ABOUT THE ARTIST

Ashley Salaz is an Indigenous storyteller 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. 

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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. 

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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.

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Ashley is currently in production on her first documentary- a story about her tribe’s Native-run school and the lasting effects of its closure on the community.  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.

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