Meet Ashley “Ash-Lo” Turner

Ashley, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I was a teenager, I always saw myself working in media. I was the person who did the morning announcements in high school. I remember I would constantly win prizes from the radio station which eventually influenced my current career choice of Marketing, Media and Events. In fact, many times I give credit to Houston local radio station 97.9 The Box including The KrackerNuttz, Brandi Garcia and Madd Hatta Morning Show.

Eventually, during my undergraduate years at Stephen F. Austin State University, I received the opportunity to intern with the KrackerNuttz at Hot 95-7 CBS Radio Houston and did an additional internship with Radio-One Houston. Fast forward after graduating from SFASU, I eventually went on to work with Fox and CW as a Promotions and Events Director and launched AshHyphenLo Creative Services that focuses on Media, Marketing and Events as a freelancer. This allows me to work with different brands, companies and continue my career as media talent.

When I parted ways from Fox and CW I continued to cover events including concerts, fashion shows and special events throughout Houston and other markets under my AshHyphenLo brand.

Sometimes people tend to ask why I call myself The Fake Reporter. One evening after a concert I was hanging with my uncle and his coworkers who works in the music industry and he jokingly referred to me as “A Fake (A__) Reporter”. At first, I was in shock because no one had ever called me that. I was like why would he such a thing? But I knew it was a joke so there were no hard feelings. But that night, I went home slept on the name and the next day it became apart of my brand. Ash-Lo aka The Fake Reporter. Shortly after adding the name to my brand, the first time I introduced “The Fake Reporter” to the Public was when I ran into Isaiah Carey from Fox 26 News at a Music Event I was covering and the rest is history. I love the shock value it brings when a person I’m interviewing hear me say it for the first time.

As I grew interest in business, I enrolled in Texas Southern University Executive MBA program where I recently graduated this past December 2019. I plan to take the tools I learned about business and become a better marketer and overall business woman.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
“All my life I had to fight” is one of my favorite quotes because it’s so true. My road has been far from smooth. I try my best to show both the good and bad on my social media because so many people assume I’m living a fabulous lifestyle, meeting celebrities and at events when that’s merely a small part of my life. I’m honestly just a person who’s refusing to give up on my teenage dreams.

Now there has been a few times I wanted to give up. I’ve been laid off, I’ve quit jobs, I’ve been homeless. I’ve questioned my purpose many and many times. And I have heard a lot of No’s (or no responses, if I’m really spilling the tea.) And I’ve made a lot of sacrifices. Like when I decided to stop accepting clinics and focus on school and my day job until I graduated.

Through the tough days, I found myself in always believing in a better tomorrow. On bad days I tell myself if I can just get through this day tomorrow will be better. And I believe in the power of prayer.

On a media/ personality note, being in media, most of the time people want to only support you when you’re backed by big titles. For instance, when I worked for Fox and CW, I was treated as VIP and I get it those are major TV networks. But when I started specifically using a self-started brand, media clearances for big events became harder and almost none existence. And I get it, it’s just something that’s a part of the game.

Going through certain experiences have truly taught me not to take anything personal. In my industry, you have to have tough skin. Now, I still remain the southern belle I am because I don’t want this cold world to turn me into something I’m not, I just no longer take industry experiences personal. Which is also why “The Fake Reporter” has such a deep meaning for me because there’s nothing fake about me or anything I do. I just want your shock value to reel you in for my media coverage.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
To sum it up in three words, I do marketing, events and media. Behind the scenes, I am a marketer. I love being the liaison between a brand and their audience. I’ve worked with numerous brands and companies such as Adidas, Gatorade, Fitbit, Houston Texans, Houston Rockets, Non- Profits, and other companies. I am currently working with a healthcare company. I specialize in digital marketing, brand/product management, event planning and strategic marketing just to name a few.

As a Media Personality “Ash-Lo (The Fake Reporter)” I cover special events such as movie screenings, concerts and fashion shows.

I am probably known as The Fake Reporter more than anything now because I always manage to get the interview, and even though I am a real media personality “The Fake Reporter” is still building a name in the entertainment industry.

As a company, I am most proud of being booked and able to contribute to events such as The Super Bowl, The World Series and James Harden Charity Weekend. I’m blessed to have some of the best opportunities fall in my lap.

The thing that sets me apart from others is media, marketing and events is literally apart of who I am as a person. And I’m authentic. When I interview people, it never seems like an interview but a merely a conversation. I think the chemistry I give on camera is a vibe that’s hard to find nowadays. I am very personable yet always professional.

What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I would listen to music everyday. I literally would turn the radio on every morning and music videos at night. I remember I also loved to talk when I was young. Which now I always laugh at since I grew up to get a degree in mass communications. In addition, I loved going to events like concerts, I still remember my first concert was a bow wow concert at The Arena I eventually met him twice. The young person I was really shaped who I grew up to be and not much have changed with my love for events and music.