About

Ashlee Nichols Brookens

Once upon a time, I was a Disney photographer, and before that a competitive chorus kid, early World Wide Web designer, and lover of 90’s grunge and R&B. Growing up, my parents were in the music biz, so we moved a lot. Traveling continued as I pursued singing and videography, which led to choir performances in Europe and filming documentaries around the globe. Learning and caring about other cultures has made prioritizing inclusive and equitable choices in my creative works a top priority.

My passion for film editing ignited during an 11th-grade Macbeth video project. I spent school nights editing in Final Cut Pro 4, refusing to sleep for three days. Staring at the blue bubble iMac, I felt like I was creating magic, perfectly timing dumb jokes to killer music. The hallucinations were lit y’all. And so began my pursuit of all things editing.

Currently, I am editing for NASA, helping to promote the new streaming service NASA+. Some recent notable projects include campaign for Halo S1 and after show on Paramount+, Secret Celebrity Renovation S1 on CBS primetime, a viral award-winning Criminal Minds S15 social video campaign, and a pilot for HGTV. Recently I edited on The Challenge S39 for MTV, and a feature documentary film ‘Boys of 742’ for Pureplay Entertainment as well as commercials for Amazon and the NFL. In philanthropic efforts, I created shorts promoting the UN International Day of Peace and The Prem Rawat Foundation. Also edited features such as ‘Boone The Bounty Hunter’ on Netflix, and ‘First World Problems’ and had the opportunity to work on a rock history documentary about my father, currently in production.

Throughout my career, I’ve taken on various roles, from being a film student to freelancing, to becoming a staff editor at renowned companies like CBS, Skip Film, and El Rey Network. Now, I have launched my own venture, Signal Vex. So, stay tuned for more exciting things to come!

FILM/TV

Telly Award
Social Video Campaign ’20 (Criminal Minds, CBS)

Grant Winner
UCF Capstone Grant ’07 • 35mm Panavision, Kodak

PRESS

Editing work
CBS promotion
 • ET promotion
For archiving my father’s work
Expanding DanThe Guardian

PRINT

Published Photographer
Guitar Center stores, Sound On Sound, MIX
The Roger Nichols Recording Method
BAGHDAD Yoga

 

Favorite color: turquoise

Favorite word: frivolous
Go-to Karaoke song: “Da Dip” by Freak Nasty
Party trick: reciting Pi

“You might be wondering what Signal Vex means…
It’s something I do all the time. Whether it’s making music or editing film, I’m usually having fun messing with the signal flow of images and sound.”

SIGNAL

an electrical quantity or effect, as current, voltage,
or electromagnetic waves, that can be varied in such a way
as to convey information

VEX

to disturb by motion; stir up; toss about,
change the arrangement or position of

 

 

 

< One of my favorite memories…
My dad, Roger Nichols, recording engineer / producer (1944-2011), is one of my biggest inspirations. Along with my mom, Conrad Reeder, singer / songwriter / author. Here he is winning his lifetime achievement award from The Recording Academy in 2006.
[left to right: Ashlee, Connie, Roger, and sister Cimcie Nichols who is obviously the actress of the bunch!