Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ashley-Lauren Elrod. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Ashley-Lauren thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
Visionary Woman Productions was a company birthed out of community, collaboration, and sisterhood over thirteen years ago. I was in my last year of college at the time and had a big network of creative women who were killing the game, who showed the best creative promise, most of them in whom I still collaborate with til this day. One day, I said “let’s create something amazing and submit it for fun!” We had the whole crew, from costume designer to make-up artists, models, photographers, videographers, EVERYTHING. We ended up creating our first series and it was a smash hit and got accepted to be published, and from there we went onto create so much more that ended up getting published in Vogue Italia, Vibe, and Refinery29.
At the time, I was also interning at a major talent agency who was teaching me everything in regards to running a business, scouting talent, and what was needed to be successful. I took all of the information from my mentor, Lily Liu of Lily’s Talent Agency, and realized there was a huge need to fill back at school. We were learning all things in regards to our craft, but we weren’t really learning what to do with it once we graduated into the real world. I possessed all of this knowledge that wasn’t being taught, and I didn’t want to keep it for myself, but share it with others to be successful too.
So, we as a collective, The Visionary Women, decided to offer mentor sessions, and full industry packages for our peers, and once again, a smash hit! We were booked and busy helping our fellow peers prepare to take on the world after graduation with industry standard headshots, resumes, comp cards, and everything in between. I led all of the mentor sessions, and even ended up playing a role in getting many of my clients signed to the agency! It was such a fulfilling start, and I’m beyond proud of what it’s transformed into now, and where it’s going!
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’m Ashley-Lauren Elrod, and I have been in the realm of entertainment and media for over fifteen plus years. I started off performing as an actor, singer, and dancer as a child, and led to my ultimate decision to pursue it as a purposeful career. I began modeling professionally my senior year of high school for BMG Models and then my junior year of college was signed and booking as an actor with Lily’s Talent Agency and BMG.
In the midst of my love for performing and connecting with an audience as a well-rounded performer and recording artist, I have always been multi-faceted and curious to conquer in as many realms in the industry as possible. I’m that type of person that believes we were all naturally born to utilize gifts unique to us, not just a singular one. This is why in middle school, yes middle school, I began scoping out my plan for college, which also included my internship I mentioned earlier with the very agency I had the goal of also being signed with one day! Between the internship, majoring in technical theater, and minoring in acting, my plan was set into action to become a force in all things entertainment.
Many will probably be like “what a dork” but it brought me great excitement to start planning when I was a kid, and it’s led me to where I am now. I was a business woman from birth, always writing, planning, creating, and plotting from a very young age, when I probably should have been outside playing a tad more! But my discipline and faith which was truly instilled from my father, started at a very young age and it has truly helped me stay focused on the bigger picture even through the storms and valleys.
My creativity has expanded and transformed over the years as a performer and now as a multi-faceted business owner who is striving to be one day known as one of the most safe, beautiful, and inspirational brands in the entertainment industry. Visionary Woman Productions started the same time my love for acting did, it just looked a lot different as a kid. It looked like me writing plays, and books in my basement or closet, filled with colorful photos that I would bind together to sell at school. Now it has become crafting, producing, casting, and directing stories of others to inspire the world, and that is a true honor and blessing that I do not take lightly.
Visionary Woman Productions has done it all at this point except produce it’s first in-house major project, in which is now currently in the works! While the pot continues to brew for that, I cast, produce, direct, assistant direct, write, edit, and lead production design and art department primarily right now for film, commercial, editorial, and digital content. A client can truly get an all-in-one shop here, and that’s what makes me proud every time a project is completed, and I believe that’s what truly sets this company apart from most, along with our upfront warmth and ability to be direct and positive collaborators.
I think that’s what I want everyone to know, that first off, we are very selective and discerning into whom we work with, and it’s never about the money. Due diligence is key to a healthy, balanced, and positive working relationship, and that’s something I look for in the consultation meeting. If certain things aren’t fully aligning, I am not afraid to professionally state that it may not be the right time to move forward, as I want to make sure I’m working with those who practice what they preach, and honestly are trying to inspire the world not add to it’s chaos. That is a major deal for me, and will always matter to me more than a paycheck. That is my motto and purpose for this company; to aspire to create, and create to inspire. I only want to do both with solid and aware people who see a bigger vision outside of themselves and the formulas of the industry that were created to constrict true creativity.
This company is fulfilling creative needs but also giving back. As a survivor of many things, I use my talents and business to help diversity and inclusivity be seen as normal, not a fad. I also use it to give back to my community, and help propel the next generation of well-rounded and multi-faceted creatives.
