Ashley Avis

Ashley Avis (born January 27, 1987) is an American screenwriter, director, editor, and producer. Her credits include the feature films Deserted (2016), Adolescence (2018), and Black Beauty (2020) starring Kate Winslet and Mackenzie Foy. Early life Avis was born in Chicago, Illinois to Richard Avis and Victoria Woods. She has one younger brother, Richard Avis. At five years old, Avis' family relocated from Chicago to St. Petersburg, Florida where Avis grew up. She was a competitive equestrian from the age of seven to seventeen, competing on the hunter/jumper circuit in Florida. In 2003, Avis traveled to Ghana, West Africa for the Model of the Universe pageant, winning the title of Miss Teen Model of the Universe. Avis has expressed that she always wanted to become a writer, and thought she would eventually become a young adult author or novelist. She attended college in New York, double majoring in International Business and Marketing at Manhattan College in Riverdale, and graduated in three years in 2008. She worked as a real estate agent, a web designer, and at Nielsen Media as a journalist, eventually being promoted to the regional editor during her college years. After trying theater in Manhattan, she became attracted to writing screenplays. Career In 2009, Avis relocated from New York to Los Angeles, California, saving up money to produce her first pilot for a series called The Cynical Life. Because she didn't have the funds to hire a producer or a director, she took on those roles herself. The project caught the attention of Lionsgate founder Frank Giustra, who executive produced three episodes. From there, Avis directed and produced the classical music documentary Opus X, featuring Lone Madsen and Caroline Campbell.