Audio production and film are clearly a passion for Ashley Battle. And she’s as driven and deliberate in the creative media arts as any IPR graduate I’ve met.
Lft to Rt: Ashley Battle with Jerome Benton, Terry Lewis, and Jimmy Jam, of "The Original 7ven", IPR Director of Career Services Norbert Kreuzer, Christian Groves
Though I didn’t know Ashley as a student, I’ve had the pleasure of watching her work at BMA Network filming an interview with renowned producers Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis, along with their fellow band mate Jerome Benton (all currently of The Original 7ven – formerly known as The Time). Not too shabby for a media arts professional who’s only recently received her degree.
Ashley understands the importance of networking, never saying no to an opportunity, and being relentless in the pursuit of her craft. Though her name may not be on your radar yet, I suspect it will be soon. Along with IPR, I am proud to present you with Ashley’s story.
BIO
Ashley grew up just outside Chicago. The youngest of three siblings, Ashley’s passion for music and technology was obvious from a very young age. Whether making music, building a “machine” for an unknown purpose, or declaring herself a “mad scientist”, as a child, Ashley was always combining “elements” in creative ways. “My family called me a little “MacGyver” because I could fix anything or make anything. For Christmas I always wanted instruments or techie things, I was never into the girly stuff.”
In high school Ashley took band, radio, and television electives. By age 17 music making was a top priority and she began using Fruity Loops DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) software to create her own tracks. By graduation she’d decided on a Bachelor’s degree with a traditional college; her goal was to study music education.
Admittedly, traditional college was an odd fit for Ashley; though she was musically creative, the academic side of music wasn’t a top priority for her. “I couldn’t read music, I was the kid in band who memorized all my music. I played snare drum so it was pretty easy to memorize my parts.” As Ashley realized a degree in music education wasn’t for her, she decided to leave her program and pursue her true love.
Back home, Ashley began building and piecing together a studio in her basement. For Christmas or birthdays she asked for Guitar Center gift cards to spend on gear. “I told my family I didn’t care if the cards were only five dollars, it didn’t matter. Within two years I’d gathered approximately five thousand dollars’ worth of equipment.”
From MPC’s to Pro Tools to all types of MIDI keyboards, alongside a pretty decent mic., Ashley taught herself how to use the equipment. She’d record local artists from around the city to make a few dollars, but always knew she wanted to study recording and production at a professional level.
After researching several schools, in 2009 Ashley discovered IPR. Before this point she’d struggled to find the right educational fit or an internship that might teach her what she needed, but nothing seemed to offer what she was looking for. “When I went to IPR I felt at home and everything went so smoothly. Yes, it was a challenge – definitely not a walk in the park - but I knew I had found where I needed to be.”
Ashley’s hidden passion for film also took root at IPR. She found video post-production offered as an IPR capstone, and studied the art of audio for film and television as well. “Now I’m seeking a second degree in film, and I’m currently working at BMA Networks. I still love music production, but I can use both my film making and audio skills together to one day make something great. Post production and film are in the same family and people always tell me that it’s a good thing I’m doing both.”
Ashley’s combined skill set makes her a valuable media powerhouse, and IPR is proud to have played a role in helping her learn the skills for success.
What would IPR students and instructors say they remember most about you?
Honestly I was very quiet and kept a low profile, but I always had people complementing me on my hard work. I remember I had an internship at a local studio in town my 2nd quarter. I remember Kevin Bowe telling me that with my kind of determination I will go far. I kept looking for work outside of school; it didn’t matter if my skillset was fully developed. What mattered was landing the gig – no matter if I knew what I was doing or not.
Were there any big projects you undertook in your production or engineering capstone that laid the ground work for some of the things you’re doing now?
All of my engineering and post production classes taught me something. Some things I use all the time like file management or rules about levels and the way things sound. I will say I’ve learned a lot and sometimes I run into things that I didn’t understand during school that make sense to me on the job now. Then I say to myself “oh I remember this from class”.
Ashley Battle @ BMA Network working hard
Out of all your instructors who would you say worked most closely with you and had a special interest in your success?
Honestly I don’t know who I would say. I know taking the intro to video class with Amanda Kirchner opened my eyes to another world . She was very helpful and always told students she knew were interested when opportunities became available to work on projects. One of those projects is where I met Pete Rhodes which is who I work for now at BMA.
How do you feel your IPR education prepared you for the industry?
The biggest thing for me was most of the instructors were honest about “the business” and that it isn’t easy. IPR students work on projects together and separately, and all the instructors are working in the industry outside the school; it’s a great networking opportunity, but it also pushes you to work hard and learn your craft well. Sometimes you could even do something that might get you recognized by all your peers in the school. But once you hit the real world, you are competing with so many other people. I feel that most instructors were honest about the industry and tried to prepare us by giving us an honest look at what to expect.
What do you think it means to be successful in this industry? What advice would you offer to students who are either just getting ready to graduate or who are wondering how to find their place in this industry?
Being successful to me is doing what you love every day, being happy doing it, and making a living – Not being famous! My goal is to be recognized one day for my work and making a good living off what I do.
Ashley Battle on the WCCO set.
Since ours is often considered a male dominated industry, do you feel that being a woman in the industry offers you unique challenges that your male counterparts don’t face? Explain.
Oh Yes! Either people doubt me or they like the fact that I am a female. I feel some people are more comfortable working with males, especially other males. I don’t let it bother me anymore, I actually like it because I stand out; I am a woman of color so I create diversity.
What types of engineering work have you done since graduation?
I’ve worked mostly for TV, not much with music. I am actually looking to get back into the studio and do more audio engineering work.
Do you have experience with audio and video editing?
As of right now 90 percent of my work is video work and that includes editing videos.
How important do you think attitude is when it comes to success in the media arts?
Very important! With any job you should have a positive attitude. Your attitude reflects other people and your work. If you have a bad attitude people will see that, and working in the business of media or entertainment there’s no room for bad attitudes because you will be known as a tough person to work with. And, because of this, if you are just starting out you will find it hard to find people to work with.
What one trait/ability/skill do you feel has helped you more than any other to be successful in this industry so far?
Keeping an open mind with a willingness to work hard sometimes for very little compensation. I do a lot of free work to prove myself, and it pays off in other ways. I’m also willing to work on any type of project, no matter how silly it might seem. For example, I’d say yes if someone asked me to film their kid’s birthday party or record their four year old singing the alphabet. At this point I feel like this is where I am breaking into the industry. I am never too good for the smallest jobs. There are some things I won’t do for moral reasons or time, but I feel like I can learn from every experience until I get to a point where I am calling the shots or making enough money to not have to worry about finding work.
