Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Crane.
Hi Ashley, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been writing and acting since I can remember. From jotting down plays on construction paper with crayons and roping my siblings and cousins into performing homemade shows for our families at every gathering, I’ve always known I wanted to be a storyteller.
I grew up performing at local theaters and went to college at Palm Beach Atlantic University, graduating with a degree in Communications and Cinema Arts.
I returned to Spartanburg, signed with a local agency (T3 Talent Agency) and began auditioning for film and tv. I went to work at the theater I grew up in (Spartanburg Youth Theatre), and connected with the Tryon International Film Festival.
Through a series of conversations that all ended with “well, if you ever find yourself in New York….” I moved to the city and did the struggling actor thing where I slept on my cousin’s couch for three months (it was a really nice couch!). I began working as a crew member in film and commercials.
One of the people I’d connected with before moving to NY was the incredible Denise Simon. An acting coach who works with young actors all over the country, she brought me in as a teaching assistant and helped me find a love for coaching.
Denise trained with Acting Coach Wynn Handman, and had a former classmate who coaches adults. She recommended me, and months later I was attending Penny Templeton Studio’s Master Class and assisting with tech needs in their Advanced on Camera Class.
(Running camera is a fantastic way to learn about on camera acting! It’s so much easier to block yourself when you have been on the other side of the lens and know how difficult it can be to follow an actor!)
Covid hit, and everywhere I worked went remote. My dad’s birthday falls in early March, and I found myself stuck in SC after visiting. With the city shut down, I was happy to be with my family, and able to enjoy my parents’ huge backyard on a lake. I didn’t hate Brooklyn, but my bedroom was the exact same size as my mom’s walk-in closet, and there was definitely no yard.
Fast forward to 2021… I’m still in SC working remotely.
I have a new agent, and am auditioning and booking much more consistently than I was in NY. It’s paying to be a trained actor in an up and coming area!
I’ve reconnected with SYT to bring them exciting On Camera Acting Classes, Filmmaking Summer Camps, and more!
I’ve also begun teaching classes and workshops at places like Converse University, Spartanburg Methodist College, Anderson University, Artios Academies of Greenville, and Velos Collective.
The Tryon International Film Festival was always in my peripheral. After assisting the first two years, and judging a category in the third, I’d been sad to miss out on years 4-6. However, I reached back out and offered my assistance for Year 7!
They brought me on as Director of Education, and we asked the judges and returning filmmakers that we had great relationships with to teach workshops for our attendees. We had 6 sessions, with a fair attendance. Coming off of Covid, we were just happy that the town was letting us host an event at all!
It went incredibly well, so we dreamed bigger for Year Eight! Why couldn’t we offer 14 workshops with over 29 presenters from all over the world? Why couldn’t we expand our workshops to discussion groups, panels, and lectures? Why couldn’t we find sponsors like Red Cameras and Final Draft, or locals like Spartan Photo, to partner with us to provide FREE education for aspiring filmmakers?
We could. So, we did.
The results blew me away. Our “Breakout Sessions” were a huge hit. I’d been a bit nervous… after all, we were offering 50+ films from all over the world, an incredible gala, parties galore, an awards ceremony, all set in the scenic town of Tryon filled with adorable shops and eateries… but people actually showed up!
It was extremely rewarding to see local and visiting artists taking advantage of these free sessions, networking, and learning so much to enhance their crafts.
And we’ve got even BIGGER plans for Year Nine! (We need volunteers!)
I’ve also been recently connected to local filmmaker through Rhodes Farrell, founder of a community of creatives called “Film Bar Greenville”. If you’re looking to meet fellow filmmakers, check it out!!
So in the meantime, I’m continuing to audition and act, writing, teaching, and planning for the 2023 TRIFF!
I’m so grateful to my The Brock Agency who are currently representing me. Beverly Brock is incredibly sweet and is such a wonderful person to have on my team!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I think everyone struggles with wondering if they’re in the right profession… but I think sometimes it can be tough for artists because you don’t.
