Get to Know …Ashton!
What is your role at Vovia?
I am a Paid Social Specialist, which means I create marketing campaigns across a number of social channels. So basically, that would be those ads that you see on Facebook where you swear you only thought about the thing and then seemingly out of nowhere you see an ad for it.
What do you do in your spare time?
I have lived in Calgary since the tender age of six and I just got into hiking last year, so I have a lot of catching up to do. It’s my goal is to summit as many mountains as I can before my terrible knees force me to retire. Or I get eaten by a bear…
I’m a big NHL, CFL, and MLB fan. My favourite teams are the Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and Toronto Blue Jays. I can’t say I’m much of a world traveler, but I have a pretty long list of cities in both Canada and the US that I’ve been to just to see my team play in a different city. Whenever I have a spare weekend, I try to hop in the car or on a plane and catch a game somewhere!
I’m one of the few in the Vovia office who loves country music, and there aren’t many country concerts that I miss. I often joke that I work so I can buy shoes and concert tickets – it’s true!
I also love to just spend time with my family and friends as much as I can, baking up a storm or grabbing a craft beer on a patio.
Tell us something about yourself that would surprise people.
Even though I am team sports obsessed, I have never played team sports. My hand-eye coordination is zero (my colleague Dan can confirm that I am the worst ping pong partner on earth), so my sport in my younger years was downhill ski racing! A torn ACL in my knee ended my career, but I can say I spent my youth being part of a unique sport. It was incredibly demanding, but it was always rewarding – and I got to spend every weekend in the mountains. My only trip overseas was to New Zealand for a training camp, and one of all time my favorite memories is when I stood on the snow-covered Mt. Hutt Ski Area, looking out over green farmland, with the blue ocean in the distance.
What do you love/what are you most passionate about?
I love history and photography, so I have combined my love for those two things into taking photos of abandoned places. If you’re ever out driving in the country and you spot an old, decrepit farmhouse or barn, I’ve probably stopped and taken a picture (or 200) of it. I feel fortunate that I have been able to document so many of them, because one day a good gust of wind will probably knock them over. It’s a bonus that I haven’t fallen through the floor in any of them – yet!
What is the best part about working at Vovia?
The positive atmosphere and the people. When I first started working here, I thought I had accidentally stumbled into an alternate dimension. People are happy to be here? People bring their dogs to the office? People are collaborating?
I am pumped to be here and can’t wait to learn from this great team every day!