Ashlee Hollis on Filming Journeys of Resilience and Connection

Thank you so much for your kind words regarding our win! I’m Ashlee Hollis, President and Founder of the award-winning Helm Creative Studio, a certified woman-owned marketing and creative agency with a production house based in Philadelphia, serving clients around the world.

As Co-Founder of The Story Factory — a space that nurtures stories and creates content while uplifting people in the process — my husband Elijah, who also serves as Helm’s Chief Storyteller, and I have set in motion a new era of storytelling in the heart of Philadelphia. We’ve built a foundation that values people over production, ensuring creativity and social impact are our standard, while investing in the next generation of creatives.

I hold degrees in Business Administration, Digital Marketing, and Philanthropy, and have worked to build a team culture where creatives thrive — centered on growth, excellence, clarity, creativity, passion, and heart. I’m fiercely dedicated to making an impact with our work, ensuring that for every creative project we produce, a portion goes back to youth and creative communities in Philadelphia and beyond.

We remain committed to accelerating the causes we care about and those of our clients. We’re honored to have received a citation from the City of Philadelphia for our contributions toward positive social impact, and we proudly recognize the global clients who help make this possible.

We often say that we don’t submit awards just for the sake of winning them, but we recognize that winning awards builds trust with clients and those considering working with us. Awards also create greater impact by highlighting our clients and the causes they hold dear, while enabling us to give back in meaningful ways to youth and creatives.

Additionally, the awards we’ve received allow us to shine a light on the incredible clients we work with—such as Jessica Buchanan, an author, speaker, survivor, and coach. As storytellers, we find it especially rewarding to elevate the voices and work of those making a difference.

I have the privilege of working firsthand with artists, creatives, and changemakers, and filming with Jess Buchanan was a significant experience for me and my team. Jess is fierce, kind, and deeply committed to supporting and amplifying women’s voices. It’s an honor to win for this video, because making an impact through one’s voice is a core part of Jess’s mission in the world.

I believe the video featured represents the humanity behind being a mother—or the journey of motherhood. It’s so important not to forget the human element that makes us feel something, that creates stories and experiences that stay with us. We live in a world of highlights, reels, and on-stage content, constantly filled with actors, performers, influencers, and more.

We aim to add value and dignity to the stories we’re privileged to encounter each and every time. For this video, we used our creativity at Helm to craft an anthology of women’s voices, exploring their personal journeys in navigating what it means to want to be—or to become—a mother. This topic offered healing for the voices involved, and we honor their vulnerability and courage.

A core cultural value at Helm is to value people over production. Part of that is meeting people where they are—seeing them as individuals beyond what they do—while celebrating their passions, experiences, and humanity, just as this video expresses.

One element people have responded to is the honesty within the video. There’s a sense of humanity that carries through—something deeply relatable to anyone who has known a mother, which is everyone. It’s the experience of seeing a diverse group of women, and Jess—herself a kidnapping survivor rescued by SEAL Team Six—now choosing to amplify other women’s voices in a personal and meaningful way.

At Helm, we’re committed to fostering personal connection, empathy, and sensitivity to deep topics in every situation and throughout every aspect of our filming process, and that commitment is reflected in this video.

At Helm, we choose to focus on the positive, recognizing that challenges bring opportunities for growth. Still, I believe one of the challenges for this video was concisely articulating what it means for the women featured to share such vulnerable and profound thoughts in a short amount of time. Not everyone will identify with their experiences, but many will.

We needed to communicate the importance of these women’s stories in a visually powerful way. It’s something our team consistently strives for, because we understand that people’s attention spans vary—and that doesn’t make what needs to be told any less important. In fact, it often makes the deeper things in life even more meaningful to convey, especially in this digital age.

We hope this video continues to bring attention to the experiences of women who are aspiring to be, about to be, or continuing to be mothers. Each voice represented is a unique story, with its own hopes, dreams, fears, and obstacles.

Jess continues to create a platform where women are valued, and we hope this video furthers that conversation—inspiring women to be honest with their own stories and encouraging a deeper sense of empathy and freedom for women everywhere.

Jess has been thrilled! It’s an honor to see more exposure given to the women she uplifts in every way she can. We’re grateful for the platform to help share her message—and the stories of the women featured—even further. It inspires us to keep investing in our clients and their causes, and we’re humbled and thankful to be part of their impact.

One of the most important things I would emphasize to other digitally minded creatives is to create content you truly care about. When you do, the love you have for your work becomes visible and tangible.

AI has become central to the conversation and is increasingly integrated into the creative process—but it’s essential to create digital content that is original.

Focus on human storytelling, emotions, and real experiences. At Helm, we’re committed to creating content not for the sake of awards, but for the people and clients we care about. Only then do we consider submitting it to any platform.

In a world driven by content volume, focus instead on its meaning.

In the digital industry—and really, across all industries—we’re seeing a growing distinction between “human” and “AI” content. I see the digital world leaning heavily on AI in both processes and innovation. That’s why sharing from a human perspective, featuring real stories, and focusing on empathy and emotional connection has always been important—and is becoming even more critical as we move forward. Critical thinking will be an essential skill in this new era.

Focus on honing your own skills rather than relying solely on what AI can do for you. And my candid advice right now: place a watermark on everything you create to help prevent it from being parsed or misused.

You start at zero in anything you attempt, and I’ve always gone with the idea that you find the “it” in the try. Submit what you create, but make sure that it’s in line with your brand and your business or organization.

Don’t choose awards for the clout if they don’t actually serve the company or story you want to give to the world. What do you want to be known for? From there, create or submit so that you’re proud of the outcome, whether or not you win.

Be true to your own digital or creative culture. Comparison will destroy your creativity. Instead of competing, focus on who you want to be and what you want to be known and remembered for—both as an employee or leader and as a company. When you know the answer, build accordingly.

I’m dedicating this one to our small but mighty team, our inspiring client Jess Buchanan, and the women featured in the video. We’re honored to be part of their journey toward healing and hope, while also investing in other women with similar experiences.

It’s a unique storytelling piece that amplifies the voices of women and their experiences in navigating what it means—or could mean—to be a mother, while also providing space for a vulnerable topic to be seen from a place of strength.

Our team is looking forward to the Semiquincentennial in 2026, which will be hosted in our home city of Philadelphia. We’re diligently strategizing and working to be part of the many creative, digital, and epic events about to unfold. What excites us most is using our skills and creativity to keep the power of human connection and storytelling as our measure of success.