KSUT has fulfilled a significant benchmark in our multi-year strategic plan with the hire of Colten Ashley, as our Tribal Media Center Coordinator.  

Colten Ashley is a Diné filmmaker originally from the Four Corners. While studying Media Arts at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah with an emphasis in narrative filmmaking and critical media studies, the experience opened diverse opportunities for Ashley. One of those opportunities included teaching two semesters at Polaris High School in Orem, Utah as part of the Hands on a Camera program, while also working various positions on film, television, and commercial productions. 

After his graduation in 2014, Ashley worked for such companies as ESPN, ABC, BYUTV, Hallmark, and has contributed to work that has appeared on Utah PBS. In addition to his work in film and TV he has mentored college and high school students with training and workshops based on film production. He will be returning to the Four Corners from Utah as KSUT’s new Tribal Media Center coordinator. 

The Tribal Media Center will offer multimedia training to Native American and Indigenous individuals with a goal of expanding first-person and narrative storytelling content that can be distributed broadly to both native and non-native audiences throughout Indian Country. Tribal Media Center projects already underway include Native Braids, Native Lens and numerous partnerships with Rocky Mountain PBS, Fort Lewis College, Dream Warriors and Vision Maker Media.