Backyard Welcomes LA-Based Director/Writer Ashley Avis

Busy commercial and feature director Ashley Avis is following Managing Director Roy Skillicorn’s plan and has joined Backyard’s directorial roster. This fits Skillicorn’s continued marketing for her and Backyard’s climb to the top. Ashley has written and directed for blue chip brands including Mercedes Benz, Pfizer, Red Bull, Coca Cola, Envya, Lone Ones, and most recently, Chevrolet. 

“Ashley is a wonderfully talented director who brings the same narrative sensibility to her commercial work as she does to her film projects, and she edits the vast majority of her commercial work herself —she’s the whole package,” says Kevin Allodi, Backyard’s President.  

“She lives close to Backyard’s headquarters in Culver City, and I see her physical presence there as a big step toward building the highly coveted culture that Backyard has always been known for,” Skillicorn states.  “We seek to cultivate an environment that is supremely conducive for creativity, a place for sharing ideas and where mutual learning is always taking place. With her success in the feature world, Ashley sets the stage to help foster that interdisciplinary culture that we seek. Ashley’s presence will also positively impact the company because of her caring attitude and her willingness to both share and receive knowledge.” 

Described as “timelessly romantic” (White Lies Magazine), and “elegantly sensual” (Elite Daily), Ashley’s work gives a firm nod to the fashion-genre style of longer content spots that are more like short films because she tells a story.  Her versatility as a director who adapts to whatever the job needs is evident in her diverse commercial portfolio. Effortlessly comfortable, whether working in TV, commercials or features, Ashley is in high demand; her latest film, a troubled teen romance, “Adolescence,” edited by Oscar nominated Douglas Crise (Birdman, Babel) and starring Tommy Flanagan and Elisabeth Rohm, is expected to hit theaters this fall. She has recently signed on to write and direct a $20M modern day adaptation of Anna Sewell’s classic novel    “Black Beauty”. In between feature projects she loves the challenge of the shorter form commercial ad world.

Ashley acknowledges her excitement saying ”Backyard’s long-standing presence and experience in the commercial adworld, plus their recent expansion into digital/branded content, are a great fit for the direction I want to pursue and I welcome the many opportunities they seek.  Working with Roy and his highly regarded, talented and enthusiastic troupe of producers at Backyard, thrills me. I'm excited to be part of their team.”