Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ashlee Rackthai. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ashlee, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

I am a non Korean working primarily in Korean entertainment. I started an entertainment company with my group of friends who also shared the same common love of kpop with every intention to bring the best events to the very fans who support artists we also enjoyed supporting as well. Starting the company, I didn’t speak Korean well and I struggled very hard to build a reputable presence in the industry. With the connections I was blessed to have made and a little networking, I have been given many great opportunities and worked with many different artists. Moving forward into our 5th year, I hope to continue bringing events to fans all over!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Ashlee Rackthai and I was born and raised in Northern California. I don’t come from a family of entertainment, however, I once aspired to be a singer/actress. I even took vocal lessons and went to acting school. I also come from a big family and I’m the oldest of 7 so I had big responsibilities growing up. I eventually lost touch with my desire to become a performer but I never lost my love for music. Getting into kpop itself is something I did not see coming. I was a big fan of 2NE1, still am albeit the disbandment, and I stumbled upon a picture of CL (leader of 2NE1) on Facebook. I commented under to just tag a friend and show her but the next day, to my surprise, I was messaged by the CEO of the very company who was touring CL at the time. He messaged asking if I was interested in possibly working the Atlanta stop. I initially thought it was a scam! Like no way!!! Long story short, I took the chance, worked the show, and met some of the greatest friends who are now my current teammates. I also want to add – I made sure to stay in touch with whom I met at that very concert. They gave me opportunities I never imagined and they were some of my greatest mentors throughout my journey leading up to founding ATLocal Entertainment. They probably don’t know it but I considered them mentors, people I looked up to.

ATLocal was built aiming to build a global bond between fans and artists across the world. In addition to specializing in live events and promotions, we are also constantly striving to provide an atmosphere where fans and artist can feel connected. Starting from one fan, to one family, to one company!

ATLocal has been a team since February of 2018. Our name is pronounced as “At Local”.

Any advice for managing a team?

I feel I can comment a bit on this because building a company from scratch and with your closest friends will teach you a thing or two. ATLocal started out as a team of 10 to 12 individuals who all loved the same things and had the same passion. My biggest piece of advice is: separate the work from the friendship. I love working with my friends, I think most can agree it gives a sense of comfort and to an extent, freedom. However, there is a reason I say ‘to an extent’. Once boundaries are crossed, it gets hard to bounce back. My former and current team members also had to face the pandemic right when we saw a peak in our careers. It was one of the most trying times but also a very big lesson in disguise. Especially for myself as the CEO, I really didn’t know how to be one. To be a leader. With the right amount of support and the urge to change, I am so grateful to be in full speed where I am today. Never lose hope, it all gets better :)

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

I’m not sure if this counts as a close call but covid really did a number on us. Beginning of 2020, we had a North America tour planned with a kpop group. We did everything by the book, booked venues, promoted heavily, sold tickets, then BOOM. Covid hits, the venues are cancelling on us, fans are messaging us to warn us about the crisis. The said kpop group had already arrived in the states, we were at a total loss. But with a little fast thinking and my immense desire to make sure these fans got to meet with their idols, I suggested video fan calls. I kept thinking there has to be a way to meet without contact and with the amazing advancement in technology, we turned the tour dates and tickets into video fan calls. I’d like to say we definitely started the video method right when the pandemic hit. The amazing team sacrificed sleep to ensure this way of meeting fans would work. It was a super crazy situation that ended so perfectly. To this day, video calls are still going on and as we are moving back into live events, I couldn’t be more proud of how we turned things around!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.atlocalentertainment.com
• Instagram: @atlocal_ent
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ATLocal.Ent
• Twitter: @atlocal_ent
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@atlocal9143