Ashley Nicole Black | Emmy Award Winning Writer & Actress & Adopted Doggo Gordie

When your fab editor Samantha Gurrie at The Wildest Magazine asks if you’d like to photograph the magazine’s March cover celebrity, and that cover celeb is Ashley Nicole Black, of course you say “YES.” And of course you say it EMPHATICALLY.

Ashley is not only a brilliant Emmy-award winning writer and actress (You’ve seen her & her work on Comedy Central’s Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show, Apple+ Ted Lasso, The Amber Ruffin Show), but she’s also a dog lover who is an advocate for adoption. I MEAN…Creative geniuses, especially the dog rescue folks, are MY JAM.

Ashley’s doggo Gordi, a very special Chihuahua mix from The Sato Project, makes a perfect companion and has enough star power of her own to light up LA. While shooting, (when little G wasn’t giving Ashley kisses and shining on, in her inimitable way), she was giving me side eye, and making it clear that being picked up for the 10th time upon my request was NOT HER FAVORITE. Had she taken lessons in haughty displeasure from our very own rescued Mutt Lila? Unlikely. But I’m intimately familiar with canine imperiousness, and I must say, I love it all the more when it comes from a 25 pound cutie with a heart of gold.

I’m of course incredibly grateful for this opportunity to photograph the radiant and absolutely gorgeous Ms. Black, this multi-talented artist blazing a white hot trail through Hollywood. It’s people like Ashley who, via her work, exemplary talent, and unique voice, keep that hopeful flame alive that progress, despite distressing news coming from every corner, is indeed alive and well in America.

I should note that these photos were touched by the hand of my talented post production photo artist in Odessa, Ukraine. He started this edit just as the war broke out, and shared that he wanted to finish the job…the distraction was apparently helpful. Sergey is my go to guy and I’m grateful for his help as he and his family, and we as a nation, face yet another meaningless, destructive war. May wise, compassionate minds prevail. May he and his loved ones be safe.

Thanks to Kiki Schrader, publicist extraordinaire

Styling: @meaghanpoconnor @fashion_finds

MU: @jazzemakeup

Hair: ameenah.mohammed

Ashley’s team: @lincolndebenham

Kimberly’s Assist: Christine Donat

Photographed in Los Angeles, CA
Photos © Kimberly M. Wang | Reproduction is not permitted.