Ashley Durand
Publicist/ Writer
Ashley Durand
ABOUT
ABOUT ME
WHAT I'VE DONE
WHAT I DO
I graduated from Grace College in 2013 with a Bachelors degree in Journalism and a minor in Intercultural Studies. In 2017 I was awarded "Young Alumni of the Year" by the school. I was married to the love my life, Jon Durand, in 2017. I have always enjoyed reading and telling stories. I am adventurous, love to be outdoors, travel, try new things, go biking and hiking when the weather allows, and am constantly pursuing a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. I am passionate about truth and justice, and see writing as a way to promote those values.
I have a wide variety of experience including: Writing for local newspaper columns, articles for mission organizations, hundreds of blogs for at least 5 different sites, over 200 articles for a business portal, interviews, video scripts, ebooks, website content, newsletters, magazines, brochures, freelance editing, and more. A blog I wrote for Plugged In Movie Reviews was the 4th most viewed post on their website in 2017. I also have done PR for books, personalities and current events.
I currently work for Focus on the Family as a Publicist, where I craft press releases and pitches, place personalities on Christian radio, and handle internal communications, like our all-staff newsletter. I also write occasional blogs and am a regular guest on the Boundless podcast. On the side I do some freelance editing, writing, and PR. I am also the PR chair for the PRSA of the Pikes Peak Region.
Writing PORTFOLIO
Here are a few samples of blogs and articles I have had published. Work listed includes blogs for Focus on the Family's Boundless, guest blogs for Focus's President Jim Daly and Plugged In Movie Review, blogs for Revive our Hearts, and marketing blogs for 212 Media Studios
Are you living a life of quiet desperation? Perhaps you spend every day doing what everyone else does: work, eat, sleep, repeat. Yet you sense a deep restlessness that you choose to ignore, if only to keep your job and paycheck. Few take time to analyze the inner struggle that accompanies monotony.
It was Liberia, 2005. Joe Wilkey, founder of World Compassion Network (WCN), was assessing refugee camps for the UN. “I went out to this big camp, trying to determine if I they needed rice or not. On my way, I noticed a small camp to the left. I asked around and found out it was a leper colony. I said, ‘Well, is anyone going there?’ And they said, ‘No.
For those of you who don’t know, adventure races include orienteering (with a map and compass), biking, running, and a water event like kayaking, canoeing, or swimming. “It is like a triathlon but more fun. There are checkpoints you have to get to. You get as many as you can in a given time. Sometimes you have to be on foot, sometimes in canoe or on a bike. We (my brothers and I) love adventure racing,” Matt explained.
My waterlogged feet had gone numb as I struggled to keep running amidst the crowd and the current. I lost track of my 212 Media Studios co-workers, who were competing elsewhere on the hilly terrain. After reaching the shoreline my legs felt like dead weights, but my thirst for adventure compelled me to press on. Little did I know I still had to jump over four hurdles and crawl through a tunnel of tires before crossing the finish line—what a rush!
