Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashton Hart.
Hi Ashton, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am originally from Baytown, Texas. I grew up on a rough side of town in a single parent household, which of course came with its challenges. Baytown is a small industrial town with no outlet or platforms for any arts other than black church.. and that is where my foundation in creativity came from. I eventually picked up playing piano. I did not understand the significance of this skill until later on in life . At 12 years old, I also began to take interest in film. That was when my mom bought my first camcorder. I recall recording in “the hood.” My first recordings were of nature and my environment and my surroundings was not conducive to what my intentions were. Filming flowers and butterflies with illegal drug activity in the background forced me to learn framing and editing very early. Especially when the local drug dealers knocked on my door demanding my recordings be handed over due to what i witnessed and had recorded in my innocence. That was the start to what is now a large part of my life. From that point on I grew into the entrepreneur you see today.
Upon relocation to Houston, Texas I met a guy by the name of Terrance Hartford (THart), who hired me to play for his uncle’s church. He was instrumental in helping me learn to market my skills, develop my craft and receive compensation for my worth. Over the course of the next 8 years, I played for several churches, perfected my skills, made a name for myself and built my brand. In 2017, I met Harold Jay Trotter of 1989Dreams Productions, It was from this meeting that my piano playing, filming and acting abilities were finally recognized and put to use. His ability to finetune all my skills in a very competitive industry, is grooming me to be a triple threat. I have been on tour with his production team ever since.
This experience has been by far the most challenging, uplifting, edifying and rewarding. Working in this environment forced me to address challenges head on, step outside of my comfort zone and grow in areas that weren’t cultivated in my earlier years of fundamental learning. This transformation, is indeed necessary.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My biggest obstacles that I have had to overcome was my business skills, contracting and knowing how to teach unpaid persons and volunteers while convincing them that their skills are needed and vital. Recognizing that each individual in the church choir was similar to a character in a film made filming more realistic and an opportunity for my vision. Being the Choir Director taught me how to blend differences as well as draw out similarities.
Another challenge that I am faced with daily is identifying as LGBT+. Society is my GREATEST adversary…
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
From my story through my obstacles, I have produced videos for networks, visuals for up and coming artist, commercials for businesses. I also ventured into photography and worked with a couple of name brand folks lol. I’m most proud of my current project, BROMANCE HOUSTON. It’s a YouTube channel, soon to be reality show, with a fresh concept. It’s about friends of opposite sexualities and what they really do vs what people think they do. What makes it unique is that it answers that question that’s been floating around “can a gay guy and a straight guy be friends?” It’s very entertaining and it debunks a lot of myths and breaks the stigma of a gay-straight friendship. It also highlights the contrast between racist white people and homophobic black people. Especially in the black community where it is important for us to come for what we have in common versus causing the conflict from our differences. It shows the change we want to be and I’m really proud of that. STAY TUNED.
Pricing:
- Consultations: $20/hr
- Outdoor Photography: $100/hr
- Indoor Photography: $150-200/hr
- Food and Product Photography: See consultation
- Videography: $200/hr includes basic editing
Contact Info:
- Email: bromancehouston@gmail.com
- Website: https://drum.io/bromancehouston
- Other: https://drum.io/bromancehouston
