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Alumni Interview: Five Things that Matter with Ashley Ihasz Austin '01
Ashley Ihasz Austin '01 was inspired by music at a young age, and turned her love of music into a thriving career in the music industry. In this Five Things that Matter, Austin sits down with Advancement's Meredith Morin to discuss her business, her path to Los Angeles and back again, and what she loved most about BBA.
Ashley (Ihasz) Austin ’01 grew up in Danby the youngest of three girls. Early in her life, MTV and her parents’ musical tastes inspired a career that would span the country and include work with musical legends including Michael Jackson, Hall & Oates, The Doors, Janis Joplin, Sam Cooke, and Rick James.
Ashley earned her bachelor of arts degree from The New School University and worked in Los Angeles for several years. In 2013, Ashley founded ALG Brands, which specializes in music estate and brand management. ALG manages the intellectual property assets for some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry.
In 2017, Ashley and her husband Scott relocated their family and company to Manchester, where ALG’s nimbleness and ability to connect with clients has helped their business grow exponentially. “Artists have agents, managers, business managers, and attorneys. There are a lot of moving parts, and we act as a complementary part of the team. Every artist is different, so we tailor our services specifically to the client’s individual needs.”
Ashley credits her strong conviction of purpose, along with key faculty at Burr and Burton, with helping her find her path and confidently working toward what she was meant to do.
- Can you trace your career trajectory from graduation to now? How did you conceive of ALG?
My first job after graduating college was Creative Artists Agency in the Touring Department. While I enjoyed my relationships with the artists and their managers, I knew that I did not want to be a talent agent. I joined Irving Azoff’s company Frontline Management to work with touring artists shortly after, and I received excellent training there. By a simple twist of fate, I began working with legacy artists in 2008 when I took a position at Jampol Artist Management, whose roster included The Doors and the estates of Jim Morrison, Rick James, Janis Joplin, Peter Tosh, and Graham Parsons. The company was also consulting Michael Jackson’s estate at the time.
In my early career, I wasn’t aware that just because an artist passes away, the “machine” doesn’t stop. The art is still consumed by the public and revenue is still generated – someone has to oversee the protection and promotion of these legacies. Understanding the necessity for these services and how few companies specialized in this particular field, I figured why not create an alternative company with a unique business model? So, I parted ways with JAM Inc., retreated to Vermont for some clarity, and launched ALG in 2013.
- Did you always know you wanted to work in music? What inspired this work?
I credit my parents for exposing me to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, The Band, Roy Orbison, and the fabulous music they were privileged to grow up listening to. Living in Danby in the 1990s, my access to music was limited. Pre-internet, you had to travel at least thirty minutes to the closest record store and hours to see a concert. I had heard of MTV, and I begged my parents to subscribe to the channel. One day I came home, and there it was. I tuned in, saw my favorite rock band, and thus the trajectory of my life found its course. I thought, “I want to be around people like that. Forever.” I was ten.
- Do you have a typical day at ALG? What does it look like? Can you describe your recent John Oates (Hall & Oates) Tik Tok post?
I’m an early riser because I have a three-year-old son. In the morning after his school drop-off, I’m scouring social media, reading and responding to comments, reviewing analytics, looking at trends, and plotting out my day. I’m the voice behind the majority of our clients on social media, so all of the content I create for them goes live on their platforms in the morning. Then there are calls with the clients and/or their teams to discuss the current projects we have in development. The fun stuff starts in the afternoon when I can really dial into the creative. It’s in the quiet hours when I can really ideate branding strategies.
The viral TikTok post we put together for John Oates is an example of a perfectly executed idea. In his fifty-year career, John has never endorsed a brand, so we decided to explore approaching oat companies, but in a very strategic way. Willa Redden (BBA ’23) is my intern, and she was so helpful in guiding the creative. She also took my direction and recorded her own video to show John exactly what the clip would look like. Because of this, we got it approved and he was able to shoot the clip in the comfort of his own home in minimal time. It was a multi-day process to get those ten seconds of content, but it was absolutely worth it.
- You have gone full-circle, from living in LA to coming “home” to Manchester, VT. What has that journey been like for you?
My husband and I left Los Angeles in 2012, and in 2013 I launched ALG while we were living in Austin, Texas. When the company started to grow, Scott came on board as my business partner. We secured a joint venture with Sony Music in 2015, and that relationship brought us to New York City. After a few years, we decided the best thing for ALG would be to regain the company's independence. We are small and mighty, and we like to operate that way. At the time, Scott and I had been married for eight years. We wanted to start a family but didn’t feel that New York would be the best place for us to do that.
When we moved to Manchester in 2017, a lot of people in the music business thought we were crazy. Pre-Covid, New York was easily accessible and trips to LA happened once a quarter, which is all that I need. It was very doable. I’m pleased to say that as we are returning to some sense of normalcy, travel should resume in the coming months. Our business survived Covid, which in large part can be attributed to our lifestyle in Vermont.
- How did your time at BBA shape your career path? Any favorite teachers?
I was never into sports. I was good at school, but I wasn’t as focused as I could have been. I had a vision of what I wanted to do, and I wanted that to start as soon as possible. What BBA did offer me was an incredible theater department. I had been singing since I was little and most assumed that would end up being my career path. Burr and Burton gave me access to the arts and an outlet to perform, and for that, I am eternally grateful. As for my favorite teachers/classes, I loved art history with Dawn Polis, photography with Dean Polis, Spanish with Lisa Kelly, and of course, theater with John Sanders. I was enthusiastically supported to explore my talent and I leveraged that to further my career.
BONUS:
What advice do you have for the BBA class of 2022 as they near graduation?
You are young at a time when information is literally at your fingertips. Use this to your advantage and explore multiple things if you’re unsure of your life’s path. If you are fortunate enough to find something that sets your soul on fire, you can find a way to make a living doing it.
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