aboutus
Mission:
We empower young actors and storytellers with the courage and tools to make their voices heard and become the most emboldened version of themselves. At In The Pines, we dig deep, take risks, and awaken our imaginations to walk fearlessly out into the big wide world.
Purpose:
To nurture the youth who are willing to stay present, take creative risks, and lean into the unknown.
Vision:
To become the birthplace of a new wave of talent - bold, raw, and rooted in the Midwest. A place where truth matters, the work is real, and tomorrow’s most exciting voices begin their journey.
aboutTHE FOUNDER
Winter Williams (locally known as Ashley) is an award-winning American film and theater actress, best known for her breakout roles in cult horror The Human Centipede, revenge thriller Julia, and crime drama Albanian Gangster.
Raised in Charlottesville, Virginia, Ashley grew up immersed in a vibrant arts scene and discovered her passion for acting at age 12. She went on to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, earning an advanced associate degree, receiving the prestigious Charles Jehlinger Award, and joining the Academy’s Repertory Company with the Spencer Tracy Scholarship. Following her time with the AADA Rep, Ashley performed lead roles in innovative off-Broadway productions at venues including The Ellen Stewart Theater, Cherry Lane Theater, and 59E59 Street.
A pivotal collaboration with Italian director Dario D’Ambrosi deepened her fascination with the human psyche and complex character work, propelling her toward film and an intimate, nuanced approach to acting. As a film actress, Ashley is renowned for her mastery of eye acting — the subtle art of conveying deep internal emotion through stillness and gaze. Critics praised her performance in Julia for its haunting intimacy and emotional precision, highlighting how her eyes communicate volumes without a word.
In addition to acting, Ashley co-founded Mind The Art Entertainment, a theater company dedicated to producing original work in New York City. She also served as an actor/educator with the Nite Star Program, using theater in NYC public schools to help students navigate real-life challenges and foster healthy choices.
Currently, Ashley is co-creating a one-woman show with playwright Denmo Ibrahim, while continuing her film collaborations with her husband, filmmaker Matthew A. Brown. She splits her time between New York and Wisconsin, where she lives with her husband, two children, five cats, and one very patient dog.
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Director of Film
Matthew A. Brown’s feature film directorial debut, Julia, was released in the US in AMC cinemas in October 2015 after winning multiple awards at the world’s leading genre film festivals and selling to over forty international territories. His sophomore feature, Albanian Gangster, was released in theaters via AMC Independent in October 2020, and he is currently in post on his third feature, Illyrian Blood, a sequel to Albanian Gangster. His next project, Killdeer, a dramatic thriller set on North Dakota’s Bakken oilfields, shoots this coming February, 2026.
Prior to directing, he wrote and sold a number of feature film scripts, one of which, Leaving the Cape, was a 2008 semifinalist at the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting. He has written and directed multiple shorts, including Crush, which qualified for the 2012 Academy Awards. Prior to directing, he worked as an actor, playing leads in successful American independent features, including God's Army (2000) and Brigham City (2021).
He has an MFA in Screenwriting & Directing from the Binger Filmlab in Amsterdam and an MFA in Creative Writing from Carlow University, where he completed his first novel soon to be ready for publication. Matthew heads our film department and leads the Teen Drama and Storytelling classes.