Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley J. Hobbs

Hi Ashley J., thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.

I’ve always been interested in storytelling I learned to read and saw my first movie. I loved getting lost in children’s fiction tapes, books, music, television and movies. I journaled like crazy from the moment my first grade teacher, Mrs. Clegg, taught us how to journal in little blue notebooks. And I was always starting a story but I never had the discipline or confidence to finish writing them when I was a kid. The desire to be involved in storytelling in some way never left me, though.

It wasn’t until 2018 after I was terminated (with no explanation) from a severely stressful job that I made the decision to go full force in pursuit of my passion and curiosity. I gave myself a few days to cry and sulk and worry about how I would be able to afford rent. Then, I watched all of the Rocky movies for emotional support and wrote and published a free devotional for creatives that’s still floating around the internet. Looking back, I think I needed to write that devotional for myself just as much as for anyone else who was going through a season of starting over. I needed it for the adventure I was about to embark on.

I decided to use my six months of unemployment to figure out where I was meant to be in the world of storytelling. TV? Film? Advertising? Journalism? I didn’t know. But I was determined to try everything until something grabbed hold of me. First, I went to the American Black Film Festival down in Miami to volunteer on their event production team. It was an adventure of an opportunity and I learned quite a lot but ultimately decided live event production wasn’t for me.
I moved on to take a television production class in D.C. where I was living at the time. I also received word that I’d been accepted into an advertising fellowship I had applied for months prior…in New York City. So, I decided I’d do both. I attended class in D.C. on Tuesday nights and then drove home to Jersey late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning to then take the train into NYC for Wednesday night advertising fellowship. I did that for 8 weeks.

Both experiences showed me how resilient and full of ideas I am and even though I knew advertising wasn’t for me, there was something in the television production space that arrested my attention. I made that mental note.

Fast-forward to the end of 2018, as I was recovering from emergency surgery and settling into moving back home to New Jersey, I took a part-time job as an associate at a local theater company and learned so much about the theater business both the creative and the business.

While I was there, I began listening to podcasts and wheels started turning in my head about podcast production. I wanted to begin working in NYC in production but wasn’t well enough just yet post-surgery to do so. So, I thought working in podcast production could be done remotely so I would begin there. I volunteered on a few shows booking talent, scripting interview questions and the like. Then an opportunity came along in 2019 for me to be a production assistant at ESSENCE Magazine for their new podcast network. I freelanced with ESSENCE a few times and then was offered a full-time job. The rest is history. I have been a full-time podcast producer ever since, producing award-winning shows like Holding Court with Eboni K. Williams, Toure Show, and We Don’t Always Agree with Ryan and Sterling.

I subsequently began a career as a voice artist and audiobook narrator. I enjoy reading books aloud at home and was told by a couple of different people that I should try voice performing. So, I did. Since I started, I’ve had the pleasure of being selected as part of the Penguin Random House Audiobook Narrators Mentorship Program and have performed in fiction podcasts. I am now fulfilling my childhood dream of both acting and storytelling all through my voice.

I am – and have always been – a writer. Recently I’ve had two short stories published and am working two more as a goal is to have a collection of short stories published in the next couple of years. I am taking Toni Morrison’s advice of writing the books and the stories that I want to see but don’t on the bookshelves. It’s both daunting and daring and I am grateful.

I think my story is, in part, a testament to the fact that career paths that look more like jungle gyms than ladders truly are viable. I’ve walked, crawled, run, fallen, or have been pushed into different veins storytelling over the past eleven years and I’m just grateful for the odyssey to keep unfolding.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

The journey has been smooth in that once I learned how to trust my intuition, my instincts, and my interests I’ve been led from one creative purpose to the next without fail.

There has been some struggle along the way. Much of it has been the growing pains of entrepreneurship. For example, being an independent contractor was something I was thrust into once I was furloughed during the pandemic. I never wanted to be an entrepreneur. I wanted a regular bi-weekly paycheck from a company who already had this business thing worked out. But I’ve been my own boss since the end of 2020 and learning all things contracts, taxes, production budgets, contract negotiation, calendar management, etc. all while jumping into steady contract work has been a stressful crash course AND a beautiful metamorphosis. I’ve learned that I am way more capable than I originally gave myself credit for. And though I have come up against some odds that seemed stacked way too high, I’ve always managed to overcome them. That’s a beautiful thing.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?

I’ve recently embraced identifying as a multidisciplinary artist but specifically I am an audio and digital production executive, audiobook narrator and voice artist, and a writer.

As a producer, I specialize in podcast production and digital content copy. I’m known for creating shows that speak specifically to women, people of faith, and the culture. I was strategic about beginning my career building shows by, for, and about Black women as I wanted to make sure there was space for us in audio storytelling. Storytelling in all its forms is a core part of Black history and rearing. I wanted to contribute to the growing audio canon.

I’m most proud of my reputation in this business. I lead with empathy in everything I do. That’s not common in media and entertainment. It’s just not. Everything is so fast-paced and result-focused. But I establish a rapport with my talent and work to earn their trust to get the best out of them for whatever we are co-creating. I take a good measure of pride in learning everything relevant about how they show up in the world so I can produce, write, and clear the runway for them to show up and be as comfortable and prepared as possible.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?

I’ve always wanted to be an actor. That’s surprising to a lot of people when I reveal it to them because for the majority of my life I was reserved and shy. But there was always someone underneath the shyness wishing for the courage to be more, say more, do more. Going into production – though I’ve had some measure of success – was a concession to some degree. I wasn’t sure I was cut out to truly pursue being talent but I knew I had the skills and the heart to be an A1 producer so I followed that path instead…or first, I’ll say.

I say “first” because I’m becoming the actor I’ve wanted to be since I was a little girl through voice work and audiobook narration. I’m becoming the talent and it is surreal but a dream coming true, nonetheless.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bio.site/ashleyjhobbs
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleyjhobbs
• Other: https://www.ashleyjh.com

Image Credits

Brian W. Fraser (credit for first portrait photo)