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

Hi Ava , thanks for joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

Ava Leigh Stewart is a director, writer, producer, and artist. She cut her teeth at Turner Broadcasting, climbing the ranks of production, she has worked on projects for Warner Brothers, Time, AEG, Disney, USC, Daniels College of Business, AFI and a myriad of entertainment professionals on films and new media projects. She founded Art West Film, a full-service production company that specializes in film, television, and new media.

Stewart launched her film career in 2006 after earning a film degree in London, England. She garnished attention after directing, producing, and writing an award-winning short film called Keepers of the Gate. Her feature directorial debut was a comedy film and television show entitled, South of Southern & Sisters of Suburbia. She then directed several documentary films, including Paradise Garden, Finster, OOPARTS, and Dahlonega. Stewart has also directed and produced many short films, commercials, and music videos. She is the author of novels Everything in Between, Memoirs of Oblivion, and Brain Damage, as well as freelance writer for film and websites. It is not easy making a living as a creative person, you have to have a certain amount of hustle, it is not an exact science. I feel like each creative person is on a path of discovery and each person’s process is their own.

Ava , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Stewart launched her film career in 2006 after earning a film degree in London, England. She garnished attention after directing, producing, and writing an award-winning short film called Keepers of the Gate. Her feature directorial debut was a comedy film and television show entitled, South of Southern & Sisters of Suburbia. She then directed several documentary films, including Paradise Garden, Finster, OOPARTS, and Dahlonega. Stewart has also directed and produced many short films, commercials, and music videos. She is the author of novels Everything in Between, Memoirs of Oblivion, and Brain Damage, as well as freelance writer for film and websites. She directs, writes, and produces several podcasts entitled, FAMLINK & OOPARTS, the study of out of place artifacts, and has appeared as a guest speaker for many syndicated shows. She is just finishing an action-adventure novel, Invisible Gold, and is in development with another documentary film. She is the founder of a non-profit film collaborative, Southeastern International Film and Music Festival, which is hosted annually in Nashville and towns throughout the Southeastern US, as well as virtually, and hopes to create a curated network of independent films. As part of the Southeastern Film & Music collective, she founded a film education initiative Film Possible, and has been an adjunct speaker and professor of Film and Screenwriting at the University of North Georgia.

She has classical training in architecture and design and has worked as a professional Interior Designer and Real Estate Broker, specializing in renovations and investment properties. She has a unique visual memory and has extensive training in marketing and advertising. She has developed a line of personal and home care products Simply Custom, and uses her creative acumen to develop innovative solutions to improve home environments and self-care. In all her work, she approaches challenges with a creative spirit and will work tirelessly for the best result, until the project is done.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Her core passion is driven from her love of art and writing – her creative fine art works have been exhibited worldwide. As an artist, she specializes in oil painting, photography and mixed media, and her works have been exhibited Washington D.C., London, New York, San Francisco, Atlanta, Nashville and Los Angeles. She is an award-winning photographer, her work was featured in the documentary A million little pieces in 2010, and in 2014 and 2015 won an International Women in Photography Focus award. In 2009, her sculpture Alternative Energy was chosen for display in Washington, D.C. for the Red Bull Art of Can. She was featured in an exhibition at the Emily Harvey Foundation in New York for her graphic design entitled, Memoirs of Oblivion. Her poetry books are written and illustrated to bring the words into a new dimension, Intus showcases a collection of abstract paintings based on quantum physics. Holy Suppression, a poem from her book Beyond Fear, was featured as part of the documentary film, Bloodline. Her other poetry books include Symphony of Chaos, Without Fear, Revealed, Fledgling Darlings, Broadside Ballads, Waxing Eloquent, and Righteous Indignation.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Stewart started her career at CNN producing graphics and set design for the CNN Studios in Atlanta, Washington D.C., New York, London and Los Angeles. She constructed studio and remote sets for the Newsroom, Larry King Live, American Morning, Crossfire, Elections, Moneyline, and others. After gaining her post-graduate degree in Business, she was promoted with the directive to integrate design between Turner, Time Warner, AOL, CNN, CNNI, CNN Espanol, CNNSI, Nascar, WWE, Sports, and Headline News. She spearheaded the team that implemented digital asset management across all divisions Turner Broadcasting. She was instrumental in CNN’s coverage of September 11th, The War in Afghanistan, The War in Iraq, and the Tsunami in 2004. This included the use of Internet technologies never before incorporated in news coverage in every area of media. Her team created the first wireless video service, satellite war coverage, broadband prototype for CNN Video, both online and for cable syndication.

During her tenure at CNN.com, the website traffic more than doubled and was voted number one for four straight years. In 2002, the Terror on Tape special report, which she produced, won the Peabody Award. In 2004 the War in Iraq special won an Eppy for Best Overall Network TV/Cable affiliated Internet Service & Best Internet Special Feature. In 2004, she created the design CNN integrated between television and the Internet for the Tsunami Disaster, which won numerous accolades, including a National Headline Award for the innovative approach that allowed survivors to use the Internet to communicate.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @avaleighfilm
• Facebook: @avaleighstewart
• Linkedin: @avaleighfilm
• Twitter: @avaleighfilm

Image Credits
Ava Leigh Stewart Sam Green Trey Lafave Jeremy Oliver Miller Steve Penley Seth Scofield