Meet Ashley Daugherty | REALTOR®, Acting Studio co-founder/owner, & professional Dancer/Actress.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashley Daugherty and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashley, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I think taking risks is an absolute must in life, especially with a career. If we don’t take risks, we’ll never grow. Without growth, we’ll never change. Without change, comfort & complacency will consume- that’s how you end up stuck, depressed, and unmotivated. Growing up in the military, I was forced to move many times and start fresh. I had to attend new schools (even in the middle of the school year) & make new friends all the time. As a kid, this was very difficult; As an adult, it has served me well. You can drop me in new places and I’ll adapt just fine. When my husband & I moved to Atlanta in 2018, we only knew a few people. We ended up buying a house, starting a business and taking on new/additional careers – oh, & don’t forget a pandemic! And LA was the same thing when my husband & I moved there- starting over brand new. We opened up an acting studio in Smyrna, GA called Door D Creative on March 12, 2020 – the day before the pandemic started & was officially announced -YAY. That was definitely a risk & a huge challenge that still follows us.

Comfort to a certain extent is great but when I start to feel antsy, I listen to that feeling very closely. It’s usually a prelude for the next chapter.
  

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve been a professional actress, dancer, & movement artist for over 15 years. I’ve worked in TV/film, live entertainment (stilts, dance, character work, fire spinning, aerial acrobatics, etc.), & motion capture work. I found a niche’ in Hollywood working as a professional movement artist because not every actor is a dancer or dancer an actor. I was able to fill that need/void in the industry quite frequently. For example, when I booked a Fruit of the Loom commercial as a conductor (I conducted an orchestra in my underwear, FYI, lol) and asked my director why I got the role out of the hundreds of other actresses, he said besides having the look that was needed, I was the only actor that had rhythm. I also did pre-visual motion capture work for 6 months with Chris Sanders on the movie ‘Call of Wild’ starring Harrison Ford. This required bringing character movements to life with only having the bare essentials of props to work with (mats, apple boxes, sticks, etc.). I’ve also been in over 30 music videos that include dance, shadow work, physical monster character work, green screen, etc. Unfortunately, triple & double threats aren’t as prevalent in the industry anymore. We need to bring that back.

At an early age, I started training in dance/ballet, which led me to competitive figure skating and eventually to cheerleading in high school. I studied drama, did school plays, and eventually went to UCSD for Theater (University of California San Diego). At the time, UCSD’s Theater program was ranked one of the top 3 in the nation, right behind Yale & NYU. I was lucky enough to train with some of the best and perform on the La Jolla Playhouse stage. Ultimately, my skills with dance and acting led me more to character-based movement work in Hollywood which I fell in love with. More my speed.

Hollywood is a very tough industry. You have to learn how to stand up for yourself and not be afraid to say no, especially if you don’t have a good agent or manager. And there still isn’t enough regulation or accountability within the industry. I’ve got every story imaginable. Hence, SAG-AFTRA & the Writer’s Guild currently on one of it’s biggest strikes in history. That’s why I decided to get my Real Estate License. I’m a licensed REALTOR® with The Hester Group at Harry Norman Realtors in GA. They’re an incredible company that helps every agent truly become successful. Real Estate, at least has regulation & accountability because it’s dealing with license law. I like that a RE agent’s license is at stake if they don’t fulfill contractual obligations or follow certain codes of ethics & license law. Hollywood should take note.

I didn’t grow up being handed anything. I was raised to work hard. My dad served in the military for 24 years and my mom was a traveling tour guide & extremely organized. They both instilled discipline & integrity in me. They were extremely supportive of my dreams, too. My first jobs in life, besides babysitting & mowing lawns, was bagging at a commissary, lifeguarding, and managing life guards on a military base all before the age of 21. I remember being responsible for over 100 patrons’ lives and 2 pools on a daily basis at the age of 19. I needed to be able to administer CPR and follow emergency protocols at a drop of a hat. That job made me grow up pretty fast and learn how to manage very quickly. I also worked really hard for my money. Unlike a lot of kids whose parents bought them their first cars, I had to buy my own. After years of working on the weekends during high school, I saved up $4k and bought my first car with cash at 16 years old. It was one of the most rewarding feelings. And still is to this day when I work hard.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned: Being consistent, reliable, & on time has opened so many doors for me. Skill & talent of course is a must, but it’s crazy how many artists & employees I’ve worked with throughout the years lose money and jobs by simply not doing the latter.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My husband & I love Marietta Square! It’s a little park square with pre-Civil War buildings and an eclectic array of restaurants and shops. Food-wise they have Australian, Spanish, Vietnamese, & Southern, plus lots of cool bars and craft cocktails. During the summer they have an outdoor live concert series in the park where you can bring your own food and booze & dance the night away!

The Botanical Gardens in Atlanta is a great place, too! They change out their installations each season and since it’s right next to Piedmont Park, you can do both. The Battery at Truist Park is pretty rad, too. Lot’s of awesome restaurants and of course, the Braves games!

Mostly, my husband and I love nature so we escape up to north Georgia & the Blue Ridge Mountains a lot for fishing, hiking, camping, & exploring.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Well, first off, my husband Josh Daugherty. He’s been my support, cheerleader, & best friend since day one. I love him dearly and can’t imagine spending life with anyone else.

Then there’s Kristina Guede & Tony Schott with an entertainment company called The Off Centered Project (The OCP) https://www.theoffcenteredproject.com/ . I’ve been working in live entertainment for 15 years as a specialty artist & professional dancer and they are by far the best company I’ve ever worked for. They’re hard workers, take care of their artists, & are specialty artists themselves with multiple circus and athletic skills. They’ve built this company from the ground up in Atlanta for the last 12 years and they allow me to still be creative and utilize my skills in movement in so many different ways (dance, character-work, stilts, etc.).

Also, a big thank you to The Hester Group at Harry Norman Realtors in Atlanta for giving me a chance at a new career that I’m enjoying every day!

Website: www.imdb.com/name/nm3356398/ , www.doordcreative.com , https://www.harrynorman.com/bio/AshleyDaugherty

Instagram: @ashleyd.homes, @doordcreative_actingstudio

Facebook: Door D Creative

Image Credits
-Joshua Stringer. https://www.joshstringer.com/
-@christyparryphoto
-@huggermedia
-Katie Weeks https://katieweeksphoto.wordpress.com/about/
-Stephen Albanese – www.tailstar.com
-Carrie Frances Photography @carriefrancesphoto