Game Changers Podcast with Quinn St. Juste
Game Changers Podcast with Quinn St. Juste
From Youth Theater to BBC Spotlight: Ashley Joseph's Journey of Saint Lucian Pride and Cultural Storytelling
What if your cultural heritage could be both your greatest challenge and your most powerful asset in the entertainment industry? Ashley Joseph, a dynamic British-born St Lucian actor, writer, and presenter, joins us to unravel his fascinating journey from youth theater and hip-hop dance to the BBC spotlight in shows like "Jojo and Gran Gran" and "Eastenders." With a Royal Television Society award now under his belt, Ashley reveals his passion for creating diverse narratives that defy stereotypes, aiming to enrich the entertainment landscape with authentic Caribbean representation. This episode promises insights into his versatile career while showcasing Ashley's dedication to telling stories that matter.
Listeners will be drawn into Ashley’s heartfelt recollections and insights on cultural representation and identity. Growing up with St Lucian heritage in England posed its own set of challenges, but it also inspired Ashley to create content that nurtures a sense of belonging for children of diverse backgrounds. From heartwarming tales of introducing St Lucian culture to global audiences to the enriching experience of working on a Caribbean-themed musical, Ashley’s narrative is a testament to the power of seeing oneself reflected on screen and the importance of cultural storytelling.
Ashley candidly shares the hurdles faced by individuals of Caribbean descent in the creative industry, where stereotypes abound, and the pressure to succeed is immense. He offers sage advice on overcoming preconceived notions, the value of patience, and the transformative power of a supportive circle, including his sister and collaborators who fuel his creative drive. Not only do we celebrate Ashley's achievements and his unwavering Saint Lucian pride, but we also express our gratitude for the community that uplifts each other. Tune in to be inspired by his story and find motivation to keep pushing forward in your own life.
this episode of the game changers podcast is brought to you by game changers merch. Check out our special sedolution independence edition on our website and available locally in St Lucia for only 50 EC dollars. Get yours today. Hello everybody and welcome to yet another St Lucian Independence episode of the Game Changers Podcast. My name is Quinn Sejis and it's a privilege and pleasure to be here with you. As usual, my next guest is a young man who is truly transformational. His name is Ashley Joseph and he has showcased how St Lucians can truly make their name on the big screen. You'll hear his amazing story, how he's bringing St Lucian excellence to the BBC. Here is his amazing story. Hey, ashley man, how are you man?
Speaker 2:I'm well, man, I'm good, I'm blessed. Yeah, man, Happy to be here.
Speaker 1:Beautiful, beautiful, all right, so tell my audience just a little bit about yourself. Some general information.
Speaker 2:Yeah, man, my name's Ashley Joseph. I'm a British-born St Lucian living in London. I'm an actor, writer and presenter. I've worked on BBC in shows such as Jojo and Gran Gran, justin's House, eastenders, doctors I've done films. I've done a lot of theatre as well. I'm a Royal Television Society award-winning writer and I do a lot of projects man, a lot of comedy, and I do a lot of work with the St Lucian High Commission and the St Lucian Tourism Authority. I'm doing lots of presenting work as well, most recently hosting the Julian Alfred Celebration event in London.
Speaker 1:Wow, beautiful, beautiful. Everybody's getting in on that, jojo mania.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, man, everybody's getting in on that juju mania.
Speaker 2:absolutely, man, absolutely, we have to, we have to alright, so tell me how you got into writing and acting and directing and all of those things yeah, so it started mainly with acting and dancing when I was young I was about 11-12 years old and a local youth theatre was running some opportunities and my sister had been helping me out with some stuff and I auditioned for the youth theater and got in and from there I kept just pushing my my youth theater work, working with another company called boy blue, as a hip-hop dancer and just started meeting people and getting opportunities as well as still going to school and studying at the same time. And just started meeting people and getting opportunities as well as still going to school and studying at the same time. And, um, that started to grow by meeting people in the industry, getting more auditions, and when I was about 18 19, I got the opportunity to present for mtv, which kind of led me on to other stuff. And I guess, as it's grown, as as you do in this industry, you start meeting more people. People hear about your work right as a, as an actor and a presenter.
Speaker 2:With regards to the writing, I started writing because, um, I kind of got fed up, especially in London, of playing a lot of the same parts. There was a lot of parts around like youth violence and knife crime and gun crime and I didn't want to always do those parts. So I started writing comedy. So I write comedy sketches and from there um just kept nurturing that talent as well and also just trying to make sure I had several different sources of income, because the entertainment industry is not easy and you know, bills have to get paid. The bills don't stop. So, yeah, that's's, that's kind of how that happened. And then in 2019 I'm jumping a lot. But in 2019 I got an opportunity to audition for a show called jojo and gran gran, which is the first black british animated series, um, about a st lucian family, and I got a part on the show voicing a cartoon character.
