Celeb Shot: Introducing Ashlee Rose Hartley
PLUS: Heidi Klum fan-girling over a local pianist, Jazz Fest and why Saratoga's kids are euphoric.
As you might imagine, an interview usually involves the journo prepping via research and question-writing—and then asking the interviewee said questions. When I showed up at the new hotspot Bocage to meet the inspiring, new-to-Saratoga Ashlee Rose Hartley, however, all that flew out the window. I’m mortified to admit that I, the interviewer, basically didn’t stop talking for the first 32 minutes. As someone who was once a newcomer myself, there was a lot of ground to cover for two people in various stages of adjusting to Saratoga. We bonded over how overwhelming all of the seating choices at the track are, how clean the Albany airport is, how expensive hats can be for the track (and where to find more budget-friendly options), how events here sell out despite invites having little-to-no information on them, and even the ins and outs of Substack—the platform on which you are reading this interview right now.
But I did finally pull it together so the traditional interview could commence. After all, I was insanely curious about how a world-famous body positive influencer (Ashlee comes to Saratoga with an Instagram account that’s 168k followers strong and works full-time producing campaigns for brands that want to reach her audience) chooses Saratoga to build a house in after years living in NYC, LA, Austin and Hawaii (making her the only person I’ve met since moving here who might commiserate with this). Ashlee’s husband, Charlie, also works on her brand full-time, as her photographer; in fact, they beat me to Bocage so they could take the above (stunning) portrait for this story. Ashlee has an impressively upbeat, positive attitude, which makes her a joy to be around…And she likes bubbly as much as I do.
So we happily chose to start with a glass of Franciacorta’s esteemed Mosnel, and began.
You work full-time as a social media influencer, which isn’t a common profession around here. How did you get started?
Back when I lived in New York City six years ago, I was doing hair part-time and shooting and creating content part-time. We loved the city; Charlie was just picking up photography, and he would take my photos. We’d be yelling in the streets, “No it needs to look like this; get this angle!”—it was so overwhelming fighting New York City walkers looking at you like you’re crazy, and you’re in the way. But it started gaining traction, and we started getting invites from brands [to do paid social media campaigns]. After a couple of years, my head was in social media more than doing hair, and my husband said, “I think you should go full-time; if you put your effort into this, it will grow even more.” So I quit [my job], and we did start growing more.
Without a traditional job tying you down, you were able to travel when you wanted for what was now your full-time work…
We went to Hawaii, and that trip changed everything so much. I gained a lot of traction, and we were growing—so we packed our bags for three months and moved to Hawaii. That’s when everything just stuck. We were taking tons of pictures, I joined an agency. Hawaii is still one of my favorites places, but we decided we wanted to be back on the mainland and moved to Austin. But I was with a new agency by then, and it was out of L.A. So we packed our sh** again and moved to L.A. And that was it. L.A. is where every content creator really is, and the agencies are in New York City and L.A. There were campaigns and events and travel. But not even three months in, COVID hit.
What was that like?
Creating content during that was insane. People were wanting creators to really bond with their audience during the pandemic because we were all stuck inside. Even though it was sad, I felt the community during that time.
What does an influencer agency do?
If your page is seen by a lot of people, you can be represented. Whether it be Gucci or Target—the agency has a huge Rolodex of connections at brands who will be like, “I want this type of person or that type of person.” And if it’s a fit, they’ll call me. Or brands will reach out to me directly.
Tell me about your personal brand.
I shoot a lot of stuff that’s body confidence, fashion, just being happy with who you are. One thing I hear a lot while walking around Saratoga, and it kinda breaks my heart a little bit, is people putting shame on themselves. Women here have a standard to look a certain way. In bigger cities you don’t hear that as much; people in bigger cities are more accepting of different body types. That’s something I very much advocate for, especially because I’ve had friends with eating disorders or who have suffered from depression from body image struggles. I’ve always embraced who I was. Girls here are beautiful, yet they have this whole expectation that they have to look so this or so that. I love workout classes, and here it’s been the most interesting experience. The negative talk is so apparent! I hope that changes. We’re in a workout class—you showed up. You’re moving your body. That’s what matters.
Some local people have started to follow me and will message me—that’s so cool. I got my lashes done and posted a photo, and someone commented that her daughter worked there. And it was the person who did my lashes! Someone’s mom follows me, and I thought that was so cool. It’s such a small world here.
[“Pardon me—I see an empty glass,” our waitress politely interrupted. Bocage’s co-owner Zac Denham helped us pick out a Spanish brut rosé from Castellroig before we continued.]
