ABOUT THE ARTIST

Ashley Salaz is an Indigenous visual artist who specializes in capturing the stories of marginalized groups. Her love of photography and cinema was sparked at a young age, and after graduating from the University of Southern California, she pursued a career in the film industry as a self-taught screenwriter. Ashley’s first script awarded her a spot in the 2010 National Hispanic Media Coalition’s TV Writers Program. 

​

After completing two TV pilots, Ashley realized that she may never see her stories come to life unless she learned how to use a camera herself. While learning to shoot, she made her first short documentary about the graffiti scene in Oakland and fell in love with the unscripted format. 

​

Her creativity got the attention of A3Ventures, and she was recruited as their first in-house photo and video producer. It was there that Ashley established best practices around all stages of digital content production and honed her skills on set.

​

Ashley is currently in production on her first feature length documentary- a story about her Indigenous roots, and her tribe’s quest to reconnect with their culture. In 2022, she was selected as a fellow for the Native American Media Alliance’s Unscripted Workshop where she developed her film with industry professionals.

​

Ashley currently lives in Oakland, California and is happiest when cooking for family and friends or shooting archery in the Redwoods.