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Ashley E. Davidson

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Director, Brand Content + Social Publishing

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Ashley E. Davidson

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A Road Kit for Scrappy Productions

October 9, 2017 Ashley Davidson
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After years of scrappy productions, I've got a list of everything you need to pack for sustenance on a remote shoot.

I’m making an effort here to write more about our experience in starting a company that really reflects our values (more on that later), and one of those values is to not just do good work, but to do good. That means for the community, but also for ourselves. How can work be good for you; for more than your wallet? This question gets especially interesting when you’re in a different location nearly every night, with rotating team members, a lot of heavy road food, very little exercise, and not a lot of sleep.

One of the seemingly small things that I put a lot of thought into is how we fuel ourselves and our team when we are out on the road, so I made a road kit to include breakfast and snacks throughout the day, plus some basic necessities like sunscreen and bug spray. I wanted to avoid processed and sugary foods that burn us out, but also to create a sort of road kit that was high in protein and fiber, with a focus on whole foods. And since most of us like a bit of caffeine in the morning, it was key to have some coffee options when there’s not a coffee shop for miles. That said, this list is made with the assumption that lunch and dinner are otherwise provided.

Below is essentially a shopping list for a road trip shoot, which has evolved over the last 5 years where I’ve done more and more of these in often remote places. But I think it could also work for a shoot that’s in one remote place without craft services! This is just for keeping everyone healthy and energized throughout the day, so it doesn't include things like a first aid kit, gaffer tape, or flashlights, although those are important too. I included links where I use something specific, but there are lots of options out there.

One quick note: my partner, Jeff, and I like to stay with our team in an AirBNB so we can keep it family-style and work/eat/hang around the living room or dining room. I think it’s important that everyone has their own room as much as possible though, because you need a little solo time on a long shoot. So sometimes we have multiple houses for the crew if we can’t find a place big enough to hold us all. That said, an AirBNB means we all have a kitchen every morning, so we can make a few things for breakfast before we hit the road for the day. I'll note where that important below.

And another important reminder: most cities with an airport have a decent grocery store option. Our favorite is Trader Joe’s because it's cheap but has a healthy assortment, so we try to hit that as soon as we land and get our production vehicles. If you get too far outside of a town/city with an airport before you stop to make your road kit, you’re going to find your options pretty limited.

Here is our travel kit list, per car.

None of these items require refrigeration:

  1. A crate of bottled water
  2. Instant coffee: Starbucks (black) and Trader Joe’s (with milk and sugar built in) make single serving options that can be added to hot water. This is an easy option because you should always have access to hot water, even in a hotel. You could also try the bottled options if cold is okay, you have a cooler, and you have the space.
  3. Tea: green and black, plus something herbal for nighttime
  4. Dried oatmeal packets
  5. Dried almonds and sunflower or hemp seeds 
  6. Dried veggie and bean snacks (wasabi peas, kale chips, green bean and okra puffs, dried chickpeas, bean medleys, etc)
  7. Jerky
  8. Dehydrated fruit (we like mango and blueberries, and fruit bars - but check the sugar levels and avoid corn syrup; not all bars are created equally)
  9. Apples
  10. Bananas
  11. Creamers (get this one if you want bulletproof coffee) and honey packets
  12. Bug spray
  13. Sunscreen (Skin So Soft is both a bug repellant and sunscreen that we prefer)

If you have access to a kitchen, as we do, these extras can really help start the day off right when you’re out in the wild. But they can also require refrigeration OR utensils, so plan accordingly.

  1. 1 cooler 
  2. 1 bag of ice
  3. Eggs (1-2 per person, per day)
  4. Rye or whole wheat bread
  5. Almond butter
  6. Butter/ghee packets
  7. Single serving full-fat or 2% Greek yogurt (check the sugar levels before you buy; fat-free is a sugar bomb)
  8. Plastic knives & spoons

Finally, you’ll want to get some other basics:

  1. Zip-lock bags and a Sharpie (I use these to divide everything up between cars and reduce our packaging, but these also prevent messes once you've opened other snack bags)
  2. Paper towels
  3. Wet wipes
  4. Trash bags (or recycle the grocery bags)

We’ve been able to cover all of this for a crew of 12 for under $200 a week, including the cooler. Not bad!

My Own Suitcase Stash: 

Personally, there are some other things that seem to keep me healthier one the road, which I usually pack when I’m traveling. If you’re on the road a lot, you might like this stuff, too.

  1. STAMBA Travel (This is like a little whole food bomb of goodness that keeps you vibrant and healthy, alert, and regular… which can be an extra travel challenge!)
  2. Lypo-Spheric Vitamin C (Some people like Emergen-C, but I feel like this works better for me. It’s pure vitamin C delivered in lipid spheres, so basically your body is able to absorb more of it. Not that I’m a scientist, or anything...)
  3. Dr. Dennis Gross C+ spray (I have a pretty regular face routine, but somehow moisturizer doesn’t seem to work when I travel UNLESS I use this)
  4. Aquaphor (the only lip balm you’ll ever need, in travel size)
  5. An 18oz YETI rambler (I load it with hot coffee in the morning, and then cold water in the afternoon and night - it's super diverse and helps me keep track of my own beverage in a full car or chaotic film set where all the disposable coffee cups and water bottles look the same. I like the green one, and I got this lid for hot stuff and this one for cold stuff and bumpy roads!)

I'm curious to hear if anyone else has go-to shopping items or items you MUST pack to stay healthy and hydrated on the road. Let me know if I've missed anything!

