Meet Ashley Blalock | Ashley Avery Agency CEO & Founder

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

Hi Ashley, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I feel that for my Agency one of the key factors that has made us successful over the years is that we always put ourselves in the shoes of our talent, while actively working to achieve client goals and objectives. In my college years I worked as a Spokesmodel and Brand Ambassador so I know what its like to be in the field as a model. I know what it is like to be in heels for 8 hours a day running around a trade show floor. This fundamental knowledge is the one component that I felt was lacking in the industry. Oftentimes agencies loose sight of cultivating the right talent and hone in on the client needs only. I feel that in order to achieve true success you have to ensure every person along the way is happy.

What should our readers know about your business?
I own the Ashley Avery Agency, a Model and Talent Agency that is based in New York City but staffs events all over the world. I started this company on my own over 12 years ago after deciding that I didn’t want to pursue a career in Law. Ashley Avery is different that your traditional modeling agency that specializes in Model Management. We don’t exclusively sign Models to our agency. You can work for us and work for other agencies. This enables us to have a quite robust database, over 10,000 models Worldwide. We staff a broad spectrum of events- on & off premise liquor promotions, spokes models for trade shows, influencer campaigns, print ads, etc.

Owning a business is never easy, if it was everyone would do it. The path is always a bit rocky. Even after being in business for almost a decade at the time the pandemic hit, it was still quite hard to navigate. I think the key in business is always be willing to fail, learn to be proactive, and work to adapt your brand to trends in the market, and always be networking.

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.
Well since I am New York based the possibilities are quite endless. When I have someone visiting I like to make sure to incorporate a few tourist destinations along with some of my favorite local NYC spots. For anyone that is coming to NYC for the first time, you have to take them to Times Square, it’s the one location that always really sticks with people. Depending on the time of year I love a bike ride through Central Park, Tea at the Plaza Hotel, lunch at my favorite local pizza joint, Vezzo on 31st & Lexington, and you always have to find time to fit in a Broadway Show and at least one of the city’s amazing Museums.

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?
Wow- I could list so many different components that helped along the way and still help me today. Obviously a good mentor or business minded friend is essential, someone that knows what it’s like to be on the road you are currently navigating, someone that you can spring board ideas off of. The one thing that I think stands out above everything for me personally, was to never stop learning and evolving. I have read so many business books and enrolled in classes to continue to learn and sharpen my skills. The one book that I feel I had those lightbulb moments with is Zero to One by Peter Thiel. Honestly, I could list at least 10 others books that really got the wheels turning, but Zero to One is always the first book that I think of when I think of something that helped the trajectory of my business.

Website: www.ashleyaveryagency.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleyaveryagency

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyblalock/

Image Credits
Reeves Watson Photography