Press Kit

A Movie About Ambition

the film is a catalyst for meaningful conversation about cultural bias, sexism, and unfair stereotypes.

Pioneers in Skirts follows Ashley’s journey as she examines the barriers and setbacks women confront in their careers. Analyzing the stereotyping and sexism that can chip away at a woman’s pioneering ambition, this social impact documentary aims to show the audience what we ALL can do to change it.

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?

The film is an engaging social conscious documentary that addresses the stereotyping and sexism that can chip away at a woman, hurt her potential, and make her feel like she must re-think her dreams.

Resources For the media

Logline | Runtime

As ambitious women are forced to maneuver a work-world built for company men, Ashley wastes no time planning her escape while clearing a path for the women coming up fast behind her.

Runtime: 60 minutes

Synopsis | Movie Trailer

Pioneers in Skirts is a feature documentary examining the need for gender parity in our culture from the perspective of a female filmmaker who was frustrated with her own problems in the film industry.

In an inspiring portrait of perseverance and determination, director Ashley Maria expands her search to include other industries and society in general. She shares her own story, but she follows the journey of 3 girls on a robotic team, their fathers, as well as a young mother – all while traveling the U.S., speaking to fellow pioneering women and topic experts who had solutions to share.

By the end of her quest, Ashley finds out how we ALL can address the stereotyping and sexism that can chip away at a woman, hurt her potential, and make her feel like she must re-think her dreams.

DOWNLOADABLE MOVIE TRAILER: vimeo.com/386090624

Who's In The Film

When we started pre-production planning and test-filming in 2013, we were challenged to convince people of the unique obstacles women face in their careers. As time went on – the publicity of the book Lean In and the Me Too movement helped people develop a more sophisticated attitude towards the issues.

We kept with our plan and followed 3 teen girls learning how to work with the boys, a woman who was up for a raise when she found out she was pregnant, and Ashley – our director who found herself beginning to doubt her aspirations soon after graduating with her Masters in film.

Ashley’s story is the through-line of the film. She travels the U.S. speaking to experts and people with experiences to share.

With over 40 years of conventional advice that’s been given to women, we haven’t even come close to closing the gender gap at the top. With the participation of several honest and brave individuals featured in the film, our audience will see how we ALL can impact the outcome for today’s generation of pioneering women.

To see who they are: click here.

Our Audience

When audiences view the film they see a broadened perspective and awaken with a sense of responsibility and empathy. They leave the screening wanting to take action.

Our aim is for individuals to draw tangible connections between the topics addressed in the film and the issues that most impact them, and be incentivized to develop strategies for change.

Who's screening the film?

Communities like nonprofits and women's groups and museums! They want to provide ways for people to have meaningful conversations about the inequalities in this world
Company ERG and DEI initiatives that want to better their engagement with employees, improve their culture of solidarity and support, and provide value to the many employees who have kids at home
Educational Institutions like K-12 and university and after-school programs wanting to help students be better prepared for a work-world ahead of them.

We made this film for:

A) The many young women who need to know: You Are Not Alone. She is typically a woman who –

feels she has done all the “right things” in college to position herself for success as she enters her first job,
has high ambitions for her career and the life in front of her,
is aware that she should own her own success but can’t understand (or get past) cultural and systemic challenges that hold her back, and/or
is a few years into her career; feeling like a wall has come up in front of her…and she feels it is all her fault and is wondering how she can “fix” herself.

B) Parents / Mentors / Teachers. They typically –

want children to think critically and speak up against sexism and gender inequalities,
have already seen girls begin to doubt their capabilities,
want children to know what’s happening around them, and/or
have agonized as to why girls are dropping out of a career path that seemed to once energize them.

C) The women and men who want to do something about what they see around them, but don’t know where to start.

Shooting Locations

Our Heartfelt Thanks to Those Who Welcomed Our Camera’s on Location

CALIFORNIA

3 Black Dot • IEEE • Norman Lear • Bresee Community Center

COLORADO

The Foundry Group

GEORGIA

Focus Brands • Kat Cole

NORTH CAROLINA

Charlotte Engineering Early College • Elinvar • Central Piedmont Community College • IMAGINON: The Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg • Lenovo • Lily • NC First Robotics • Cara & Jake Yara • Lia & Jerry Schwinghammer • Netsertive • SAS • Lea-Ann W. & David J. Berst • The Charlotte Ballet Academy • Girl Scouts of NC • White Plains United Methodist Church • Rommel Harley Davidson • UNC Chapel Hill • Marbles IMAX • Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) Race Track

NEBRASKA

MG Heidi V. Brown • Offutt Air Force Base

VIRGINIA

BMW Car Club of America • Virginia International Raceway

WASHINGTON

MOZ • Sarah Bird & Eric McMillan

WASHINGTON D.C.

The American Association of University Women (AAUW)

WEST VIRGINIA

LaBelle Theatre • Thanks Plain and Simple!

Contact | Bio's

Pioneers in Skirts
PO Box 57374
Los Angeles, CA 90057

Short and long biographies for media use are available on the About page.

Ashley Maria, Director
Lea-Ann W. Berst, Producer

PioneersinSkirts [@] gmail.com

Facebook: PioneersinSkirts | Twitter: @PioneersnSkirts | Instagram: PioneersinSkirts

Endorsements

Organizations use Pioneers in Skirts to understand their people better and give their audience a broadened perspective of what’s really happening in the world around them.

Click here to read their endorsements of the film: Movie Endorsements.