Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Millon.
Ashley, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
As a child, I always knew that I wanted to be in entertainment. I grew up in a single-parent home raised by my mother, along with my grandparents in Tuskegee, Alabama. I used to always entertain my mother’s friends, family members whenever they would come over whether it was reciting poems, interviewing them like they were celebrities on the red carpet, singing, dancing, anything! I always knew that I had a bubbly personality and some form of talent that needed to be shared. I would always watch Entertainment Tonight and practice with my hairbrush that I was walking on the red carpet and interviewing the celebrities or sitting at the table and acting like I was a news anchor. My mother always kept me involved in church participating in church activities, and that is when I knew I had a passion for speaking. I started doing the announcements in front of the church, making the announcements over the PA system in high school, and reciting black history monologues, I found that speaking was my passion. I always knew that I wanted to be seen and heard someway. It wasn’t until high school when I started taking theater that I knew I had a voice. I started performing more in plays in front of audiences and then being voted most talkative in the senior class. I knew then I had something.
It was then someone once told me, “Ashley, you have the gift of gab, use it!” I started as a Theater major while attending school at Alabama State University but switched my major to Communications with a concentration in Radio/TV. I wanted to use my “gift of gab” more and pursue a dream of having my voice heard. I interned in television at one of the local television stations and another internship in radio. When I first interned in the radio, the first thing I would never forget was first said to me, “Your voice is not good for radio. Maybe you should try something else.” That one statement has always pushed me to go above and beyond in whatever that I do. I started recording myself more and writing scripts of anything I could think of so that I could better my voice. I had to keep practicing on my voice and prove that person wrong. You have a gift, and the world will see. From that day forward, I started on radio at 22 after graduating from Alabama State University, and now I’m 32, and I’m still working on the radio. It wasn’t until 2017 when I wanted to take my passion further when I started hosting on stage and used my passion for my entertainment news blog called “The Sip & Sit.”
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Of course not! Not everyone will see your vision that you have. But no one can walk in your shoes either! I’ve learned that you have to have tough skin in this industry because nobody cares to see you cry over spilled milk, and most people would rather see you fail than to succeed. The road will not always be easy. Sometimes you won’t get that support or that booking for an event, but you can let that discourage you from giving up what you’re passionate about. You keep going! Sometimes your talent will be overlooked, but you create that lane to not be overlooked and stand for what you believe in. You have to keep working hard for that top spot. I guarantee you that one person is watching and cheering you on.
Please tell us about your work.
I was given the name “A. Milli” short for my first and last name. But my brand has excelled me into hosting and being the MC at clubs, programs, parties, live music performances, etc. not to mention this is my radio name! Those that are close to me know me as Ashley or A. Milli. As my brand, I specialize in hosting and modeling. I created the “The Sip & Sit” in 2017 as a form of reporting the hottest celebrity gossip. This brand has also sponsored entertainment events here in Montgomery, AL.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I define success as a plate of opportunity. I’m hungry for it. Fix that plate over and over again and eat! I was once told by a mentor to be pregnant with your passion and it will show! Once you have that passion it will show to the world. That is what success means to me is showing your love, your gift! You weren’t born to be mediocre and settle. What I am most proud of finally doing something I’ve always been passionate about and that is being heard. Whether it is having my voice on the radio and being listened to in surrounding areas, hosting, or showing my personality on stage, my life motto has always been to “Fuel your passion in whatever you do, always fix your plate of opportunities, and eat!” I’m finally letting my passion show! I’m always fixing my plate of opportunities and will forever continue to eat and be successful. A. Milli is ready!
Contact Info:
- Phone: 334-300-6043
- Email: thesipandsit@gmail.com and BookingAMilli@gmail.com
- Instagram: amarie_2U @amillibookings @thesipandsit
Image Credit:
Dontez Heard- The Davenport Design
Calvin Howard- MG Images
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