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Ashley Holt \u201912<\/b><\/p>\n
From These Hills to Hollywood Hills<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div> By\u00a0Shaw Hipsher<\/b> Ashley Holt \u201912 started her first post-college job even before crossing the stage at graduation. A job offer from The Doctors<\/em> talk show was just too good to pass up, even though it meant completing her final semester remotely.
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\nEven before transferring to Clemson as a sophomore, Holt knew she wanted to work in film or television. Holt lived in Los Angeles near Hollywood until she was 12 years old, at which point her family moved to Charleston \u2014 a move she is so grateful for because she so enjoyed growing up in beautiful South Carolina. It was during her junior year at Ashley Hall that a job shadowing experience led Holt back to Hollywood for the first of half dozen impactful internships that piqued her interest and lit her fire for working in film and television.
\nAfter high school, she started her college career at College of Charleston, then transferred to Clemson halfway through her sophomore year. Holt loved the close-knit environment of Clemson, where she already knew great people and met many more new friends.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s a family first,\u201d Holt said. \u201cEven though I only had two years at Clemson, I have great pride in the University.\u201d From sorority events with Tri Delta to football games with roommates and live music in downtown Clemson, Holt felt at home. \u201cBoth the town and the University have so much charm,\u201d she said.
\nHolt majored in management and minored in film studies at Clemson and started building significant experience early through summer internships at places like Entertainment Tonight<\/em> and Paramount Pictures. After her post-production internship at Paramount Pictures, she was given the opportunity to work on CBS\u2019s The Doctors<\/em> \u2014 an opportunity too good to pass up even though it meant being remote her final semester at Clemson. Holt moved to Los Angeles; her first full day working as a production assistant was the same day that she would have walked with her Clemson classmates at graduation. It was a sacrifice that would later pay off.
\nA decade into her career, Holt has worked in and touched many parts of television production from producing, casting and interviewing to researching and writing. In her six years with The Doctors<\/em> alone, Holt worked her way up from production assistant to producer and was nominated for an Emmy along the way. She learned how to anticipate needs and research as a production assistant, how to interview people as an associate producer and how to lead a team as a producer. And her career has taken her to far-flung places like Fiji, where she was part of the competitor relations team on The World\u2019s Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji<\/em> that helped organize the race, find competitors and manage over 350 competitors. The program is currently streaming on Amazon.
\nWhile Los Angeles and the entertainment industry can seem daunting to outsiders, Holt has found a strong community. \u201cI\u2019ve been fortunate to work with strong female bosses and co-workers on almost every show I\u2019ve worked on,\u201d she said. \u201cAdditionally, I\u2019ve made lifelong friends starting from my internship at Entertainment Tonight,<\/em> when I was still at Clemson, to my most recent job at Shark Tank<\/em>. I feel so lucky to have each one of these women in my life, and I wouldn\u2019t be where I am today without their leadership, advice and friendship.”
\nLike many industries, COVID-19 required some pivoting for the production world: working with limited staff, mask-wearing, and working from home on nonfilming days. Holt recently wrapped Jeopardy! National College Championship.<\/em> Now her focus has shifted back to Shark Tank<\/em> as they start to cast for Season 13. While there have been many applications for her degree in her producing career, Shark Tank<\/em> especially is a great match for her Clemson business acumen.
\nThe past year also brought two big personal milestones: a golden retriever puppy, Rooney, joined her family in 2020, and she tied the knot with Maxx Cohen, a graduate of the University of Southern California, at a 15-person wedding in November 2020. Cohen is executive vice president of acquisitions at Cohen Asset Management, a Los Angeles-based commercial real estate company.
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![\"Maxx](\"https:\/\/clemson.world\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Maxx-_-Ashley-225x300.jpg\")
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