In the heart of Philadelphia, where grit meets innovation and stories are born on every street corner, Ashlee Hollis is redefining what it means to lead with both heart and strategy. As the Co-founder and CEO of Helm Creative Studio, Ashlee has built more than a creative agency — she’s built a movement. With over $1 million given back to surrounding communities and partnerships with powerhouse clients like Comcast, Four Seasons, Robert Irvine Foundation, and the Philadelphia Ballet, Helm stands as a shining example of what happens when storytelling meets social impact.
Alongside her husband and Helm’s Chief Storyteller, Elijah Hollis, Ashlee has turned a dream born from passion and purpose into a global creative force. Her leadership — recognized with accolades such as “Maverick of the Year”, Top 50 Women Leaders of Philadelphia, and multiple Telly, MUSE, and VEGA Awards — reflects a rare blend of vision, humility, and unstoppable drive.
As Philadelphia prepares for the Semiquincentennial celebrations in 2026, marking 250 years of American independence, Ashlee’s work through Helm is a testament to the city’s enduring spirit: bold, creative, and human at its core. In this exclusive Women On Topp interview, Ashlee opens up about building a company rooted in purpose, balancing leadership and family, and leaving a legacy of grace, strength, and generosity for future women leaders.
Ashlee, what inspired you to start Helm Creative Studio alongside your husband Elijah?
My husband, Elijah, and I started our journey of Helm during a season of our lives where we felt the call to a higher level of creativity and to bring a deeper level of humanity into storytelling. Being woman-owned, and with Elijah as the Chief Storyteller, we were armed with a camera and a dream to bring tangible, genuine care to an industry that’s been known for being mostly transactional. It was our commitment to people and adding value to each person we meet, ensuring stories are told with dignity, and valuing the impact we make that fueled our drive to not only add more team members, but do it in a way that makes a greater, more positive impact on the world around us. We recognized that youth and the creative communities are the ones who shape the future and we wanted to be a part of it. While we’re both creatives and strategists ourselves, it was our mission to have a culture that is set apart – that is a marked difference as to how we move through the world and our industry, how we interact with people and leaders across industries, that has made Helm what it is today. We are deeply moved and consider it an honor to have gone from one videographer doing local shoots to now traveling across the country and the world, doing what we’ve always done but on a greater scale, with a team of people who have the same sense of values when it comes to storytelling. And, as our company has turned ten years old, we truly believe that we’ve yet to experience all that Helm will integrate itself in and impact over the next ten years.
How do you balance your demanding role as CEO with your personal life and family?
I tell my team that I don’t live to work, I work to live. Holistic health as a leader isn’t contained within the office or on a spreadsheet, or even in the revenue I make with Helm. It’s in the connections made, the health of my team, the quality of my marriage, and the relationship I have with my kids. It’s true that I won’t be outworked – I give more to my company than anyone else and, as a leader, that’s how it should be. But I’ve been intentional about training leaders within my company to cover when I need them to, so that I’m present with my family. I’ve built a culture that doesn’t tolerate disrespect or gossip to eradicate drama in our company, and I’ve tried to lead by example. I respect my team members’ time and want them to thrive in their families just as I would want to. We honor working hours. We take breaks. We support physical and mental health. And the result is that I’m able to be more present with my family while accomplishing more than we ever would if we didn’t have these systems in place.
What’s a day in the life of Ashlee Hollis like, outside of running a major creative agency?
Over the past several years, I’ve been incredibly committed to my health. In all areas of my life, I’ve wanted to grow and become the best version of me I can possibly be – not only for my company, clients, and team, but for my family. And this commitment has made all of the difference. So, my day outside of Helm is first and foremost my husband and kids, and being present with them. It’s a commitment to our church, CHANGE Church, and serving within the community as much as possible. It’s nurturing friendships and people in my life who are on this journey with me. And it’s resetting and refreshing in the ways that creatively charge me – reading a leadership book, going to a coffee shop, cooking or baking at home, watching football with the family, or visiting the local sauna. It’s learning what recharges me and then prioritizing it and pursuing it so I show up better and more fulfilled not only for myself and my family, but for Helm.
What legacy do you hope to leave behind for future generations of women leaders in Philadelphia and beyond?
The legacy that I hope to leave or inspire for future generations of women is one that leads with grace and strength. It’s being fiercely protective of the most important things in our lives and of people, while also not being afraid to feel and to experience all that life has to offer. Contrary to the “boss babe” type of culture, I hope I leave an example of humility, of strategy that benefits all and, most importantly, of positive social impact. I want to be known for investing in others and using our creativity to change the world for the better. It’s important to me that I’m known for collaborating over competing and lifting other women up rather than tearing them down. And, to the women leaders in Philadelphia and beyond, I want to show them that you can value family and enjoy your work. You can be a mother and create epic content. You can do all of these things without losing who you are in the process. What the world needs is your original ideas and creativity, not a version of someone else or a robotic copy of what society thinks we can or should be.
What strategies have been most effective in building a creative team culture focused on growth, clarity, and valuing humanity?
