Daily Inspiration: Meet Ashley Kay

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Kay. 

Hi Ashley Kay, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Sooooooo going back to around 1991-92, I remember vividly watching a commercial on CBS (at that time it was Channel 2 in Detroit) for the movie Stompin at The Savoy and I remember seeing Vanessa Williams on the screen and I was immediately drawn to her. I said something along the lines: “I wanna be like her someday. “Now granted that I was always in some sort of extra-curricular activity throughout grade school, I was still hesitant to dive into the arts because I always felt like the outcast when it came to everything I did. But when I was in the 8th grade acting in our school’s production of The Wiz, I knew then that Entertainment was the calling on my life. Now I really wanted to go DSA (Detroit School of Performing Arts) but my Mama was like “naw, you going to this charter school that’s 5 minutes from where we live.” So, I ended up attending Detroit Community High School, which I wasn’t too thrilled about because they didn’t have a Drama department; but I said that whatever college I end up at after high school, I’m going to major in Theatre. So, I enrolled at Saginaw Valley State University in the Fall of 2006 & that is where I was finally able to start my artistic journey. While majoring in Theatre I took up a few minors in Spanish, Communications, Creative Writing, and French. Those 5 years being there allowed me to create the foundation that carried me back home to Detroit where I was able to find work both in acting and working behind the scenes, all while trying to establish who Ashley Kay was. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
LOL, yeah that part… It definitely hasn’t been smooth by any means. Now there have been some highlights throughout my 15+ years being in the game, but as a true artist, I’ve heard the word NO more times than I did yes. But even in those moments of rejection, it pushed me to not only work harder, but I began to have more of a desire to want to tell my own stories instead of always waiting on someone to give me the opportunity to showcase my talents. And being someone who is Bi-Racial, I would sometimes have to deal with being told that I was either too black when it came to working with certain productions that were predominantly white or that I wasn’t black enough when it came to working with certain black productions. And as shocking as it may sound, there were folks that weren’t too keen of me because I had an educational background in Theatre and Writing and Even though some of them would never admit to it, but I felt like I had been overlooked on several occasions because certain individuals felt intimated by my work ethic, punctuality, and my passion for wanted to be the best at what I do. But nonetheless, God always made away to connect me to the right people who saw and understood my artistry and what was meant for me ended up being for me. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am an Actress/Writer/Director/Producer/Model/Host but I’m definitely known for my Acting, Writing, and Directing. 

Some of my proudest moments include:

-2011 SVSU Tony Award for the role of Eunice in A Streetcar Named Desire, 

-2014 Trinity International Film Festival selection for my very 1st short film that I wrote and directed called Happy to Be. 

-2019 Bricaloge Award for my lead in the show, Cloud Spinner. 

-Being directed by former Cass Tech Drama Teacher/Tony Award Winning Director Marilyn McCormick in productions: Sunset Baby, Ruined, & Nacremera Society 

-The Michael Jackson Thriller Parody that I wrote/directed/starred in called Thriller in The Hood, which is almost at 50k views on YouTube currently. 

– 2022 award for Outstanding Achievement (FORGIVE US NOT) at the 4th Dimension Independent Film Festival in Bali, Indonesia.

-And my most recent short film that I wrote & directed called FORGIVE US NOT is currently streaming on SDM Flix & is an official selection for the 2022 Detroit Black Film Festival. 

What sets me apart from others is that I am unapologetically me! It’s such a beautiful thing because not only have I continued to refine my voice in this industry but spiritually, I’ve been able to see myself in ways that I never imagined because I have had moments in my life where I felt like I would only be liked if I hid certain parts of the real me, but through this 4-5 year rebirth that I’ve been in, is where I felt the most free in me & through that process, I embraced that good/bad/ugly and now creatively, it’s taken me to even higher heights! 

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Authenticity. And I say that because too often, I see so many artists trying to copy one another because of what’s popular at the moment or because they wanna be the talk of the town for 15 minutes. It’s unfortunate that we live in a society where folks will try to pressure you into becoming something that you’re not just so you can “get ahead” and it may work for some but for me, I would rather carry the peace of knowing that I know who I am, I’m aware that my ideas, thoughts, views, and opinions don’t always match with what’s trending but I don’t apologize for it now because there are folks out there who are eager to support and love my creativity because it’s all inspired by the woman I once was and the woman I’ve become now. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @thatsashleykay @kayproductions88 @forgiveusnotfilm
• Facebook: Ashley Kay, KAY88 Productions LLC
• Yelp: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCWcSdp_Sm4isYNWkO2awTww

Image Credits
Kevin Foster
D Watkins Photography
Isaiah’s Vision