Ashley Power is the President and Founder of Goosehead.com Inc. She started the site when she was 13 years old. Currently 15, she stars in her own internet series Whatever, as Skye Warner. Showtime has already expressed interest in taking the series to television and a two-hour pilot has been ordered.
Zap2it: How do you balance your career with your schoolwork?
Ashley Power: Its very difficult. Its very very hard. Ive always had really good grades. Always As and Bs and then Goosehead kind of took off it really did become a full time job and my grades started to drop. Theyre nights when Im up to 3 or 4 in the morning working on the site, and having to go to school and wake up at 6, only getting a couple hours of sleep and then going to school and then going back to work. My parents say its school before work. Because if I had it my way I would think that Goosehead was the most important thing and focus solely on that.
Zap2it: What do your teachers think?
Ashley Power: At first they were like cute web site when I was maybe in the newspaper once or twice. Then it was like 20/20 was coming to school and I wasnt there as much. And I was missing tests I really feel when I go to school I go there I get into class and Im like lets do the work and lets go. And it bothers me when people are like messing around or theyre taking advantage of a nice teacher. Im like lets do it. Lets go in, Im gonna learn it and lets leave. I have other things I need to do. I dont want to sit here and kind of goof off.
Zap2it: Do you feel that the pressures of adult life have come too soon for you? Is this a good thing?
Ashley Power: Sometimes I think its good and sometime I dont. Its a lot of pressure. Its a lot of stress. Its a lot of anxiety before my time. A lot of people dont experience this until after college. And I cant even drive yet. And Im already worried about money, and the business, and deadlines. My Mom says to me the only real reason you have to go to high school is to learn how to balance you have friends, you have homework, you have tests, you have boyfriends, you have driving, you have family, you have cheerleading or soccer, or whatever you do, and you have to learn how to balance all of it. My Mom thinks anything you learned in high school or college you could learn in a library you know its like Good Will Hunting you could learn those things out of books or watching the Discovery Channel, but its the balancing part that you dont learn when youre sitting in your room just reading.
Zap2it: When did your parents first become involved? When did they know that something was going on?
Ashley Power: I think they always knew. I was in my room all the time. Ive had my own computer since I was 8, and I was always on my computer. Or on the phone. Or both at the same time. They knew what I was doing but they didnt know how far Id gone. They didnt know I was talking to people on the web. Which really freaked my Dad out. He said give me all their names and all their phone numbers and Im calling each and every one of them. My parents got involved when I found out about Broadband and wanted to do my own show. I knew I couldnt do that one on my own.
Zap2it: So really your parents began to help you financially when you came to do your show, Whatever.
Ashley Power: Yeah. You get allowance and I was saving money. I really didnt need anything for my other expenses but that was when it was gonna be more than: Hey can I borrow 20 bucks?
Zap2it: Lets talk about Whatever. What is your input on the show creatively?
Ashley Power: Basically my stepdad Mark and I write the show. Its all our ideas, its both of us together all the time.
Zap2it: Do you present ideas and he writes the scripts or do you write the scripts together?
Ashley Power: It depends. Im always taking notes about everything that happens in my life. Everything day to day anything I think thats funny, or stupid, or sad Im always writing everything down. Then Ill bring all my notes to Mark and say heres my idea for this show, or heres the ideas Ive had this week, or lets do this. And he has his own ideas, and well throw things back and forth. We work really good together as a team. Well talk about it. Im learning how to write. I couldnt write a whole script by myself. I guess I just cant do it yet. But Ill get to that point and one day I will be able to. Ill write a scene or two and then Mark will go back and tell me why I have to change this, the scenes I write usually drag on for hours and hours. Theyre good, Im using good dialogue, but its like five hours long so hes gotta shorten it up. Most of the time hell write it and Ill read it. Its always collaborative, its always the both of us together.
Zap2it: Describe your character, Skye Warner.
Ashley Power: We took to Showtime and they cleared us to film a two-hour movie basically. And based upon that theyll decide whether or not they want 22. Were very excited. The Skye that were writing in this movie is a little bit smarter than the Skye in the webisodes, not so valley girl. But shes not always so nice, she has her flaws, which is what makes her real. Theyre times when you dont like her. When she says stuff and youre like: Shut up! But she redeems herself.