You KNOW you’re in the right profession… people just don’t see the benefit of paying you for your art. And then they wonder why you don’t have a “real” job.
I’ve been lucky enough to surround myself with extremely supportive friends and family, but there’s always that bit of doubt in the back of your mind.
Moving from SC to NY was challenging. I was lucky enough to move in with family, but learning how to get around the city was new… sometimes exciting, sometimes scary, pretty much always exhausting. NY is a challenge in and of itself, but it’s also a magical place.
Working on my first union film was hard, but I loved it.
Seeing my family in SC gather for parties, championship games, Thanksgiving without me was difficult.
Getting rejected over and over at agency after agency, audition after audition, gave me a really thick skin.
I’m grateful that my parents taught me to look at challenges as ways to be a creative problem solver. It turns things like having a mouse-infested apartment on a rat-infested block into a puzzle. How can I make this place the home we’re dreaming of?
Which is an awesome talent to have as an actor and writer, because it’s one of the first questions you have to ask yourself when approaching a new piece.
Even choosing to return to SC was tough.
Teaching kids is tough.
Teaching adults is tough.
Being in charge of an entire area of a film festival that previously didn’t exist was thrilling… and terrifying.
But everything I do, I do because I love it, and I see how it positively impacts others and affects change. So for now, I’ll take the challenges.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m an actress, a writer, and an educator.
I think I’m most proud of my work with the Tryon International Film Festival, all of my NY and SC students… and I’m proud of my acting and writing (AshleyNCrane.com).
So… really everything! I wouldn’t do something if I wasn’t proud of it.
I think what sets me apart is how passionate I am about others. Nothing means more to me than partnering with someone and seeing our collaboration come to life.
I remember I had a student who I worked with tirelessly… he was so smart and talented and such a hard worker, and we both knew he could do it. Then one day he messaged me to let me know he’d booked Charlie in Charlie in the Chocolate Factory on tour. It was one of the proudest moments of my life.
I’ve started teaching at a school, and one of my newer students booked the White Witch in Lion, Witch, and the Wardobe… and I was as equally as thrilled for her.
It doesn’t matter the audience size or how much you’re getting paid… getting to explore a role in any capacity is the reward of a lifetime.
Coaching and teaching follow me everywhere in life… I was a rock climbing coach for a long time, and now continue to work as an instructor at Highest Goals Leadership School. We host leadership and team-building events for all kinds of groups, and I love collaborating with leadership to help form and develop teams.
I think it’s the psychology of it all… when you’re putting yourself in a character’s shoes as an actor or author… it’s the same as putting yourself in someone else’s shoes to communicate in a workplace or defuse a tense situation. Just learning to see the big picture, understand other perspectives… it just rounds us out and makes us better human beings.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
My dog, Maddie! She’s a shih tzu, and the literal best.
My little cousin, who also loves theater, and has become my buddy.
Seeing people (myself included) being rewarded for their hard work.
My family, my friends.
Rock climbing and kayaking and the beach.
Coffee, and reading.
Musical Theater. I just got into this a few years ago… my grandmother introduced me to it at a young age and I think for a long time I loved it because I loved her… but now I love it for its own sake and it’s a great way to remember her by.
My cousin and I are writing a tv series together! Working with him and collaborating in this way brings me so much joy!
My brother is an incredible filmmaker on his own, and he often runs tech for my workshops or teaches some of the more technical skills in my classes and camps. He’s so much better at it than I am. We’re close and it’s really wonderful to be able to work together. (Especially around kids, who are hilarious!) Nothing beats having a work partner you trust.
I’ve recently taken up singing lessons and it’s been challenging and so much fun!
Pricing:
- Coaching for actors: $30/ 30 min
- Coaching for actors: $50/ 60 min
- Workshops: message me with more info about your group and topic interest, and I’ll send over a quote!
Contact Info:
- Website: Ashleyncrane.com
- Instagram: @craneash
- Facebook: Ashley Crane
Image Credits
Headshots by Jazelle Foster from Creatives Meet Marketing
