Ashley Eakin is a disabled director and writer born in California and raised in Nebraska. She is known for her work on various projects, including the film "Forgive Us Our Trespasses," which was developed as part of Netflix's Emerging Filmmaker Initiative and is currently available on the streaming platform.
Eakin is also developing a half-hour series with 20th Century for FX, inspired by her award-winning short film "Single," which premiered at SXSW in 2020 and received the Special Jury Recognition Award. The project has played in over 40 festivals, winning 8 awards and 3 nominations.
In addition to her work on film and television, Eakin has directed two episodes of the Apple TV+ series "Best Foot Forward" and an episode of Brie Larson's new series "Growing Up" for Disney+. She is also co-writing a thriller for Netflix with her husband Shawn Lovering and is attached to direct.
Eakin was a participant in the Powderkeg Fuse Incubator in 2021, curated by Paul Feig, and produced her short film "Roommates," which was selected for Slamdance and SXSW 2022. She was also selected for the Commercial Director's Diversity Program.
Prior to working on her own projects, Eakin worked for and shadowed Mark Pellington on the Quibi series "Survive," filmed in the Italian Alps and starring Sophie Turner and Corey Hawkins. She also worked as an assistant to film director Jon M. Chu, spending 5 months in Malaysia and Singapore working on his critically-acclaimed box-office hit "Crazy Rich Asians."
Eakin's short documentary "The Details," featuring Henry Golding and Awkwafina, was selected for the 2018 Hamilton Film Festival. She also directed a short film celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Cancer for College, which features CFC spokesman Will Ferrell and was screened at a sold-out event at The Greek Theatre.
In 2017, Eakin was featured in a SoulPancake video talking about her rare bone condition, Olliers disease and Maffucci Syndrome. The video went viral, reaching over 50 million views. Her medical journey has immensely influenced her passion to pursue stories that advocate for more diverse representation for people with disabilities.
Eakin is represented by United Talent Agency and Artists First Management.
