We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ashly Dudel a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ashly, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I’ve always loved film and TV. The first movie I ever owned was TITANIC and when I was in middle school, I remember begging my mom to buy me THE RING. Remarkably, I recently discovered that one of my favorite actors Brian Cox, from the masterpiece SUCCESSION, was in THE RING. I also have fond memories of watching FRIENDS and THE SIMPSONS and falling in love with the characters and their stories. However, I didn’t consider a career in film until I was writing my master’s thesis. I studied South and Southeast Asian Studies at one of the top German universities Humboldt University of Berlin and my master’s thesis focused on the film CRAZY RICH ASIANS and Asian American representation in Hollywood. One day, while I was doing research for my thesis, it dawned on me that I wanted to pursue a career in film. CRAZY RICH ASIANS inspired me to champion content that centers marginalized communities and advocate for those communities to be represented positively and authentically in Hollywood.

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

I work in live-action and animated scripted development at Marla Studios, a boutique production company specializing in video game adaptations for film and TV. We work closely with video game creators, writers, directors, and co-producers to create packages with elements such as a script or pilot, a visual deck, and an animatic for animation projects, etc. We pitch our projects to studios and streamers such as Warner, Disney, Netflix, Universal, Sony, Amazon, Apple TV+ and others, and act as an outsource studio for video game companies who want to build a 360 strategy for their properties. In addition to my work in scripted development, I produced the short film FIAT LUX 5000, which was featured at the Los Angeles Latino Film Festival (LALIFF) at the Chinese Theaters in Hollywood. I am also on the board of the Junior Hollywood Radio and Television Society (JHRTS), where I am the co-chair of the events committee and organize high level panels featuring Hollywood executives and creatives. In 2023 we partnered with the Latin Tracking Board to organize the “Latinx in Hollywood” panel hosted by Amazon MGM Studios and in 2025 we partnered with The Reel Champions to organize the “Making the Switch: Pivoting Careers Within the Hollywood Landscape” panel hosted by WME. I spearheaded the 2024 “The Future of Video Game Adaptations” panel hosted by CAA as well as the 2025 “Hollywood Reporter & JHRTS 35 under 35” panel hosted by Amazon MGM Studios.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

In 2020 I decided to move from Berlin, Germany back to California to pursue a career in film and TV. By then, I had been living in Germany for almost 10 years. I loved my career in international relations but knew I had to pursue a career in film and TV after writing my master’s thesis on the film CRAZY RICH ASIANS. While in Germany, I worked in diplomacy and public relations for multiple international entities including the Mexican Embassy, the American Embassy, The Hertie School of Governance, and the Center for Intersectional Justice. Although it might seem like a big jump to go from a career in international relations to a career in film and TV, working with prominent political figures prepared me for the Hollywood landscape. To make the jump, I started connecting with fellow Duke alumni who were already working in the industry and because of the pandemic, I was able to set Zoom meetings with ease. By the time I moved back to California in 2021, I started reaching out to people on LinkedIn and met a young woman who helped me learn more about animation and got me an interview at Nickelodeon. I also went through a mentorship program that connected me to a former Shark Tank participant who made a successful deal with one of the Sharks. He taught me a lot about corporate communication and how to develop professional relationships. I am grateful to both for helping me make the pivot into Hollywood. In retrospect, landing at my company seems serendipitous yet fated. While chatting with a friend from the Center for Intersectional Justice I told her that I moved back to California to pursue a career in film and TV. She was kind enough to reach out to her cousin who lives in Los Angeles and who then generously contacted his friend at Constantin Film who knew my colleague at Marla Studios. I am still in awe of how this all came together and I will always be grateful to my friend and her cousin, as well as the person from Constantin Film and my colleague, all of whom played a pivotal role in helping me break into the industry.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

The best way to support artists and creatives is by investing in their art and in programs that help emerging artists. Moreover, schools should have robust art programs that help students develop their creative abilities. One of the fondest memories I have from middle school is learning about narrative film structure. I remember watching and analyzing the film PSYCHO and reading poetry by Edgar Allan Poe, all of which made me love storytelling. These experiences left a mark on me that ultimately informed my decision to pursue a career in film and TV. It’s important to teach children from a young age about the vast range of art that exists and the how it influences the world. Art should be prioritized in our education system as a fundamental building block in childhood development. Furthermore, programs spearheaded by non-profits should be supported and elevated through investment. Recently, I participated in a brain trust for my friend’s non-profit “Justice for My Sister”. The organization trains young people from underrepresented communities to become production assistants. Not only do they teach their fellows the technical skills to work on film and TV sets, but they also teach them how to advocate for themselves. Their alumni have gone on to work for shows such as HBO’s Ballers and Euphoria. Additionally, programs such as the Latino Film Institute (LFI) Inclusion Fellowship which is sponsored by Netflix has helped numerous filmmakers fund their short films and proliferate their work, including my friend who wrote and directed the short film I produced.

Contact Info:

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashlydudel/

Image Credits

1. The photo with a purple background and 7 people should be credited to Emmy Young @etytakespics
2. The photo with the blue background and 10 people should be credited to Emily Krisky @kriskyem