Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashton Blake
Hi Ashton, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
So my name is Ashton Blake (aka Ashton Blaak). I’m a videographer, photographer, saxophonist, drummer, director, and so much more. My musical journey started out in elementary school by taking drum lessons at Lentine’s on the North Side of Akron. At this time I became the church drummer at Faith Temple CLG, my family’s church. As time went on I became curious about saxophone watching my Uncle Al and Kenny Smith play every week. My Uncle Al gifted me a horn when I asked for one and it was history ever since. I began making covers of top 10 songs on billboard and posted them to youtube and facebook (this was before tiktok) and started building a small following/support system. As for my prowess with cameras I couldn’t even tell you when that happened. I remember having a camera in my hands since I was little. I didn’t really start to hone those skills until my 8th grade year. My English teacher had us make video projects that coincided with the books we were reading. Well, a lot of people didn’t really know how to shoot or edit video so I would end up helping half the class. That would probably be the beginnings of Blaak Media. I even started having people offer to pay me to help them with their projects through high school. In college I bought my first DSLR (Nikon D3200) and began shooting live shows, video and photo, for my brother Will Blake. We even interviewed people so I learned about three point lighting. When people started asking me to shoot videos for them during the pandemic I officially incorporated and my company Blaak Media LLC was born. Since then I have moved into a studio space in downtown Akron with the help of Downtown Akron Partnership that I have dubbed “The Lab”. Here I produce podcasts, live performance, photo shoots, video shoots, and much more.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Fairly smooth, most of my clientele and musicians I work with are friends or close acquaintances. The hardest thing was learning how to be a professional, pricing my work, and managing time. I had to learn to put systems in place to make sure projects got done in a timely matter.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Im everything from a musician to a director. What makes my work different is my unique view of film especially the technical side and my background in jazz, r&b, hip-hop, and gospel. I grew up watching Spike Lee, John Singleton, Hype Williams and many other directors and black films. My mom would play smooth jazz and gospel in the car. I remember going to school listening to the Tom Joyner morning show everyday. So naturally I’m drawn to broadcast and black music and culture. But truly I love hip-hop. I often had to sneak to go listen to Hip-Hop. 50 Cent was certainly off limits and was confiscated from me on more than one occasion. Taking those influences and playing saxophone or shooting a video creates a perspective many of my peers don’t have.
How do you think about happiness?
Creating, consuming, and buying great art. I often buy vinyl and just look at it for a few weeks before I even play it. I get excited when a new film I want to see is coming out. When a new pair of sneakers get announced from my childhood I get genuinely excited. When someone watches my video and can tell I made it because of how it looks and feels because of how unique it is. I think deep down it just makes my inner child happy. These are all things I enjoyed when I was a kid, I always say I’m just a big kid who finally has money.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.blaakmedia.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashtonblaak/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AshtonBlaak
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AshtonBlake
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/a-blake-4
