Ashley Purdum is a communications and marketing consultant specializing in spirits, advertising, music, and entertainment, doing her best work when those worlds overlap. With extensive experience leading earned media strategy and events for spirits and talent-led brand campaigns, she is well-versed in the nuances of the three-tier system and the entertainment industry, and is passionate about both.
Described by a former agency General Manager as a "Swiss Army Knife" for her varied skillset and integrated marketing approach, Ashley founded Exit 80 in 2022 to offer scalable services to clients based on individual needs. By partnering with other nimble "solopreneurs" and small teams to create full-service solutions, Exit 80's hands-on approach delivers results without unnecessary overhead.
In addition to Exit 80's rotating roster of project-based work, Ashley currently leads brand communications and marketing for Four Walls, the Irish American Whiskey brand from Glenn Howerton, Charlie Day, and Rob McElhenney of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
She also consults with Spirits of the Night, where her experience growing a spirits brand from the ground up and her past experience in sneakers marketing helped shape the start-up's vision and formation, and The Tavern, where she helps package big ideas into real-world applications.
About
past experience
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Before founding Exit 80, Ashley served as the in-house Communications lead for Night After Night, an ad agency specializing in helping brands connect with consumers by tapping into nightlife culture. Overseeing the agency's rebrand, she advised on communications strategy and execution across the agency's portfolio while simultaneously driving press for the agency's work and leadership. Clients included Jägermeister, Pernod Ricard (The Glenlivet, Avion Tequila, Jameson Irish Whiskey, and Altos Tequila), The Bronx Brewery, and Trojan Brand Condoms.
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In addition to corporate and brand communications for Night After Night, Ashley was also Brand Director for Barking Irons Spirits, overseeing operations, compliance and trade and consumer communications for the made-in-New-York line of craft apple brandies and gin.
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Before getting fully mixed up in the spirits industry, Ashley led accounts in the digital and field marketing departments for Cornerstone Agency/The FADER magazine. Clients included brand and entertainment projects for Nike, Diageo, Microsoft, and Pepsi, as well as 100+ album releases, a few of the edgier operas at The Met, and even a Tupac musical on Broadway. During her four years as part of the "Fader Fam," Ashley spent many hours in her chucks wrangling artists and media at the magazine's famed SXSW & CMJ "Fort" events and planning and executing countless press events for a variety of clients. Professional highlights include making magic with Converse on various shoe launches and concert series and working with Bushmills Irish Whiskey and Aaron Paul to send off Breaking Bad in style at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
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Prior to Fader, Ashley cut her teeth at +1, a mid-aughts Brooklyn-based record label where she started at just 20 years old. From running the VIP door at Jelly's famous 'Pool Parties' and working with Playboy on a multi-year 'Rock the Rabbit' charity t-shirt campaign shot by Mick Rock, she learned a tremendous amount while helping many bands break through in the U.S. market.