Ashly Perez Bio

Ashly had 19 different jobs before she landed a prestigious position at one of the leading independent digital-media companies in the world. They had worked as a frozen yogurt topping scooper, a camp counselor, and an office manager at their father’s dental clinic. They also worked as an English teacher in Daegu, South Korea.

Their work took her all over Asia. Ashly would write blogs and articles for ‘BuzzFeed,' a New York-based internet media organization. They had also applied for a job in the company and was waiting for a reply. Ashly wrote a lifestyle article for ‘BuzzFeed,’ titled 'I Wasn't Beautiful Enough To Live In South Korea,' which emphasized on the country’s obsession with women's appearances. The post became viral and helped her bag a job at 'BuzzFeed.' Ashly was offered an editorial fellowship with the company. They moved to New York in 2013 and did a six-month internship with 'BuzzFeed.'

After the internship, Ashly was made a video producer and development partner of 'BuzzFeed Motion Pictures.' They also created and edited content for the website.

As a development partner for 'BuzzFeed Motion Pictures,' Ashly co-created 'BuzzFeed Violet,' featuring 'BuzzFeed's' first scripted characters. In December 2015, Ashly and their fellow producers, who were also cast as 'Violet' characters, released their first stand-alone series, 'You Do You.' The series revolved around four female 'BuzzFeed Violet' characters. Soon, the series gained momentum and garnered the top spot on 'iTunes TV.' It remained at the top for the entire first week of its launch, pulling down two megahit series, 'The Walking Dead' and 'Keepin' Up with the Kardashians.' The second season of 'You Do You' was globally launched in the summer of 2016.

Ashly was known to be a “straight” ‘BuzzFeed Violet’ character. However, Ashly revealed on 'You Do You’ that they was bisexual. The announcement was made public in a video titled ‘Coming Out’ that was featured on 'BuzzFeed’s' 'YouTube' channel. This shocked they fans, as they also had an on-screen husband named Andrew Ilnyckyj. On August 15, 2014, Ashly shared their nautical-themed wedding on her 'Instagram' page. Ashly had once indicated through a 'Twitter' post that they was in a relationship. 

At 'BuzzFeed,' Ashly also worked on two viral quizzes, namely, 'What City Should You Actually Live In?' and 'What Career Should You Actually Have?' Ashly is credited for bringing the automobile company 'Toyota' on 'BuzzFeed’s' board. 'Toyota' sponsored their first scripted series.

Ashly’s life has been an inspiration to many. They once delivered an inspirational speech at 'Colorado State University.' The speech was on obtaining one’s dream job. While working with 'BuzzFeed,' Ashly had largely spoken about the stereotypes that Asian women face. They also discussed their experiences of being ridiculed for their looks, complexion, and body type.

Ashly is a member of the 'Asian Student Union' and has often boldly expressed their views on the way Asian women are portrayed in movies and on TV. They have also shared tips to create content that is free of stereotypes and that displays concern for women, irrespective of their complexion, facial features, and sexual orientation. Ashly is a huge supporter of the LGBTQ community.

In February 2018, Ashly announced their departure from ‘BuzzFeed.’

Ashly Perez was born on July 8, 1989, in California. They have Cuban, Filipino, and Korean roots. They belong to a family of doctors, lawyers, and nurses. Ashly’s mother stayed in the Philippines before immigrating to the US at the age of 18. Ashly lost their dad in 2020. They married Chantel Houston in 2022.