Meet The Magnopians: Ashley Bravo
Ashley Bravo is an interactive producer with experience ranging from general audience to children’s content. She’s spent the bulk of her career at Disney, had a brief stint at DC Entertainment, and has now been at Magnopus for one year! She has two amazing kids and one awesome husband. She’s a Los Angeles native and wouldn’t survive without tacos, sushi, and the beach.
Tell us more about your job role at Magnopus
The high-level answer: As a Senior Producer, I make sure I understand (best I can) what the client is asking for by pulling together the appropriate crew that fits within our budget and timeline. I also work with a project manager and other leads to make sure our team delivers on our goals.
The boots on the ground answer: I am a firefighter. Cat herder. Crisis (only in the entertainment sense) Negotiator.
How did you get to where you are today?
I was always drawn to interactive/digital elements, but I sort of fell onto this path. I was trying to find my place after getting a B.A. in English and decided to do temp work at Disney. I went to a temp agency where they placed me in a group that needed help with filing. Actual physical paper files. In an actual file room, which I’m pretty sure I was allergic to. I stayed on and got to know a lot of people in the division, understood a bit of the business unit I was helping, and decided I wanted to hang around! There was an opening in the Marketing department that was fairly entry level where I would be working on the websites for syndicated TV shows. I was hired and that jump-started my career in producing content for web and apps for over a decade!
What attracted you to Magnopus in the first place?
Quite a few years ago, a few former coworkers came to Magnopus. I remember hearing how cool the work was and what an awesome start-up environment they had. When it was time for a change, Magnopus was the first company I looked up to apply to! I loved that they had a focus on bringing physical and digital spaces together in a meaningful way.
What skills are essential for anyone in your role?
People skills and empathy are essential for producing. From my perspective, a producer needs to be able to read the room and vibe with both the client and the team. A producer needs to be able to understand most sides of the situation so that they can shift focus accurately.
Flexibility is key when you’re dealing with multiple components in a project. Usually, projects, clients, and teams are not so black and white. There is a lot of grey area that requires flexible thinking and decision-making.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your career?
Compromise. As the person who is the go-between for the client or stakeholder and the rest of the team doing the work, some compromises need to be made for various reasons: timeline, budget, quantity, and quality. It’s a delicate balance to keep the client and your team happy.
If you could have any other job in the world, what would it be?
I would love to work with animals but I am allergic to most. I also love taking photos (but I’m not very good). But…wildlife photography?
What are you reading, listening to or watching right now?
Interview with a Vampire – the 2022 series. I just finished Season 1. It’s always fun to experience a new adaptation!