Speaker 2:And as time was growing on and going on, then I got knowing the producers and the directors and they offered me the opportunity to come and write on the second series and from that I got commissioned. I got commissioned to write nine episodes. One was the St Lucius special. I co-wrote the St Lucia special with the amazing Gemma Weeks, who lives in St Lucia. So big up, gemma and um. Yeah, from there I won an award. But that started to spiral and I got more offers to write for other tv shows and I've got a literary agent as well, who helped get my name out there. So I guess that's kind of how things worked with. It started with the acting and the dancing and then the presenting, and then the directing and the writing as well, and I'm just doing it all. Now. I'm doing it all. I don't want him to tell me I'm one thing, I'm everything you're right, and that's beautiful, man.
Speaker 1:I like you know, I like how you kind of shape, shift throughout those things and you have so many things at one time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely, absolutely. And I think that's the best way in this industry of learning so many different things. You know, if you were just a carpenter, all you could do is work with wood. But if wood, you know, stops happening tomorrow, if you had the skills of electrics or you know other things like that, then it would make a huge difference for you. So I think that's what I see in this industry If there was no acting tomorrow, I could still write or I could still present, or I can still direct and produce and keep adding to it, and it just makes you a better all round creative, you know.
Speaker 3:Absolutely, absolutely, and it just makes you a better, all-round creative you know absolutely, absolutely all right.
Speaker 1:So, as somebody with caribbean roots, how does that influence your artistic choices?
Speaker 2:oh man, so much you know, so so much is, if you're hearing about, if I hear about, a project that has any type of caribbean connection to it, I want to be involved. You know it's so important for me to um to fly the flag, for you know, the british born saint lucians, how, how we are living life over here and what we are, what we are doing. Also, I think there's so many things that being raised by my, my nan, my grandmother, just things and my grandfather, things that have just come into me naturally because of that. You know the integrity, walking with pride, um, putting your best foot forward, your ethics, and so, in all that I want to do, I want to make sure that I'm a I'm a black man that stands for that, that shows that and reflects not just my London community but my St Lucian heritage as well within what I do. So it's really important for me to do those things, which is why a project like Jojo and Gran Gran just jumped at me and I just said I had to do it, I had to be a part of it and to be able to write episodes that were based on my family and about my grandmother, and you know things that she would say, that I've been able to put in tv and immortalize.
Speaker 2:You know the amount of times I've heard my my nan come and say you know, I'm not stopping, I'm just passing, and those, those things there is a sole part of our, our culture. So it's a big part of who I am. You know, when the saint lucian tourism authority or the saint lucian high commission call me and ask me to do an event, the first thing I say is yes, because I want to be a part of that. I want to be a part of the people that are ambassadors and represent in St Lucia. So, yeah, it's huge for me. It's huge for me. You know, it means a lot to get opportunities to, yeah, to wear that with pride, you know.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, absolutely get opportunities to, yeah, to wear that with pride, you know, absolutely, absolutely so. What was it like then? Writing for children?
Speaker 2:though, because I know it's a children's.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah so what was it like writing for you?
Speaker 2:know right, writing for children's series is is a lot of fun, man, there's um, it's just pure joy. You know, like there, you know you're not writing no crime thriller, you're not living in no dark places, you know it's not crazy in your head. And I guess it came at the perfect time for me because I have two sons and so my, yeah, my boys are eight and four, but when I started writing for them about four, four years ago, yeah, my yeah, my youngest would have been just born and my eldest was four, and so it was great like testing out ideas on them, asking them them ideas and their thoughts about things, and then when the shows came out, watching it with them. It was, it was great, they were the perfect ages for that. So to write for children's television, I think, was a really good time for me in my career and also at my stage as a father.
Speaker 2:But, yeah, it's, it's fun, man, and you can just play, you can just have any ideas, like you know the possibility, the imagination of a child. If you think back to being young yourself, you think you didn't, you didn't have all these you know constraints that we have and oh, I can't do this and I can't do that, and if I had enough money? We don't think like that as children. We just play and just do a vibe, and I was able to just enjoy being a child again. You know, really, to be honest, it was fun absolutely all right.
Speaker 1:So why, then, is it important to have quality programming for children, particularly programming that aligns with culture for children?
Speaker 2:it's the reason why it's so important.
Speaker 2:Important is, the thing that comes to me is, if you can't see it, you can't be it.
