We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful ASHLEY ELAINE BRAKE. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with ASHLEY ELAINE below.

ASHLEY, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

I’ll start by saying, i was raised in Eastern Kentucky. Waaaaaay out in the hills and hollers of Appalachia. That alone, is an invitation to get creative with how you spend your time. There was no cable, no internet, etc. It was rural and it was remote! Looking back, my parents were Creatives/Makers before that was a trending descriptor of how to define yourself. My Dad was a Master Carpenter and could build, truly, anything. I spent countless childhood hours in his wood shop tinkering around helping him build things. I spent a summer going to work with him when he was building a Buddhist Temple in Eastern Kentucky. My Mom is a Maker in every sense of the word. She is a prolific seamstress and can create something out of nothing! I have many memories of being a moody pre-teen proclaiming i was “bored” and my Mom would say, “Go get creative!”. I love that about my parents. They have really defined what a gift it is to be “bored”, because it often leads to some of your best creative endeavors!

I’m very thankful to have been raised the way i was– spending hours learning from my Dad about tools and building, and then watching my mom design and sew was the blueprint of my career in Production Design. Having been raised without television growing up, i developed a STRONG since of wonder about film and storytelling on screen. I went to college for Broadcast Journalism and when i graduated and realized local news was not for me, i pivoted and started out by building sets for events, etc. and now i primarily do Production Design for commercials and film! All the things i love in one! Building, Designing and Movie Making! HELL YEAH!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I got into Film Production because i’ve always loved building and designing a “vibe”, and i’ve always loved the storytelling process of Films. I’ve Produced a little bit in the industry, but my heart belongs in the Art Department. If you come to me with a vision you see in your head of how you want a scene to look, my team and i will bring it to life! Having grown up in Appalachia with not a ton of resources, you could say i’m pretty damn scrappy! I become really innovative/creative when there’s not a lot to work with! This is a really handy skill to have on set when shit hits the fan and you have to problem solve quickly and under pressure!

Same goes for budgets. I work with ALL budgets. I actually prefer low budget projects because that’s when the imagination and innovation runs wildly! Being forced to think and create outside of the box is when you feel the most pride and gratification when a project wraps.

What story do y’all wanna tell on camera?! Let’s do it! Nothing is off the table!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

The beauty of Covid is that i think it built resilience in all of us, universally. There was a time, during Covid, i got hired to do the Set Design for a reputable baby product brand. However, we couldn’t rent studios at the time or work with large crews. Everything was at a stand still. So i had to turn a room in my house into a full on nursery (and i don’t have kids yet). We’re talking wallpaper, crib, etc. It was challenging, but i made it work! And it did!

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

When it comes to the Film Industry, ego is everything. So when you’re on set, KILL THAT EGO! We all have one, and we all have to deal. With that being said, big egos are hard to play and create with. Let’s all just collaborate and be kind to one another. Whatever we create will be better for it!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jumpsuitagency.com
• Instagram: @lainebrake
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-elaine-brake-25b68258?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app