Ashley Nicole Moss Is Creating A Path For The Next Generation

For Ashley Nicole Moss, “ambition” is only one of the words that can be used to describe her. After graduating from Florida Atlantic University in 2015, she began a journey that would ultimately lead to her becoming one of the most recognizable faces in media. Now, she can be seen co-hosting I AM ATHLETE’s Paper Route, in addition to her fulfilling an ever-growing list of projects within the media space and beyond.

As far as her career goes, Moss has accomplished more in recent years than many have in their lifetime. In 2021, she helmed Certified Buckets for UNINTERRUPTED, and became the first Black woman to head Sports Illustrated’s video vertical and its digital series, Laces Out. Last November, the New York native was also selected as a member of the coveted Forbes 30 Under 30, an accomplishment that she is extremely proud of due to its prestige, as well as the success of some of the award’s past recipients.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this media maven is her willingness to open doors for the next generation. Being a trailblazer in her field, Moss feels that it’s not only her responsibility, but her duty to pave the way for her successors, and especially women of color. “I feel like that’s the only way to do it,” she tells ESSENCE. “It’s bigger than just me because one day when I’m no longer doing it, the next wave is up. Why not, not only blaze a path for yourself, but for the women behind you.”

This 30-year-old multihyphenate doesn’t want any restrictions on her pursuits. From expanding her reach in the entertainment industry, to exploring partnerships with iconic brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Moss is ready to show the world what she’s truly capable of.

ESSENCE: Let’s start at the beginning of your journey. What was your introduction into sports and what exactly made you fall in love with it?

Ashley Nicole Moss: My dad was my introduction to sports. He’s a huge sports fan and I would watch games with him just for bonding and entertainment purposes, but it wasn’t until high school where I really developed an interest for the logistics of the game – like trades, storylines, actual plays, things like that. That, combined with my love of writing and my love of debate – I love a good debate – made me be like, “You know what? This is a career path for me.”

I’ve always loved being in front of the camera as a kid. I was being dragged to auditions all over the city in New York, and I even did a film with Robin Williams. I was a background extra and I had the acting bug, but that’s something you have to be super dedicated to. I didn’t deal with the rejection of not getting callbacks too well when I was young, and it became a point where I just wanted to be a regular kid, but the love of the camera was always there. For someone who was naturally very introverted, being in front of the camera was a switch for me. I got to be a different version of myself. Although the acting took a back seat, I was able to explore that side of myself when it came to being in front of the camera from a journalistic standpoint.

Being a person of color, especially a woman of color, you have different struggles than a lot of other people. You’re very established now, but do you still face some of those same obstacles that you did when you first entered the media space?

For sure. I think that women have made so many strides in this industry, and it’s amazing. I love to be part of that new wave that’s going to make the next wave of female journalists, especially black female journalists, minority female journalists, just in general, it’s going to make it a little bit easier for them. You can already see that. I think companies are investing in diversity more than ever before. I love that the path was paved for me, and I get to do that for the next generation. But I will say for me it’s still a very male driven industry. Women don’t get the same passes that men get. Some men can never play a professional sport, or even a high school level sport, and they’re still given a pass that it’s engraved in their DNA that they know sports.

How can a woman possibly know more about sports than a man does? It just can’t be naturally possible. I think you also still deal with, “you’re there to fill a quota.” I think you still deal with, “you’re there for eye candy purposes.” I think that for as many strides as we’ve made, I still get a lot of that. I’ll give a take; rather I’ll give my opinion on something, there’ll be plenty of comments that talk about how I look before what comes out of my mouth. Or if I say something they disagree with, it’s like, “Ugh, this is why women shouldn’t be in sports.” There’s a lot of misogyny still within the field and it’s unfortunate, and I think it’s going to take a lot more of us in it to eradicate it. I think even when we do, part of it will still be there, unfortunately.

With that, are you optimistic at all about the future of black women in the media space?

Absolutely. I think that more of us are getting opportunities in this space, and I think new media has made that even more possible because it’s not just the traditional outlet anymore of being on TV for one of the “big three,” as we call them. There’s so many different spaces where you can be authentically yourself and that are looking for diversity and looking for fresh voices. I think that the more of us that are brought into these spaces, regardless of where you find yourself, the more the ceiling is cracked and the easier it makes it for the next generation and hopefully the next generation does the same. I think that that’s the direction we’re headed in. I’m very optimistic for the future for sure.