Speaker 2:And I remember growing up right um here and not really seeing a lot of shows, a lot of british shows that reflected just different cultures, not even just saying lucian culture, or just black people, just any any other culture other than white or english, and with when we was getting other things like that be american shows.
Speaker 2:So then you're still feeling a connection, but a little bit removed because it's an american show and so just from writing jojo and grand grand and working on it and being a character has a universal appeal, but it's so specific so you're also introducing the rest of the world to a culture, so then that's not alien for other people. So it's not just about the children who are getting to see themselves, or the parents or the grandparents. You know we had, we had people writing into the show saying that their, their, their parents and the grandparents had been crying like tears of joy because they'd never seen something like this before, which is groundbreaking. But also we had people of all different races and ethnicities watching this show, you know, looking up green fig and and saltfish recipes you know which is which is beautiful.
Speaker 2:There were families from poland making, making recipes like that, and so for me, that's the beautiful thing that actually is so important, not just for the people that are from that place or children whose heritage is over there, but other children who don't know about saint lucia or don't know about the car, or you know, there are still people that believe St Lucia is in Jamaica. It's like they're two different countries. Come on, come on, wake up. Yeah, wake up, come on now. So those things. There is why it's important to make shows like this for all cultures, not just to represent, but also inform and educate absolutely so.
Speaker 1:Then what was it like growing up as a individual with saint lucian heritage, but in england? What was it like for?
Speaker 2:you, oh, it's, uh, it's crazy. You know it was it really was, because, you know, you, you weren't, you weren't british enough, but you weren't. You never felt saint lucian enough. It was that real thing of being pulled between two, absolutely, absolutely, um, it were just things I just assumed that everyone had.
Speaker 2:You know, I remember talking to one of my friends at school who was british and they're talking about a sunday dinner and I was like, yeah, I love sunday dinner. They said me too, they started listening different things and they were, you know, saying that the chicken, the potatoes. I was like, yeah, I love Sunday dinner. They said me too, and they started listing different things and they were, you know, saying the chicken, the potatoes. I was like, yeah, the planting, you know, and they were like the planting. I was like you don't have to plant. And it was just little things like this, always constantly feeding between two worlds.
Speaker 2:And I remember the first time I went to St Lucia, when I was 10, I was there for six weeks and felt at home, but in an unknown place, and that was really interesting for me because I felt a part of something but also felt a bit of distance, and so it's a very interesting thing because you're raised in a St Lucia household but you're going to school and interacting with people in London, in the UK, and I mean even still up until probably yeah, now still not as much but you still get people that go to where you're from and that question is so loaded. It's like where am I from? Okay, well, I was born here, but I'm St Lucian, but I'm not St Lucian, but I am St Lucian and I'm not English, but I am English. So now I just always say, as you hear, I'm a British, born St Lucian, because I feel part of so many different things. There are some days where I'll eat saltfish, but then there's other days where I might eat something else that's a bit more British. Or I'll eat saltfish, but then, you know, there's other days where I might eat something else that's a bit more british, or I might eat an italian milk because I'm living in london.
Speaker 2:It's such a crazy, uh melting pot of different cultures. But what I am starting to, to learn and and more, that I've been, I guess, embraced a lot more from the high commission and the tourism authority for st lucia is that you know, sometimes it's not about where you was born, it's about where your heart is and in my heart. I feel so, so connected to St Lucia, especially from what my nan and grandfather instilled in me, you know.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. Now I know that you are part of a musical like get up stand-up musical. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, yeah, what was that experience like? Yeah, man.
Speaker 2:Listen, I um, I was the resident and then became co-associate director on the show. And for me again, when this opportunity came to me, it was a show about you know a caribbean story, heritage roots. It was a show about you know a Caribbean story, heritage roots also standing up for what is right. You know the things that Bob spoke about in his music and just the man that he was and still is within his legacy. So being able to do a show where I was working with an amazing cast of people the cast was almost 100% black people, the cast was almost 100 black, which is rare in london. To have a whole team on stage that is that's black, um bar bar, two, two characters was just a beautiful thing. And to really be able to delve into his music and tell these stories and explore that was incredible.
Speaker 2:And also to be on the west end that telling a show about a black man whose music has transcended like race time you know politics, it's just sits everywhere. To be able to be at the helm of that and be a part of the creative team on that it was. It was a godsend, it really really was. It was a honor to do those things, to be able to put your skills and talents to something that you believe in is such an honor and such a blessing. So, yeah, that that show. Um, it was tough, I'm not gonna lie. It weren't easy. Some days there was pure drama, but I would not change working on that show.
