years, I stumbled upon the acting scene in Atlanta and everything changed. It was then that I realized that the thing that I’ve always loved had somehow been transported to my hometown. Movies and TV shows were actually being filmed in my backyard and I was blown away. I learned how to get on set as an extra and saw what the movie making experience was like and instantly fell in love. I had never once thought about acting in my entire life until I was on set and saw it happen right before my eyes. I knew I wanted to try. That was when my acting journey began and I started taking classes, learning the craft, auditioning and gaining experience. The acting path is a marathon and not a sprint and I’m okay with that.
In 2018, I started writing and filming short films and recruited my acting friends to join me. It gave me new perspective on acting and opened up my desire to learn more about the filmmaking process. Plus, it gave my friends and I more opportunities to act. At the end of 2019, I started a videography and photography company, I’m Possible Studios, LLC. I wanted to have a production name to put on my short films. Through my company, I’ve been able to do the following services: write and film actor’s demo reels, produce short films, videography for companies, film editing, shoot school pictures, self-taping services and lifestyle photoshoots.
My acting and writing aspirations are alive and well. I am incredibly thankful for the journey I’m on and can’t wait to see where it will lead me.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There’s always struggles along the way when you’re trying to reach your dreams. The nerd in me has to use a Tom Hanks quote from “A League of their Own:” “It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.” I love that quote.
So yes, there have been struggles along the way. Pursuing acting is hard. You get told, “No,” most of the time, you start to have self-doubt because it can take a while before you book something big or see progress, it’s expensive to train and have all the tools you need in your toolbelt, it can be challenging to maintain a typical 9am-5pm job, statistically the odds are not in your favor, friends and/or family may not understand your choices and you can do everything you’re supposed to do and still not get the job for reasons that are out of your control. It’s a crazy field that can be unfair, infuriating and frustrating, and yet, also glorious. Knowing all of that and still wanting to pursue it is what makes us strong, and that goes for any artist.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the I’m Possible Studios story. Tell us more about the business.
I started my company at the end of 2019, so it’s pretty young. I chose the name I’m Possible Studios because I am a very optimistic and positive person. I believe in inspiring others and that if you work your butt off and go after whatever is in your heart, then it can come true. I literally believe that the impossible can be possible. Which is where I got the name for my business. if you break up the word, “impossible,” you can see the possibilities in yourself and discover that. “I’m possible.”
One thing on my list for my ten years plan is to have my own production company where I produce feature films. I figured since I already do contract work for videography and started doing my own short films, why not start that production company now and grow into it in the next ten years.
Although I’m not producing any feature-length films quite yet, I do offer other services through my company: write and film demo reels for actors, short film production, film editing, lifestyle photography, videography and self-taping services. I specialize in anything film-related because that is where my passion lies.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
A huge role! Being blessed with the mother that I have is something that I will forever be thankful for. My mom is very supportive in my artistic journey and that is the reason why I am able to continue on this path. Having the support from someone that loves and cares for you should never be taken for granted. My mom and brother are the reasons why I continue on whenever I feel doubt creeping in. They are the reminder that I need for why I do this and why I continue on. They believe in me and want to see me make my dreams come true.
Contact Info:
- Email: impossibleatlanta@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/im.possible.studios/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Im-Possible-Studios-104834747635336/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ipstudiosatl
Image Credit:
Marie Thomas (for the headshot only)
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