One of the most effective strategies, on a practical level, has been hiring our team members out of internships. We have them work with our company for a time, not only to see if we believe they’re a great fit for us, but for our interns to know if we’re a good fit for them. Helm is undeniably unique. Our approach is creativity mixed with philanthropy, in a sense, and we prioritize people as the greatest value within our company. So, it’s evident in the culture we’ve built. One of the most effective things on that level is also the fact that we fiercely protect our culture. We don’t tolerate the things that try to eradicate our culture at Helm, because we know that’s what sets us apart from other creative agencies and in our industry. We also lead by example. We get outside help – from nutritionists and exceptional health benefits to a leadership coach or financial advisors, we actively work to identify areas of growth and move towards them with the same enthusiasm we would for client projects. We also really value common sense and critical thinking, and this has ensured that we’ve crafted and encouraged a team of creative strategists to be able to solve problems with clarity, to pursue growth, and to value humanity above all else.
Can you talk about the importance of social impact in your business model and how you integrate it into client work?
Helm is an impact-driven marketing and creative agency. It’s not only an essential part of our business model, it actually is our model. For each and every creative project we create, a portion is given back, both financially and through in-kind donations, to youth and creative communities. For our tenth year at Helm, we are on track to have given one million dollars in funds and in-kind services over the past ten years. For a small, growing company, this feels revolutionary. Not for the attention it has brought to our company, but for the fact that a group of creatives can accomplish this much when we’re focused on this mission. Because we’re not only focused on what we’re creating, we’re focused on who we’re creating for. In addition, our clients happen to have incredible causes that we get to amplify and accelerate through our work. From veterans and first responders through Robert Irvine Foundation or increasing scholarships for students through BLOCS, our clients are exceptional and also have a mission to make a greater impact. Because of this, impact doesn’t just get added through all of our projects, it gets multiplied.
How did winning the “Maverick of the Year” award in 2024 impact your leadership vision?
Winning “Maverick of the Year” was an accomplishment that further reiterated the drive I have to maintain our company culture and to pursue positive impact. To be alongside winners in a category for private or public companies, men and women, and organizations which are labeled as large or small confirmed what I’ve known: That Helm is unique. It’s special. And we have a mission worth following. We have a drive that accomplishes great things for our clients but also great things in our world. I’ve always felt and had a sense that Helm was going to carve its own path and this award just further proved and gave validity to the idea that we have something worth protecting and investing in.
In what ways do you and Elijah complement each other as co-founders and partners in business?
My husband is the best storyteller that I know. While we’re both creative, our strengths demonstrate themselves in different ways. Elijah is able to add a sense of wonder and possibility to everything he does and I’m able to efficiently strategize and execute on his ideas. I’ve also become skilled at translating what he’s feeling or intending for a piece or project and being able to articulate that to a larger group of people, our clients, or our team. We recognize that it’s not common for couples to both work together, build a church together, raise a family, and just do life together. In every aspect of our lives, we do it together and we do it as a team. And, while it is a unique way to live, we thrive in being able to support and have close proximity to each other. Before we had a team, it was just us working through projects. So there’s a level of knowing each other, a trust, and a mutual commitment to our relationship and our company that enhances everything we’re able to do together. From global travel to local shoots, we’ve been on this journey together from the start and there’s something really rewarding about having your partner with you through every step of the journey.
What advice would you give to aspiring women entrepreneurs who want to make a difference through their businesses?
For aspiring women entrepreneurs, I would encourage them to identify who they want to be and what they want to be known for as a leader. Once you figure that out, do everything you can to protect it and cultivate it. Culture and systems in place don’t happen by accident. Be intentional about not only how you’re presenting yourself to clients or your growing team, but how you’re showing up for yourself in the process. Take care of yourself. Value your life outside of work. Build trust with people. Be humble. Don’t let failure define you. And never settle for less than you’re worth as a leader who happens to be a woman, while respectfully recognizing you’ll never stop needing to learn and grow.
Looking ahead, how do you see Helm Creative Studio evolving over the next five years, especially in the context of the nation’s Semiquincentennial celebrations?
Over the next five years, I really see Helm becoming the go-to company for businesses and organizations who want human connection and need a team of original, creative strategists. Helm isn’t for everyone. We’re for those who want to make decisions towards greater impact, who want to value humanity, and who will be willing to trust us to do what we’re capable of doing. In the context of 2026, our production house, The Story Factory, is within Philadelphia’s city limits. We’ve been preparing internally for years for the Semiquincentennial so that we can accept opportunities that are in line with our vision as they arise, and be present with all that will unfold within our city. Our strengths are in our genuineness, our creative skills, and our ability to find solutions. So we see ourselves evolving more so in how others perceive what’s possible in hiring a creative agency – to reach goals efficiently, to have fun while also crushing previous metrics, to add value to the humans that we have the honor of capturing their stories, and to make the world better as we do. We love our country, so we’re excited to celebrate, but we’re also looking forward to the new people we meet, the new clients we onboard as well as executing plans for our current clients, and experiencing even more global travel as more and more decision makers realize that while bots won’t answer their core need for human connection and storytelling in all of its forms, Helm has and we will.
Find out more on:
Website: https://www.helmcreativestudio.com/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/helmcreativestudio
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/helm-creative-studio/posts/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4Ff3oFfS4nTRgakCi5RSgQVimeo: https://vimeo.com/helmcreativestudio