Speaker 1:It really was an honor to do and such an experience in my life and my career absolutely absolutely I wasn't there with you, but I can tell that you enjoyed yeah, man, it was, it was wicked, it really really was.
Speaker 2:And just, you know, I can't listen to bob's music the same way, you know. Um, you know, and my wife is of jamaican heritage. So last christmas we went down to jamaica and we saw where, you know, peter Tosh is buried, and just, yeah, it just became even more of a spiritual experience and just feeling that connection again to the Caribbean and knowing that from this whole part of the world there's so much talent and richness that that is coming out of the caribbean community and and the diasporas. It's a beautiful thing, man, it really is. Um, yeah, having caribbean heritage, I wouldn't, I wouldn't change it, wouldn't change it for nothing, man for sure I love that man.
Speaker 1:all right, so we're moving on to one of my favorite segments of a Game Changers podcast. It's called the Quick Hitters. So Quick Hitters are rapid fire questions, so answer them as quickly as possible.
Speaker 2:Okay, I'm ready.
Speaker 1:Alright, let's go. Let's go. Alright from the top. So first Quick Hitter question If you could collaborate with any artist, whether it be a writer, an actor or director, who would it be and why?
Speaker 2:Oh, it'd have to be, I'm going to say Denzel Washington. Ok then, oh yeah, just because of his experience, his gravitas, what he can do on screen and behind the camera, I can work with him as an actor and a director. That's two for the price of one.
Speaker 1:Beautiful, beautiful. I like that. Next quick hitter question what is something fun or surprising that most people don't know about you?
Speaker 2:Oh, I can ski. I'm probably one of the. Yeah, I can ski. That's a surprise. I'm a two-star silver skier. So yeah, I don't know. I've never met another St Lucian that can ski actually.
Speaker 1:All right, that's a rarity, I mean, we don't have snow here, so for sure, for sure, all right. Final quick hitter question, and this is a Game Changers staple who would you like to see on this podcast?
Speaker 2:Oh, who would I like to see on this podcast? Oh my gosh, that's a hard one. I've got to answer as quick as possible. Who would I want to see on this podcast? I would choose, I'm going to say, gemma Weeks, who I think would be really interesting. Incredible writer. Incredible writer who is of St Lucian heritage, british-born, but now lives back in St Lucia. She's incredible.
Speaker 1:Okay, 100%. Once you give me the link, I'll make it. Yeah, man for sure all right, bro, so we're quickly moving along in your career. I know you would have had so many circumstances and challenges. What were some of the main challenges that you faced as somebody from Caribbean, but more specifically St Lucian heritage, in your field?
Speaker 2:Really good question, gosh, from Caribbean heritage. I think definitely stereotypes, stereotypes in the career, just especially starting out early on, just the perception of things that we know that the angry black man or you know, especially one of the other things is, you know, there's this energy that men, all caribbean men, are just some type of just, you know, gonna always be out here for gal, gal gal. You know those, those, and in and in my industry, at times when you're doing performances and there's energy and people love what you're doing, sometimes you can get people throwing themselves at you in a certain way that for me, right, I'm never interested in. I'm like do the show get off, go home, go home, right. So that was, that's definitely been a challenge and I think also, yeah, how people perceive you.
Speaker 2:I think I've had to work very hard in an industry that is not necessarily dominated by well, dominated isn't the right word, but I guess it's not as densely populated with saint lucians or caribbeans, so you can feel a minority in a space, and so then you have to carry yourself a bit safer in that sense of if I, if I'm a bit frustrated with something and I say that, am I going to be perceived as angry or if I'm just one minute late, am I going to be seen as unreliable? You, you sometimes overthink things, and so actually it's just sometimes getting out of your own head part of it, but also understanding how to navigate this industry confidently. It's got a lot better now, and I'm I'm talking about things that are probably 10 to 15 years old, but that definitely was challenges, especially that no one taught you that, I just had to learn it along the way. You know. Absolutely.
Speaker 1:So, having known that now, what advice would you give to, maybe, a younger version? Of yourself. Yeah, having known that.
Speaker 2:I would say some things are not as big as you seem, so take a moment, breathe, write it before you say it. Read it, think about it, then say it. I'd definitely say that. And another thing I would say is you ain't got to worry, you're going to have a good career.
Speaker 1:Yeah, beautiful, beautiful. I think young writers, young directors can listen to that and still take that advice for themselves, because it's the reality. And it's the reality not just for writers and directors or people in the creative space, but it's the reality for everybody. You know it's important to take your time and trust the process absolutely that's basically what we're saying trust the process and enjoy the journey.