You’ve always been a really good conversationalist in your interviews. Who or what experiences helped develop your interview style?

I’m naturally a conversationalist. I’m naturally somebody who, when I have conversations with people, I’m not just, “Mm-hmm, sure. Mm-hmm,” and thinking about my next question. I’m actively listening, I’m actively curious. I took pieces from people like Robin Roberts, Diane Sawyer, Aaron Andrews, and so many different people. I saw things I liked, and saw things that I didn’t like. But I think when you’re naturally a conversationalist, I think that the way you approach an interview and the way that I approach interviews are just like that. We’re just having a conversation. I’m not going in there with an agenda. I’m not going in there with questions I have to hit, obviously, you have points of things you want to hit, but I rarely ever go into an interview with actual questions written out.

Depending on the flow of the conversation, that will dictate how I word it. It’ll dictate what I ask, but I’m more interested in just actively listening and bouncing off of that, rather than going in with an agenda. I think people feel the difference and people appreciate the difference, which is why I think I’ve been able to get really good interviews that don’t sound like you’re sitting there listening to two talking heads just go back and forth with each other. You feel like you’re a fly on a wall in an actual conversation. That’s what I want people to walk away feeling. I want people to walk away learning something about someone that they thought they knew and now they’re like, “Hmm, I didn’t know that.” If I can master those two things, then I feel like I did my job.

How do you navigate the person that may be a little bit more difficult to speak with, or may not be as open?

I think that everybody has that one thing that they’ll really open up about. I think that even the most closed off person has one thing that they’re really passionate about and they’ll really just bare their soul. You have to find that. You can push a little bit on certain topics, but if you’re not getting that feedback, you move on. I find that in my experience, at least, when someone feels comfortable and safe, they tend to open up more than they would in a space where they don’t feel that way. I’ve had conversations with some people who gave short answers in the beginning, but you got to disarm them a little bit. You got to stroke the ego a little bit, maybe make a joke, maybe laugh at your own expense. I feel like when people feel you come with no malintent, no ulterior motives, they naturally just let their guard down. That’s been my experience. I’m really good at disarming people. I’m really good at making people feel cozy and comfortable when they talk to me. Yeah.

You’ve also been known to have a great sense of fashion. From your sneakers, from your clothing, and the way you put everything together. If someone were to ask you to describe your style, what would you tell them?

I would say it’s high fashion meets street fashion. Growing up in New York – the mecca, and one of the fashion capitals of the world – I was exposed to fashion from a little girl. Obviously, there’s designer things and designer brands, but growing up I wasn’t wearing any of that. But I think in New York you’re exposed to so many people who look like they’re wearing a million dollars worth of clothing and it can be from a thrift shop. I’ve taken aspects of the things I was exposed to as a kid with the designer pieces that I’m able to implement into that.

But for me, my New York roots are such a part of my style. It may be baggy jeans and a tight shirt. It may be sneakers with a dress, it may be a mix of colors, it may be a mix of brands, it could be Zara this and Prada that. I just think growing up, you saw so many cool girls just playing around with their fashion and I used to idolize those girls. I get pieces of my style from so many different people, Dua Lipa, Aaliyah, Carrie Bradshaw, Rihanna, obviously. There’s so many just iconic people I can think of that I’ve taken bits and pieces of and made it my own. Of course, New York is the best teacher.

How do you feel New York affected you as a journalist?

New York is one of those places where if you’re not honest, people will call you out on it. It’s raw, it’s uncut, it’s authentic, it’s unapologetic. I’ve taken a lot of those sentiments and applied it to my interview style and the way that I give my opinions. I’m not someone who’s ever going to be mean, I’m never going to be disrespectful, but I’m always going to be honest, I’m always going to be authentic. I’m always going to be unapologetic. I think that in sports, especially the opinion based business, when you give an opinion, 50/50 shot, people are going to agree or disagree.

I think that as long as you can say what you say from a place of kindness and you’re not hitting below the belt, I’m okay with somebody disagreeing with me. It’s not going to change my opinion. I’ll stand 10 toes down in my opinion. I think that people appreciate that. Because I think that sometimes people are afraid to rock the boat a little bit. I think the whole thing about the sports business is it’s at its best when you’re rocking the boat a little bit. I think that for me, I’ve never been afraid of making some noise.

