Bio
Scott W. Smith
Producer/Director/Writer
(who also shoots & edits)
Documentary Shoot 2006—Cape Town, South Africa
Once upon a time I made a couple videos in high school, became a 19-year-old photo journalist in Florida, and then graduated from film school in California back when schools only used film.
In the past 20+ years working in film, video, and TV/radio I’ve been able to travel all 50 States and five continents working on an eclectic mix of media productions; filming America’s Downhill in Aspen, shooting from a sea plane over the Amazon River, writing/directing short films, producing national TV documentaries, commercials, music videos, corporate & industrial videos, promotional videos, economic development projects, writing radio dramas, producing/directing best-selling faith-based videos for R.C. Sproul & John Piper, covering the Iowa Caucuses— including the then future President Barack Obama, freelance field producing for The Montel Williams Show, ABC’s The Doctors, and what was at the time the largest immigration raid (Postville) in the U.S for Telemundo, location scouting for Mandate Pictures, and taping more than 400 interviews including two Holocaust survivors for Steven Spielberg’s Shoah project.
Along the way I’ve been able to tell and partake in some wonderful stories and honored to work with many gifted and amazing people.
Since 2007, I have been one of the principle owners of River Run Productions and enjoy working on a variety of projects there where I can bring my diverse creative talents to various groups looking for something different.
As a screenwriter I’ve written nine feature scripts, though only my short films have been produced. In 2008 my blog Screenwriting from Iowa became the first ever screenwriting blog to win an Emmy Award. (Regional—Minneapolis, Advanced Media.) In the last few years I’ve won more than twenty awards for various productions including a second Emmy for location lighting.
As a public speaker, I’m a former Toastmaster president, and have spoken to schools, colleges, businesses and creative groups on production, creativity, and the power of storytelling.