Speaker 2:You know you can't focus too much on the destination, which I still find myself doing now Like, oh, I've got to do this and I've got to do that and I need because if I'm not there then it means I haven't done this and I haven't done that. I need to enjoy the journey because I can look back in 10 years and go years ago. Oh man, I wish I enjoyed when I was at this part a lot more. So being present and enjoying the journey is such an important thing as well absolutely all right, we're moving on to the back end.
Speaker 1:Who or what inspires you to keep creating?
Speaker 2:oh, good question. Um, one of my, one of my closest friends and longtime collaborators, which she is now known in the industry as as my work wife, and everyone calls me her work husband. Her name's jade hackett and um. Jade is is a british-born jamaican and we have worked together so many times and she just constantly inspires me and pushes me to do more, to be better. We keep upping each other's ideas, and also my sister. My sister is.
Speaker 2:I wouldn't be where I am without my sister, just the daily conversations we have. The way she'll talk to me about stuff I usually am like oh, I'm not doing enough or I'm not there. She's like you need to see yourself from my eyes. She really speaks goodness into me. She knows how to fill my cup. God made no mistakes when he gave her to me. Well, she came first as well, so he even let me come second. He let her make more mistakes. You know what I mean to help me out. So that's a blessing.
Speaker 2:And then, with regards to inspiration, it can just be like anything In a day. It could just be one thing. Sometimes it's my sons, sometimes it's my children, sometimes I'll turn on the TV, or sometimes I'll just see an advert or a poster. I could be out and see a poster, billboard poster, and go. That's so silly and it gives me an idea for a sketch or an idea for a play or something comes to me overnight.
Speaker 2:So it's just, I think, because I'm an artist, daily I'm looking around, as I'm trying to, I'm going to be walking around or looking around my house and just see things and go, oh my gosh that, oh my gosh this that, oh my gosh this. And that's just a constant thing. But I think what's really important, I guess, within the inspiration, is that when you're inspired, the circle that you have around you is really important, and I'm very blessed to have a very good circle around me of people that, I guess, just feed my flame. But also, you know, don't make me burn crazy. They don't make me spread my flame in a wild way. Yeah, I mean, they let my fire burn, but they don't let it get wild, yeah it's a controlled fire.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah absolutely all right.
Speaker 1:Final question from me how do you define success and how has that evolved over time?
Speaker 2:This is so crazy because I was on a job today. It's a new TV show that I can't talk about, but I was on a job today and we were having a conversation afterwards me and another writer on the show who is a friend of mine and we was talking about conversation afterwards me and another writer on the show who is a friend of mine and we was talking about this thing success and I was saying that you know, in a few years I'm going to be at an age where I feel like I should have done this, I should have done that, I should have done that. And we said how do you define success? And now I look at success different man, because the goalpost is always changing, especially in the career. But there's so many other things, like I've got children that are happy, that are clothed, that are fed, I've got a beautiful wife, you know, I've got a home. I mean, I have these things that I didn't think I would have at this stage in my life.
Speaker 2:So success is defined by how you feel. It's not defined by just your bank balance. I think it's defined by your character. I think it's defined really, if I'm honest, this is the hard thing about success and what I'm going to say. Success is defined by the people who speak about you when you're not in the room. That's how success is really defined. If you're not in the room, that's how success is really defined. If you're not in the room and people are speaking good of you, then you are a success. You're a success to your community. You're a success to your, your country, your heritage, your people, your family, and that's that's the main thing. You know, your, your reputation, will precede you, and so I I believe that I'm living in that way.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. I love that so much, man. And you know, the older we get and the more experiences we have, we realize that what we thought was success in the past is no longer successful.
Speaker 2:I'm telling you, man, it changes bro. Absolutely.
Speaker 1:All right, bro. I'm so happy to have met you. I'm so happy to have had this conversation with you, um, I really enjoyed our time together. I want to tell you that you are saint lucian, right from a saint lucian who was born in saint lucian.
Speaker 1:You are saint lucian and we, as saint lucians, are very proud of this. We are very proud of proud of this, we are very proud of what you're doing. We're very proud of what you're doing for our island and you know, if or when you come down, let something come by Wow 100%.
Speaker 2:I'm hoping to come down next year. That's the aim.
Speaker 1:Absolutely Alright, guys. So this has been another Game Changers episode and to thank you guys for coming on and listening, remember to like and subscribe. Game Changers is available wherever you get your podcasts we're on YouTube, we're on Apple Podcasts and we're also on Spotify. Anyhow, as usual, thank you for coming on and I'll see you next time. Stay hungry. That's all, bye-bye.