Hello, I'm Ashtyn!
I've always considered myself an old soul. Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald all rank near the top for my favorite musical artists. Audrey Hepburn has been my role model since learning about her in the 6th grade. And I have a guilty pleasure of watching black and white movies while eating a healthy serving of Menchies frozen yogurt. I believe family is everything and feel incredibly blessed to have the most supportive circle around me. When I'm not making videos, I can often be found enjoying nature, traveling, and pretending to be a "foodie".
My Story
I grew up with a dad in college sports and from the age of six, had grand plans to become ESPN’s next big sideline reporter. After working years in the sports industry, I graduated college with a bachelor's degree in News Media with an emphasis on sports. So how does a sports broadcast hopeful get into the world of family history and videography? Well, it starts with a funeral conference, a list of questions, and a passion for people…
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The summer of 2017 I was preparing to enter my senior year of high school. I've always been someone who likes to plan ahead and would consider myself a very organized person. I had heard great things about high school internships and how they were supposed to be the best thing to build your resume while gaining experience working in a “real world environment”. As previously mentioned, I had also known for quite a while I wanted to go into sports so naturally, I asked the internship office if there were any positions available with a local news station or sports team. This is where my path started to take shape in ways that wouldn't fully make sense to me until later down the road.
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The internship coordinator told me although he wasn't able to find a place with any sports teams, there was a video company in the area that was looking for help and had provided a good work environment for previous high school interns. By now it had been a few months of searching and I'd reached a point where I really just needed something to fit the credits so I accepted the interview.
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Oh, if only 18-year-old Ashtyn knew what was in store.
That interview would lead to a job that still to this day, was one of the greatest workplaces I’ve ever had the privilege of being a part of.
I came on as a marketing intern for this company that sold their software to an audience of primarily funeral directors. Most people’s initial reaction to hearing I worked in the funeral industry?
*imagine cricket sounds here*
And honestly, at one point that probably would have been my same reaction. However, after interacting with others in the industry and hearing their stories, I came to find out funeral professionals are truly some of the kindest, most down-to-earth, best people you'll ever meet.
About a year into working there, I graduated high school and moved down to Provo, Utah where I began attending BYU. I picked up a second job working for BYUtv in the sports department where, to my surprise, I fell in love with all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into any telecast, podcast, or social media show. Here I was entering with grand plans to shadow and take notes for on-camera abilities but instead was suddenly obsessing over lighting and how the background of the shot added to the story and what b-roll I was going to add to the video.
Between the two jobs and getting into my program, it was a crazy busy time in life but somehow I was able to manage it all AND find the love of my life, my now husband Bridger.
Bridger was there for me every step of the way. Bringing me snacks after I had woken up at 6 AM to work the morning talk show. Dropping me off at the airport when I went to Chicago for the National Funeral Directors Association. Sitting beside me as I worked through piles of homework, etc. After two years of dating, our stories were permanently joined together and we were married on March 18, 2021.
A month before our engagement, my grandma (Connie Plant Kern) passed away after a 15-year battle with MS. A week after our marriage, while on our honeymoon, my husband’s grandma passed away. I feel incredibly lucky we were both able to meet each other's grandmothers at least once before their passing. It was a wide range of emotions (happy, sad, excited, reflective) in such a short period of time and it really made me sit and think about what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go with this new stage of life.
I began thinking of all the parts I felt strongly about in the current space I was living.
Through that first job, I learned the importance of leaving your loved ones with memories they can hold onto forever.
I loved having the chance to tell stories and learning the video skills to do so.
Like many, I’ve always had special connections with my family but felt those connections strengthen and deepen as I added more familial ties and watched life come and go.
I LOVED being able to spend nights and weekends with my husband, a luxury that wasn’t often granted to those working in the world of sports.
As I reflected on each of these moments, I began having inklings of a future business. Inklings turned into ideas, ideas turned into action, and action led us to where we are today.
Planted Media Co.
Life looks a little different now. I no longer wake up at 6 AM to produce shows or travel to funeral conferences since I don’t work at either company previously mentioned. The mounds of homework have (thankfully) melted away as I’ve since graduated with my Bachelor’s degree. And though they’re still usually filled with me working on my laptop as we watch a movie and eat treats, I do get to spend nights and weekends with my husband.
And you know what? I know this is exactly where I’m meant to be in life.
The joy that comes in seeing someone smile as they retell the moment they first saw their spouse.
The laughs that fill the room when children hear their parents tell stories of the “glory days”.
The tenderness in hearing someone share their most important piece of life advice.
They’re all emotions I feel honored to hear, capture, and return to families to enjoy for generations to come. I have a lot of hopes and dreams for this business of mine but when it comes down to it, I want to help families create something they’ll cherish forever. Life has so many big moments and I want to help document them so they can be remembered for a lifetime and beyond.
I can’t help but smile as I look back at the past few years and how they’ve worked out. I know I wouldn't be who or where I am today without God, my family, and good friends, and for that I am grateful. We're just over one and a half years into this company and already the future feels so bright. Here's to sharing the stories that root us and planting ourselves into the lifestyles that begin as dreams and inklings.
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xoxo,
Ashtyn
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