You moved here from L.A. and have lived in NYC, but you’ve actually moved around a lot. Where else have you lived, and why did you pick Saratoga to settle down in?
I’ve lived in nine states: California, Nevada, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Texas, Hawaii and New York. I’ve lived everywhere, but my husband and I moved to New York City together right before we got married. He had lived there previously. I still have an agency in L.A. and New York City and enjoyed my time in L.A., but we decided on Saratoga because it’s peaceful and a train ride from NYC. If we had to choose between L.A. and New York City, New York City wins every day. I wanted a nice house in a nice community. When I started—and I’m not even kidding—I spent four months researching every city all over the country. I researched every city in California, Colorado, but New York was familiar; I knew upstate a little bit. I had never heard of Saratoga Springs, but tons of people, lots of people, told me they loved it. I kept searching “best cities to live in in Upstate New York.” Saratoga Springs just kept coming up, and we become hyper-focused on Saratoga. We visited in June, looked at lots. We came back in October and moved in November.
Do you have any long-term goals for your time here?
A big thing for me was that cannabis was legalized here. I’m used to places like California where it’s very normalized. I have a dream of opening a high-end cannabis store, one that looks like this [waves her arm around Bocage] but is a cannabis store. I’m talking luxury. It’s a huge undertaking—I’ve researched the legality, the zoning, the applications that are coming out soon. But that’s my goal: to have a very high-end, woman-owned cannabis store. There’s even an Instagram page, but I’m not telling anyone the name! We’ve already designed the store and have the marketing for it—if you think about it and you dream about it, it will come to fruition. I’m manifesting!
What’s the other Instagram account I see attached to yours?
Our house has an Instagram page and will be pretty crazy inside—we are going for traditional with a very modern and creative twist. My husband is very passionate about interior design, so all we do is talk about interior design. After the pandemic, I want a sanctuary. And there’s something about Saratoga that’s unique and special.
I love how you and Charlie bond over so many things, such as interior design, and in other ways you perfectly complement each other, including his being a photographer and your needing a photographer.
He’s very crafty. He’s also quieter than me [laughs] and a Jack of all trades. He can pick up anything and be amazing at it. When I told him I wanted to open a cannabis store, he was like, “Yeah, you should—you’re very passionate about this; you know your products.” He’s already designed outfits for the staff!
He seems like the best sport.
He’s a very good sport! He’s very on board for stuff. I’m very proactive, and he says, “Yes, sounds good! Let’s go!” When I said, “Let’s move to Saratoga Springs!” he said, “Ok!” And now we’re building a house here.
—Abby
Quote of the Week
“Welcome to the first day of summer vacation for kids everywhere in our district!”
—mother-of-4 Robin Dalton, on Talking Saratoga podcast
Root for the Home Team
It was an emotional ride Thursday night as America watched Burnt Hills native Kieran Rhodes make it to the next round of America’s Got Talent (Thursdays at 8 on NBC). To get there, the 20-year-old pianist/singer/songwriter and Berklee College of Music student earned a standing ovation playing a song he wrote himself. “Disengage” was about depression, which really seemed to especially touch Cowell (to watch their two exchanges, check out the YouTube video of Kieran’s segment). Even though Simon noted to the other nodding judges that the gangly student, super-casual in a T-shirt and sneakers, seemed shy and nervous, he brought the house down. Judges Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara practically fan-girled over him, with Heidi later Tweeting, “I didn’t want it to end.” Kieran’s mom looked so proud that it really was hard not to burst out crying when the cameras panned to her in the audience, and the aforementioned YouTube video was close to 2 million views the last time we looked. Maybe judge Howie Mandel said it best: “You’re a star, young man!”
Get Jazzed
A standing ovation for Mother Nature, who delivered the perfect weekend weather for Jazz Fest, which runs today and tomorrow. Head on down to SPAC to catch 24 incredible acts, including New Orleans-based funk band Galactic and genre-fluid powerhouse vocalist and Grammy winner Ledisi. Plus there’s a craft tent, oyster & seafood bar, griddle & garden bowls, New Orleans classics and BBQ! Post COVID, you are allowed to bring in food and drink: see the rules here. So grab your tickets now!
This Week in Saratoga Living After Hours
On Monday, we celebrated the Capital Region’s arts scene with three word plexers.
Then, on Tuesday, we compiled a list of the 20 places not to be in Saratoga, from Van Dam at rush hour to the bike path at midnight.