Zap2it: Were you involved with the casting of the other actors?
Ashley Power: I was in the room for every single audition and I was reading with all of the actors. I thought it was really important to have good chemistry on the set, we had to get along, these people had to be my best friends.
Zap2it: What was it like casting your own boyfriend?
Ashley Power: It was crazy! Its nuts. Even casting your friends. Its like wow. And theyre in there and theyre reading for you and theyre all nervous. Im like its okay. Dude relax. We had a lot of fun.
Zap2it: Talk about working with the ensemble.
Ashley Power: I think were a big family. We have the best time filming. Our cast and crew are amazing. We just work really well together.
Zap2it: On the internet, theyre no restrictions on content. Showtime, as a cable network, is similar in that respect, however, did they ask you to take it easy on such things as sex and language?
Ashley Power: They just said, write it as it is. Write whats real. Write what really happens.
Zap2it: Do you have an acting coach?
Ashley Power: No, I dont. I think Im learning as I go. I think Im not that great but Ill get better. Im learning that craft as I go along. One thing I did learn in the last webisode is that you have to not be afraid. I had to really commit to what I was doing and not worry that I look stupid or that people would laugh. It helps with your self esteem and confidence. I was able to scream or fall or have a big zit on my face and just kind of laugh about it.
Zap2it: What are some of the real-life-inspired plot lines?
Ashley Power: In the first webisode, the grounded episode, I was grounded when we wrote that webisode. Marks like: Whats going on in your life. And Im like: You know, Im grounded.
Zap2it: Did you reveal some secrets about your personal life to your parents as a result of writing Whatever?
Ashley Power: Its funny because Mark will say What do you do? What is something that youve done that you havent told your mother and I? Im like: Are you joking! I know its for the show but come on do you think Im that stupid? Hes like: Im not gonna get mad at you. Youre not going to get grounded. Im like: Im sorry, no.
Zap2it: So theres limits
Ashley Power: No matter if you work with them or not you cant tell your parents those things, until years, years later when youre not in the house.
Zap2it: Do you shoot the interiors of Whatever in your own house?
Ashley Power: We did, for the webisodes. My room was my room. But we put up stuff. Because my room is not very teenager-like, it looks more like one of my parents rooms. So we had to put up some posters and make it look more teenish.
Zap2it: According to your site, the name Goosehead comes from a cement goose in your yard that you accidentally decapitated. Where is that goose now?
Ashley Power: Its actually in front of our house.
Zap2it: Did you glue the head back on?
Ashley Power: Oh no, the head is no longer.
Zap2it: So the head is not on it? Wheres the head?
Ashley Power: No, its a headless goose. I dont even remember what happened to the head. It kind of crumbled. I think we just threw it away.
Zap2it: Recently Richard Dreyfuss has become involved with Goosehead. How do you know him?
Ashley Power: Lorin Dreyfuss works with my mom, and Lorin is Richards brother. Lorin told Richard to check out Goosehead and Richard liked the shows and he really liked the site. So he came over for dinner one night.
Zap2it: What kinds of shows is he working on for Goosehead?
Ashley Power: Hes amazing. People are always saying why are you working with Richard hes an adult. I could listen to the man talk for hours. He comes up with these amazing ideas. We have no boundaries, basically were working on all different kinds of shows. A lot of them require CGI work, which weve been working on for the past year. Some of them are other shows that we can film on two cameras.
Zap2it: When will they premiere?
Ashley Power: Hopefully soon.
Zap2it: What is the future of Goosehead.com?
Ashley Power: Anything and everything. I want to make Goosehead into a teen entertainment network. I want Goosehead to have a full slate of shows. Hopefully we can get some deals on television. I want it to remain a hangout community. A place for us. Everyone always asks me if, as I go into college, the website will change as I age. But I want it to remain a teen site, because I think those years are very, very, very important. When I get too old, Im gonna pass on the reins to someone else. But Ill always be involved with it, because its mine, I feel very attached to it, its like my child.