I plan to take VWP to all new heights in 2023, producing stories of promise, strength, and resilience that will hopefully touch the world in a fresh way and bridge gaps where there’s division.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Oh goodness! Isn’t that life for the rest of our life? Pivoting? I’m convinced there will never not be a moment in our careers or personal life in general where we won’t have to pivot. Even in our day to day, it’s a series of pivots when things don’t go according to our original plan. We miss that train, the client isn’t feeling the pitch like we thought they would, and now it’s back to the drawing board, we’re running behind on set, because the entire schedule changed because one actor needed a favor, so now the whole day shifted. Life is a series of daily pivots, I’d say! Sorry, if I got too deep for a second…
One major time I had to pivot career wise was back when my original team went their separate ways after graduation to pursue their dreams in their own way. Some moved away, others got married, and a few just honestly figured out early on that being in entertainment wasn’t what they wanted for the long haul. I ended up on my own, which was totally fine, but now I needed to figure out quickly how to keep the momentum going without them. For a few years, I did things here and there, but then I was gifted a camera of my own and would you believe that I had a natural eye for photography? I and everyone around me were completely shocked that I literally picked it up, started shooting and the shots were good, and I mean, really good.
From there, the city of Chicago where I’m from originally caught wind of my work, and I was booked up every week taking headshots and comp cards for agencies and talent. It kept me going for a good few years, and I did everything on my own, even the hair, make-up, and wardrobe fittings, as I majored in all of the above under my technical theater degree at Columbia. It actually really set me apart, because no other photographer can say they were giving that depth of personalized service but me, and I was proud of that. I was able to truly learn about the people I was shooting by making them look and feel their best before I even picked up the camera, and til this day I’ll get messages about how those moments helped them more than I thought at the time, on a personal life level.
I loved that era of my business and will never forget it, and though I still posses all of those skills, realized photography wasn’t exactly where I wanted this business to land. I wanted it to conquer in all realms, and now it’s doing just that, and I’ve gotten here because of several different pivots that led me to being taught by the best, and implementing what I was taught into my purpose and brand. I only wish we had more time to speak on those many pivots and wonderful leaders!
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
This is a tough question, because my life is based on nothing but resilience. I am a multi-abuse child abuse survivor, and suicide attempt survivor, and half of my childhood and adulthood has been leveled in resilience and healing from those things I was forced to experience and forgive. What happens in our personal life affects the rest of our life, and I realized that when I had a mental breakdown at age 24 when my mind and body crashed because I wasn’t dealing with the trauma. Instead, I was doing what I was trained to do my whole life, and that was to not let people see me cry, to be strong, and to be the best at what I do in order to be successful. Once that season of my life happened, I realized what was truly important and it honestly has made me the open, encouraging, spiritual being that I am today leading an inspiring business which has been a blessing to others professionally and personally.
My story has encouraged me to be a voice for the voiceless and to partner with those who want to do the same in some type of way, which is why I am greatly excited that from now on, every single dime of money that comes through my company, 10% of it will be given back to my partners at the Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center on which I’m on the advisory board, and a survivor speaker in whom they helped during my time of need. It will not only be a company known for creating content that matters and encouraging fellow creatives to be purpose-led industry leaders, but also known for putting our heart and money where our mouth is every single time. To help aid in the healing that I have found by the grace of God, through entertainment, media, and philanthropy.
My being alive to type these words after being saved from my last suicide attempt 9 years ago, illustrates my resilience. Being able to get up in the morning, stay motivated, and want to lead something bigger than myself is my resilience, and I’m blessed to share this with the world. And I want to encourage whoever is reading this to KEEP GOING, and to fight for your healing, understanding, and love that you rightfully deserve. You deserve to live this life and abundantly, and you deserve to experience all of the happiness you were naturally born with as a child.
No matter who has come against you and what they did to you, that does not define YOU. You get to choose. It’s not an easy road one bit, and trust me I’m still walking it out day by day, but my life, my business, my healing, my community, is what encourages me to keep going even when the days get dark. Because I know that even though I’ve been through it, others have too, and if I can encourage even a few like I’ve been encouraged, then it will all be worth it in the end. That is why I like to call myself the visionary woman. This is my story, this is my vision.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.visionarywomanproductions.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleylaurenofficial/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VisionaryWomanProductions/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleylaurenelrod/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ashleylaurenmus
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@visionarywomanproductions
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ashleylauren.official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@visionarywomanproduction Actor/UGC Site: https://www.ashleylaurenonline.com/
Image Credits
Personal Photo/Kicking Photo: Regan Norton Group VWAW Photos: Joey Schiappa