NEW YORK CITY — Audio post production studio Sound Lounge (https://soundlounge.com) has promoted Ashley Simmons to mixer, following the company’s long-standing tradition of nurturing and training talent from within. She joins the mix roster after five years of assisting and honing her craft at Sound Lounge.
Simmons’ skills span multiple disciplines. She has amassed a body of work that includes advertising, film and documentary credits, and has collaborated on projects for brands such as AT&T, DoorDash, Synchrony Bank, Comcast and the Women’s History Museum. She also worked on Procter & Gamble’s “Widen the Screen” initiative, aimed at shattering racial stereotypes in the media, which features narration by Academy Award-winning actor Mahershala Ali. The project was directed by Kevin Wilson Jr.
“Ashley is a vital expansion to the Sound Lounge roster,” says Marshall Grupp, partner, COO, and sound designer at Sound Lounge. “From an owner and mentor perspective, seeing her put in the work — learning, watching, listening, asking questions, continuing to grow as an artist — that’s what you really want to see from the next generation. Ashley has a unique perspective and has developed a very strong voice and vision of how she wants to use her creativity.”
“I love working on projects where emotion, creativity and important messaging all intersect,” explains Simmons. “I thrive in a space where people truly believe in what they’re doing. When the meaning goes deeper, that’s where the passion really ignites. In those cases, we’re creating something bigger than ourselves, and it’s so fulfilling for everyone involved.”
Simmons says the ad industry, along with the rest of the world, has made a large shift toward prioritizing diversity and representation for BIPOC artists, such as herself.
“I’m really excited to be on this team of mixers at Sound Lounge and to be celebrated for exactly who I am,” she notes. “Being a black woman — the way I talk, the way I dress, the way I wear my hair — I haven’t always felt taken seriously in the industry. I’ve felt like there were aspects of my personality that I had to dampen down to fit in, but things are changing. Working on powerful projects that prioritize beautiful teams of black and brown faces has truly built my confidence to just be me. I hope other young talents can see me and see that they don’t have to be anyone besides themselves to succeed. Keep going, never stop following your path, and continue fighting for what you love.”