A Thought Mess →

This is my thinking spot. It's dedicated to exploring brand-building and strategy, storytelling, and the digital revolution in luxury, fashion, and media. And anything else I happen to be thinking about. Because it's my thinking spot.

  • Ashley Davidson
    RT @neiltyson: To be scientifically literate is to empower yourself to know when someone else is full of shit.
    about a year ago
  • Ashley Davidson
    Hey, just in case you haven't had enough scary news: https://t.co/RGx1TFFprk
    about a year ago
Up north. ❄️♥️❄️
This is a five year old walking out into the frozen Straights of Mackinac, where Lake Huron meets Lake Michigan. Her parents were on the shoreline and seemed way more relaxed about this whole situation than I was. But I had also just been pulled out of a frozen wave by Carlo, so that may have had something to do with it.
(Pt 2) Chautauquas were built between the 1870s-1920s as seasonal camps supporting the "four pillars" of recreation, arts, religion, and education. Nearly 20 of these communities remain in the US today. They're typically very colorful summer cabins and lodges, built with exquisite Victorian craftsmanship. Theodore Roosevelt called them “the most American thing in America.” The Bay View Chautauqua was built between 1875-1900 as a Methodist camp of lifelong learning and exploration. But in 1942, Bay View adopted a resolution barring persons of color and non-Christians. In 1959, the Caucasian requirements were removed, but in the 1960, a Catholic quota (no more than 10% of residents) was added. This Catholic quota wasn't removed until the 1980s. Last year - in 2018 - the Christian requirement was finally removed altogether. What a journey. #americanhistory #thisoldhouse
Over the (very snowy) weekend, @carloliburdi and I went to see one of Michigan’s 2 Chautauquas in Petoskey, called Bay View.  It's a pristine neighborhood full of incredible Victorian houses that are like Easter eggs; each one unique in design and hue. When I worked in Urban Design, we idolized neighborhoods like this. Look up anything from DPZ and the Congress of New Urbanism, and you'll see the similarities. The Bay View neighborhood is completely walkable, and anchored with lodges, lecture halls, and meeting houses, as well as outdoor gathering spaces. It's still the home of one of the biggest music festivals in Michigan. Although it's closed during the winter, people still snowshoe and cross-country ski around the neighborhood's many trails. (Pt1) #thisoldhouse #newurbanism #chautauqua #americana
Winter whiteout in Michigan. ❄️💙
Just little light in the middle of a frozen bay during a blizzard. 🕯
Pulling this old house back together is such a magical process, complete with all the illusions you might expect. It isn't perfect, but it's perfect for us! 
We chose very natural hand-scraped woods with knots and pinholes for the first and third floors, where we'll spend most of our time. Put your hand on these, and they FEEL like wood: they're textured and warm to the touch, unlike ultra finished boards that are perfectly identical with a high gloss that feels more like plastic to me. (And they'll feel great on bare feet!)
This is one of three window nooks on the third floor. It'll have a cubby on the right. #gettinthere #westvillagedetroit #thisoldhouse
Almost a year ago, we were driving through the post-Maria version of San Juan. We had just left a location where, for the second day in a row, we waited indefinitely for an interview that never happened. Time was not on our side and it was difficult to coordinate anything: electricity was spotty, and people were busy rebuilding. It was also challenging to get a shot that didn’t include busted out windows or wind-stripped palm trees. We drove into Condado, heading towards Old San Juan, and we saw this group of teens just hanging out on the beach, surrounded but seemingly unaffected by the chaos of an island getting back on its feet.  Paseo Caribe, a new and hotly-contested upscale oceanside neighborhood with a posh market and restaurants, was in the background, still limping to recovery. Most windows remained missing, others were boarded up. The sound of rebuilding - drills and hammers - echoed across the Condado Lagoon. To the right is the Fortín San Gerónimo de Boquerón - a fort that was already 200 years old by the time of the US Revolutionary War. The fort is one of the only ones to be managed by a hotel group - Hilton. It’s been badly damaged over the years, first by naval attacks and later by neglect and nature (most recently Hurricane Maria), and today it remains off limits to visitors. I'm so thankful we got to explore Puerto Rico with @visittheusa! It's an amazing place with an incredible history and wonderful people.
"Choosing authenticity and worthiness is an absolute act of rebellion." 🇵🇷 @brenebrown wrote those words and I see the truth in that in every community that I get to visit and document.
Feeling especially lucky to have this talented lady in my life. If you don't have friends who push and encourage you to live the bigger life, do the work, use your voice, and step out of your comfort zone, I'd suggest you find some. Bonus if you can travel and collaborate with them! Thank you so much for the latenight chats, @veekster! To many more in 2019! ✨ 
PS- She always looks this amazing, even after working a 21 day stretch of shooting in sweltering hurricane zones, which is around when I took this photo! Me, on the other hand... Not so fresh! 🤪
Brooklyn ➡️ Detroit 💙
Look at that wood. I love watching this place come back. It's like seeing Atlantis being raised.
.
#detroit #brushpark #architecturaldetail #woodworking
Underground office. 🃏 (You get to it through a hole busted in the floor and a ladder that goes down. A bit impractical but hey, the rent ain't bad!)
One stop! 💚
This is our local Salvadorian papusa house. The food is amazing. And so is the ambiance. 💕
Traffic view from Manhattan to Brooklyn through the tinted window of a Toyota Highlander.

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