In your career, to this point, what do you feel has been your biggest accomplishment?

Ooh, making the Forbes 30 Under 30.

Congratulations on that, too.

There’s three things I would say: signing with my agency, WME, one of the biggest in the world, and making 30 Under 30. I think cracking the ceiling at both Sports Illustrated and I AM ATHLETE. At SI, I was the first black woman to head that video department. At I AM ATHLETE, I was the first full-time woman that they ever hired to sit on the panel. I think that cracking those ceilings in two different types of industries – one’s new media, one’s traditional journalism – I think is going to open the door, at least I hope it does, for other women, black women, and women of color to be in those spaces. I think that every time you can do that, I envision it like holding a door open. The way my philosophy with holding a door is more than just polite, you know? Don’t just hold a door open to be polite.

In my mind it symbolizes making the destination to a similar place or the same place just a little bit easier, because now they don’t have to push that door open. For me, obviously I want to break barriers and I want to tear down walls and have my own accomplishments, but I’ve always envisioned that for my career, and just in media in general. If I don’t make it easier for the next generation in some way, shape, or form, then I selfishly maneuvered through this industry.

Going back to your success at I AM ATHLETE and Sports Illustrated, what do you attribute that success to?

A lot of hustle, I’ll tell you. Listen, a lot of hustle. This was during the pandemic. I was on radio before the pandemic, then radio took a huge hit. I ended up getting furloughed a couple of months after the pandemic hit and just trying to figure out what my life was going to be like. what my career was going to be like. I happened to come across a Clubhouse room, where a bunch of people in the media space were talking about their experiences, and what companies were laying other people off. Sports Illustrated was in there, and it was a producer in Sports Illustrated, he ended up becoming our producer, Dakota [London]. He said, “We’re looking for people to come on board at SI.”

A lot of people don’t know this, I was working at SI for a while, just for free. I just wanted the platform to get my voice out there. I just wanted the platform so people would know who I was. Because at the time I was only on iHeartRadio in Miami. It wasn’t like I was on a national broadcast. Even when we started Laces Out, which was my show that we did for two seasons at SI, I was a contractor. I was getting paid per episode. I was not even a full-time employee, I just wanted that platform. I knew if I was given the opportunity to work there in some capacity, there was no way they couldn’t hire me. It was a leap of faith, but also just trusting my skill set and ultimately it worked out.

You genuinely seem like you love what you do, but like a lot of young people, do you ever sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor or is it always on to the next thing?

I’m trying to get better at that. I think, again, that New York mentality, you’re constantly hustling. I’m also a very ambitious person. If you believe in astrology, I’m a Capricorn. That is the goal-oriented sign of the Zodiac. I am somebody who’s constantly two to three steps ahead. I’ve been guilty of getting opportunities and being like, “Okay, cool.” Then 60 seconds later, “All right, what’s next? What are we doing?”I think that a little bit before I turned 30, I started to actively try to make a change in that. I actively try to not get so caught up in the future that I can’t enjoy the present.

It’s a challenge, for sure, because I’m such a goal-oriented person that I’m constantly planning ahead. But I think that we get so caught up in the destination that we fail to realize the journey is like the coolest part. When you get to the destination, you look back on the journey, that’s the part you’re like, “Whoa, I was here, here, here, and it brought me here.” J. Cole has a line in one of his songs where he says, “There’s beauty in the struggle.” In the beginning it was very hard for me to appreciate the struggle, because when you’re in it seems tedious and never ending. But when you actually get to the destination, you appreciate it. It gives you the battle wounds and the scars and the lessons and the wisdom, and I’m getting better at appreciating it. I’m still working on it, but I’m getting better.

With all your accomplishments thus far, what’s next for you, Ashley?

So many things are next. Looking for that next opportunity that’s going to put me on a bigger platform when it comes to my sports. Starting to expand where you can see me, start to expand into entertainment, start expanding into more marketing and brand partnerships.

I feel like we haven’t seen as many women in the industry do that. I can understand why being a woman who gets into the sports world at a certain tier is an accomplishment itself because it’s so hard to break down so many walls and so many doors. But me, I’m never satisfied with just being in sports. It’s time that the women feel like they can do different things, and do it flawlessly, too. I’m excited to start stretching my wings a little bit.