We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashton Swinford and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashton, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Being my own boss was a priority, but I only took the leap after learning the ropes on other people’s projects before realizing I can do the same for myself, but differently and possibly better.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Wow. This is an interesting question because every path is so different. Nothing about choosing to be an artist, especially a filmmaker is easy, but the difference is we don’t ever stop. We can’t. It’s a calling.

I know for me specifically there were so many professional heartbreaks – from getting fired after the fitting for a commercial acting job, to having my first green-lit script dropped weeks before production. The career ups and downs are truly heart breaks, but you pick up the pieces, remember why you love this, and every day take another step in that direction towards your dream. No one will understand what you’re building but someday, you’ll look back and have created something greater than yourself. Something semi-permanent in the impermanent. A commentary on your existence. Culture.

This spring, I’m excited to be able to share our Sci-Fi project WIZDOM (ProjectWizdom.com) which director Layne Marie Williams and I have been working on for over 3 years now. Although this film is a labor of so much love, this experience has truly been a dream that became reality. It was the first project where we asked ourselves – what story would we tell if we had no limitations. And we made that. Of course in producing it, we had limitations, but we didn’t let our ideas be limited to where we are now, but rather where we want to be.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oooooo Let’s see…. I’m pretty much a homebody these days but when I do go out I’ll hit up Jonah’s Kitchen in Santa Monica for the food and drink vibes, for food I’ll do Sugarfish, Nobu Malibu (classic), and of course the view at Yamashiro is iconic. I also love The Reel Inn for some lunch/casual dinner vibes across from the ocean in Malibu.

If I’m DTLA I’ll probably do The Girl and the Goat since I’m a Chicago girlie (where chef Stephanie Izard started) and follow up with some delicious organic wines at Good Clean Fun for some cute/casual vibes where you can actually have convos with your friends over the music.

If you’re hanging with me during the day I’ll probably take you to Franklin Canyon Park, or any of the hikes in Topanga Canyon. If you’ve never been to LA before – the Hollywood Sign hike and Runyon Canyon are obviously great people watching, but be prepared to be basic.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to shout out all my female and gender non conforming filmmakers out there on that grind. Hollywood is a male dominated industry and can feel like you’re attempting to infiltrate a boys club at times, but by persisting and continuing to create bigger and better projects we are making more inclusive sets and stories to bring together more people like us.

Website: https://ashtonswinford.info/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashtonswinford

Other: https://imdb.me/ashtonswinford https://www.projectwizdom.com/

Image Credits
Abbi Chase

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