press / Media Kit

A Movie About Ambition

Pioneers in Skirts® is an Emmy-nominated 60-min documentary following filmmaker Ashley Maria’s quest to peel back the layers of obstacles that can limit a woman or girl’s pioneering ambition.

Through characters and stories, the film addresses what it is that can chip away at a girl or woman and make her feel like she must re-think her dreams.

Pioneers in Skirts follows Ashley’s journey as she examines the barriers and setbacks women confront in their careers. The problem: Many women battle a bias that is eroding their ambition. There are mountains of research (study…after study…after study) that reveal women start out their careers with more ambition than men, but as soon as 2 years out of college, women’s confidence and ambition plummets by over 60%. These declines came independent of marriage or motherhood status. And, this phenomenon affects women across professions.

Why the dashed expectations? Why the burn out…so soon!? THIS is what Ashley was going through. Admittedly, she was relieved to know she wasn’t alone.

Ambition plummets
click image to read the report

The Power of Film

Real-life stories and frank commentary leave viewers seeing their role in the solution, feeling hopeful, and motivated to act.

For the Press & Media

These video clips, images, and any audio clips pulled from videos can be freely reproduced. We ask that the media credit images, videos, and audio to Ashley Maria Productions.

ABOUT THE FILM

See: https://www.pioneersinskirts.com/about

  • Movie description, format, languages, official poster (+the story behind the design), What’s a Pioneer?, film festival awards, theme song, crew credits

WHO’S IN THE FILM

See: https://www.pioneersinskirts.com/featuring

KEY NARRATIVE THREADS INCLUDE:

  • The Filmmaker’s Journey: Ashley shares her own story, from her lifelong dream of directing to the frustration of being constantly referred to as a “woman director” and having her authority questioned on set.
  • Next Generation AmbitionThe film follows the journey of three ambitious teenage girls on a co-ed robotics team and their fathers, exploring how to nurture ambition in young women and address challenges early on.
  • Real-World ExperiencesThe documentary also features the story of a young mother concerned her pregnancy announcement will jeopardize a potential promotion, as well as interviews with a diverse range of pioneering women, industry experts, and male allies.

VIDEO

All video clips can be found on our Pioneers in Skirts Vimeo Channels.

VIDEO IDEAL FOR BROADCAST INTERVIEWS OR TO SNAG AN AUDIO CLIP FOR RADIO/PODCAST (downloadable)

  1. Movie trailer: https://vimeo.com/38609062
  2. “Women Have To Spend Energy In Walking a Fine Line”: https://vimeo.com/320573546/abeab9079f  (scene from the film)
  3. “A Heartfelt Mom Daughter Conversation”: https://vimeo.com/320573840 (deleted scene – request to download)
  4. Joan Darling & Norman Lear: https://vimeo.com/248798635  (behind the scenes)
  5. Kickstarter campaign video: https://vimeo.com/136748022
  6. Ashley directing child actors for the Kickstarter campaign video: https://vimeo.com/136505242  (behind the scenes)
Ashley & Lea-Ann

PRODUCER BIOS

See: https://www.pioneersinskirts.com/filmmakers

  • Pioneers in Skirts is from a daughter-mother filmmaking team dedicated to empowering others to know that they aren’t alone, encouraging productive and meaningful discussions, and generating action.

Social Media

THE MOVIE
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ashleymariaproductions

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/ashleymariaproductions

THE PRODUCERS

Ashley Maria:  Instagram | LinkedIn

Lea-Ann W. Berst: Instagram | LinkedIn

Film Stills

Full List Of Marketing Materials For Screening Hosts & The Press