Ashley Maria is a director, writer, producer who has built a portfolio with a range of funny (and fun), scary, musical, and impactful films.
When making her own films, she’s committed to a type of storytelling that is innovative and immersive, as well as a type that can inspire people to act. When collaborating with clients and creative agencies, Ashley enjoys creating fun and exciting television commercials, social media videos, museum-level video/audio projects, and compelling narratives and documentaries!
BIO
Ashley is an Emmy-nominated and DGA award-winning director, writer, and producer. She’s known for creating both comedy and horror films as well as content that addresses pressing social issues. Ashley’s portfolio includes a range of funny (and fun), scary, musical, and impactful films with superheroes, singing neighbors, and screaming television characters — to highlight a few!
Based in Los Angeles, CA., Ashley hails from the Tar Heel state of North Carolina. She received her undergrad degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and her Master’s in Fine Arts (MFA) from the USC School of Cinematic Arts – in California.
Her numerous credits include directing the San Diego Comic-Con fan favorite Super Human Anxiety, award-winning and Emmy-nominated film — Pioneers in Skirts, a feature documentary about ambition, as well as Friday Night Fright, a comedy horror that won a Directors Guild of America (DGA) award.
As she continues to build her film portfolio, Ashley also works as a production sound mixer for viral and promotional videos for companies like UGG and BuzzFeed, and for Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton, Night Shift, and Phoenix Rising – all of which were official selections at Sundance.
When not on set or running her own production company – Ashley Maria Productions, she is a directing instructor at UCLA’s Film School and a sound instructor at the American Film Institute’s Young Women in Film program.
Ashley has a passion for helping filmmakers understand the value of recording great production sound. As a directing instructor, Ashley helps her students get better prepared for recording sound on their film set — resulting in less sound work in post-production and less ADR. Her students leave her course understanding the importance of location when thinking about sound, equipment options, and how to better communicate with the sound mixer.
An instructor who engages and inspires her students, Ashley was awarded the 2023 Associated Press Robert R. Eunson Distinguished Lecturer Award at Northern Arizona University.
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Ashley’s extensive experience and innovative vision has led her to carve out a genre of comedy, youth, and self-empowerment that audiences have come to love.
With an uncanny ability to see the humor in just about anything, Ashley understands the nuances of comedic timing when writing and directing a script. That same sense of humor and openness also makes her a remarkable talent for making content for children and teens — as well as writing, casting and directing kids for family-friendly films.