Team Spotlight: Ashley Leitner, Production Coordinator
We think people are important. In this blog series, we highlight a different Hike member and ask the real questions about why they do what they do (and what Nic Cage movie is their fave).
Ashley Leitner, Production Coordinator
Where are you from? I'm from just outside of Baltimore, but moved to Chicago in 2015 when I started college at the University of Chicago.
How do you take your coffee? I am a gal of simple needs – vanilla latte, please!
What made you want to get into the industry? I first worked with Hike three and a half years ago when I hopped on board as a Production Assistant for a comedic web series the team was producing. It was the collaboration you find in storytelling that really attracted me to the film world. Since then, I’ve gone from helping with makeup and occasionally manning the sticks to finding and building relationships with our creative partners.
What is your favorite or most memorable project? (It does not need to be a Hike project!) Though I primarily work in communications, my favorite memories of Hike come from working on set. The most memorable project was the Swaby fashion video when our cinematographer handed me a small light and two pairs of gloves. While I held up the light and waved it back and forth, my colleague Nate fanned some dust around. The result was surprisingly glamorous!
What kinds of content excite you? I love making content like the Swaby video, which was a project that allowed the Hike team to get truly experimental. It’s this experimentation with film form that really inspires me.
What is the coolest place you've traveled to? In addition to film, I also love architecture. I spent two years in London where I studied Architectural History at the Bartlett School of Architecture (I invite any and all inquiries about architectural modernism in Hallmark movies). During this time, the coolest place I traveled was the South of France for the 71st Cannes Film Festival.
And most importantly… what is your favorite Nic Cage film? The absolute best Nic Cage movie? Face/Off.
