Ashley Colautti

After more than 15 years in this industry, Ashley is more excited about it than ever. She's always been a creative and adventurous person. After graduating with a graphic design and advertising degree, she moved to Asia for a few years to act and teach English. Her first job back in Canada was entry-level at a distributorship in Toronto. She learned a lot in those early years, figuring things out as she went. Ashley became a huge fan of commonsku, which led her to a career with them. Being immersed in that environment is like getting a master’s degree in promo. Her job was to listen to distributors and help them solve their process problems. She really loved playing the role of promo therapist but missed the creativity on the product side. Now, Ashley is at Spector & Co, a long-time favorite supplier of hers. She works with some of her best friends in the industry and takes her love for design, technology, and merchandise to the next level. This industry is all about fun and joy! 

Ashley lives in downtown Toronto with her husband, Jared, and son Sevin. You’ll find them biking the city in the warmer months and jumping on planes to get to warmer places in the winter;)

How did you get involved in PK?: I first heard about PromoKitchen when I was a distributor attending Expo and found myself at the PK Mixer! Who were all these amazing misfits? I had to learn more! Fast forward to the pandemic, and I had the time to really dive in and volunteer! PK was my lifeline to the industry and friends during lockdown. We got through it together and thrived!

Favorite Practical Joke: Painting Mark Graham’s Portrait during lockdown

Advice to younger self: Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want. What’s the worst thing that could happen? They say no?

Advice to younger self part 2: Don’t take no as an answer. Work toward your yes.

A few of my favorite things: My friends, my family, giving people nicknames, kitchen dance parties, tequila shots, swimming, not running, bike riding, ice skating, and food.