Ashleigh Nichols is a writer and an Emmy-nominated producer from the Central Valley of California. Raised by a single mom, she spent her formative years living on an ostrich ranch where she would dream of the days she wouldn’t have to race home to “tend the birds.” In need of an escape, she found the creative arts. Performing on stage was where Ashleigh discovered her voice; crafting and writing stories was where she realized how powerful her voice could be.
Without realizing it, her love of children’s media started as a child. She was an avid reader. She would read anything she could get her hands on, from cookbooks to Agatha Christie. Her favorite thing was going to the locally owned bookstore and getting a brand-new book.
Then, she moved to Los Angeles.
Her first short film, SUMMER OF THE ZOMBIES, went viral, and her first feature as a producer, THE LAST LOVECRAFT, found distribution at Slamdance. During her tenure as a Production Manager, Line Producer, and Producer at COMEDY CENTRAL, LITTON (now HEARST), HBO, and many others, she was “boots on the ground” running productions. Still, she found the time to study with ROADMAP WRITERS, SUNDANCE COLLAB, and SCRIPT ANATOMY.
She jumped up and down the day she became a paid writer on the DIY show, THE OUTDOOR SHOW, and quickly followed it up with staffing on, BEST BUILDS COUNTDOWN on the Roku Channel.
When she became a mom, she gained a Sagittarius (which, as a Virgo, is difficult) and a love for children’s animated TV shows. She often emotionally connected with the shows she turned on for her little one. Her love of children’s media was rediscovered with her newfound passion for storytelling.
In the last several years, her obsession with creating characters inspired by and for the women and girls in her life has grown. Ashleigh cannot wait for the day she gets to write a show with a character that reflects her own smart and sassy daughter, even if she does horde all the good snacks and uses my designer handbags when she plays “grocery store.”
