The Cinema Program is excited to welcome back alumni, Ashley Dean (B.A. ‘21), to share her post-grad experience and accomplishments in her professional career.
Ashley is a multi-hyphenate director, writer and producer dedicated to creating poetic, raw but real narratives that encompass the Black experience. Her roots date back to Virginia where her passion for filmmaking began to develop through her community and environment.
Having graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2021 with a BA in Cinema and two minors in Media Studies and African American Studies, Dean’s career took off shortly after with being a part of an Apple TV+ film titled, “Raymond & Ray” and television series “Lady in the Lake.”
Dean continuously elevates her career with directing, producing and writing stories such as her most recent work, “Captivity of the Mind,” which premiered at the self-founded 2025 Echoes in the Dark Short Film Showcase in Richmond, VA.
As she excelled further into her future, Dean took on more professional jobs such as Director’s Assistant to the multiple season 2 directors on the critically acclaimed Apple TV+ series titled, “Swagger,” as well as, Showrunner’s Assistant to Reggie Rock Bythewood. Ashley currently works as the Executive Producer’s Assistant to Bythewood underneath his and Bythewood’s wife, Gina Prince-Bythewood’s company, Undisputed Cinema.
