Meet Aaliah Hartley | Visual Storyteller

We had the good fortune of connecting with Aaliah Hartley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aaliah, do you disagree with some advice that is more or less universally accepted?
I would disagree that in order to be successful, you need to adhere to a formulaic method to gain success. There’s not one single way to achieve (what you define as) success.

First of all, success means different things to different people. Some people may define success by how much money they make, while others like myself define it as doing the most fulfilling and meaningful work I can be doing (while still getting a healthy income).

The prescribed method is to go to school, get a job, climb the ladder, etc…but I actually didn’t finish my four year college degree until I was in my 30’s, unfortunately because I was denied higher education in my early 20’s. Some people like to be way more hands on in their field, which I admire. I went an unconventional route by interning for a media station before going back to school for what I wanted to do.

Some people are self taught because they can’t afford university level education, or because they just prefer to be self taught. You can also find your community and learn from those in the community and lean into it, to help push you into a position you are aiming for.

I hope more people would embrace the different methods of achieving their success, and not get down on themselves (which is what I did) if I wasn’t following the same methodologies as my peers.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve always been a Visual Storyteller. Watching films and playing video games are some of my most memorable moments as a child. I knew I wanted to work in films since I was little, though my current path looks different from that dream, I’m still creating visual stories, which I love.

I was born in Cape Town, South Africa and raised in Miami, and grew up undocumented in the U.S. This gave me a very different lens growing up than it did my peers. After falling into deep depression and having that be a main coping mechanism, I started organizing, became an activist, and fought for justice. This also played a huge part on the stories I’m more drawn to and the stories I’d eventually love to be telling. I loved learning about history and geopolitics, and I think that’s why I am drawn to longer form storytelling as opposed to short form media, though I do love both.

The path wasn’t easy, I couldn’t get a higher education to study film or journalism once I graduated high school, I couldn’t work or drive or travel, so it took me a long time to get on a path of what I really wanted to do. After getting my papers and going back to school for veterinary assisting and working in that field as well as in restaurants, years later I decided to return to my pursuit of filmmaking.

In 2015/2016, I interned at Rocky Mountain PBS, went back to school and created my own degree for film production studies at MSU Denver, and I started working in the field as much as I could on video and film productions. The next natural step for me was to become self employed and have creative control of my own productions. It took a lot of perseverance, setbacks, and tenacity to follow my dreams, but I continued.

To say that I was formerly undocumented and am an Emmy Award Winning Producer and current business owner is wild, and a testament that success isn’t always achieved in the way that you think it will be. It’s not a linear line by any means, and the setbacks are quite necessary to propel you forward.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m a lover of the city and of nature, so I’d give them a good mix of things.

I’d first force them to take one of my dance classes with me at Block21 Fitness, a hip hop/cardio dance studio, or Groove with Mikey at EVQ, which is more choreography based and so much fun! I’d take a stroll with them through Sloan’s Lake and setup a little picnic with pastries and drinks from Tokyo Premium Bakery, which is one of my favorite snack stops.

We’d eat at Sap Sua for some non-traditional Vietnamese food, which is currently my favorite restaurant in Denver, though I still have many I need to try. We’d either catch a movie at Sie Film Center or the Alamo Drafthouse, or a play at Denver Center for the Performing Arts (I must have a lot of money during their trip!).

I would definitely take them to see a show at Red Rocks, it’s my happy place. Aside from that, I’d suggest for them to check out Meow Wolf, any of our museums, and the South Pearl Farmers market on Sunday.

After all that we’d drive up to the mountains to Buena Vista, which is one of my favorite mountain towns, and we’d soak in Mt. Princeton Hot Springs and have burgers at the Surf Hotel. Or, we’d visit Iron Mountain Hot Springs and soak in the many different pools there and take in the gorgeous scenery driving through Glenwood Canyon. Hiking in Boulder and eating at Southern Sun after is another quick and fun day excursion.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Shoutout to my family, who are all unconventional in the way they move through life and still successful in their pursuits. I also want to give a shoutout to the people that invited me to work alongside them on their productions and introduce me to the world of video and film production, way back when and to this day. Big shoutout to my partner Brian, who is a huge support system and my biggest cheerleader. And a final huge shoutout to my mom, who is no longer here, but gave me the courage and tenacity to fight for my dreams.

Website: https://www.exaltedproductions.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exalted_productions_/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaliah-hartley-205151b8/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ExaltedProductions