Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Nicole Stevens.
Hi Ashley Nicole, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
I graduated from Bethel University with B.As in Theatre Arts (double emphasis in Acting & Directing and Musical Theatre) and Sacred Music. After graduation, I focused on auditioning for various theatre companies around the Twin Cities, MN (while holding other jobs to support my artistic endeavors).
Outside of acting, I also explored singing with a groups of friends, where I was the lead singer for a while. I have also created a few YouTube videos of me singing covers (with more to come as I get time).
After a while, a group of my friends and myself landed an opportunity to work as Voice Actors for some indie video games. Because of this, I got to really dip my toes in Voice Acting and found that I really loved it. After a while of not doing anything about it and continuing to audition for Stage and Film, I finally got the courage to take some Voice Over lessons with Jessica Mraz (my amazing teacher and mentor). She really helped me learn more about the VO (Voice Over) community and industry and gave me the chance to dabble in each area of the field.
Once I had finished 2 of her 4-week classes, I decided to go for it and starting looking up how I could break into the VO world. That’s how I found ACX where I can work as an Audiobook Narrator. I landed some books as I continued to audition for Stage and Film. Then, COVID hit, and I took all the time I was using for Stage and Film and put it into growing the collection of audiobooks I narrate. It has been wonderful and I can’t wait to share the audiobooks that I am currently working on!
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?
It hasn’t been smooth and I know I still have a long way to go. I have so much to learn and can tell I still need to improve in MANY areas before I can make it with the big-shots! I still have to work another job to support my artistic endeavors. BUT! I can see all of the signs of growth that give me hope that this is going somewhere. One obvious sign is my paychecks. I have seen growth in those as I have put out more books and started working with authors that are more well-known than authors from my previous projects. And, probably the best feeling is having authors/publishers reach out to me more and more! I haven’t had to audition for a book in a while and know I have plenty of work ahead of me with authors I absolutely love working with! The most recent author that reach out to me will have the widest audience that I have seen with any other author I have worked with. Which is huge! So, even though it is taking a while, I love getting to see these moments of growth and improvement!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Most of my artistic work has been as an Audiobook Narrator. I have also worked as a Stage Actor while dabbling in some film work and singing jobs. If I had to classify myself as who I would love to be known as, I would say I am an Actor and Singer. Now, I just need to keep working to gain some traction in both of those fields!
Any big plans?
I can see lots of room for improvement. Now that I have gotten to work in various areas of the acting and singing fields, I can see all the areas I want to get better. I want to take more classes, learn more, grow, and put all my new knowledge to use! I have quite a few Audiobooks lined up and am currently working on three (one of them being the final book in a series I have been narrating!). I will continue to take a break from Stage, and some Film, due to COVID. During this break I plan to work on these Audiobooks I mentioned previously, grow in my craft, maybe put out some YouTube videos, possibly … POSSIBLY … work on my own music and getting it out into the world, and try my hand at teaching English in Korea for a bit. I love learning about other cultures and living in them. I figured this is the best point in my career to live in another country for a while as I hone my craft. That way I can come back strong and with a bit more money in my pocket. 😉
Pricing:
- “Wide Awake The Goddess Chronicles, Book 1” by K.B. Anne – $19.95 on Audible (Book 1-5 are currently out and for sale)
- “Alamir Blood of Kaos, Book 1” by Nesa Miller – $24.95 on Audible
- “The Monster Zoo” By: Gwen Banta – $3.95 on Audible
Contact Info:
- Email: ashleystevensacts@gmail.com
- Website: www.ashleynicolestevens.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/ashleynicolestevens
- Other: https://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=Ashley-Nicole+Stevens
