Christopher F. Smith
Creative | Strategy
LinkedIn
Resume (PDF)
A typical rush hour on a crowded train turns eventful when a spontaneous decision reveals the musical tastes of commuters of all walks of life.
While sitting on a cramped MUNI, I've often looked around and wondered what people are listening to. I'd daydream about swapping headphone jacks and getting a quick glimpse into a stranger's personality. "What is that guy listening to? And what about her?"
I've developed a short film presents a scenario in which a dozen people, packed shoulder-to-shoulder in a train, randomly plug into unknown audio devices and listen to their fellow commuters' music. And in doing so, learn that looks can often times be deceiving.
The film needs an Exective Producer and/or funding before I reach out to the key creatives necessary to make this the right way. With the proper backing I'll be able to reach out to my existing network and source a top-notch DP and reliable crew.
Learn a bit more --> LISTEN TO EACH OTHER
What was once a vague buzzword is now a promising trend in content development and monetization. StoryWorld Conference + Expo was developed by leading, community-focused publishing firm F+W Media and globally recognized speaker and writer, Alison Norrington to give this new movement a public platform.
As Business Development Manager, I was responsible for identifying and managing high-impact relationships, partnerships and sponsorship opportunities for the world's first large-scale Transmedia conference. Also developed outreach and engagement programs for press, media and community leaders around the globe.
Featuring industry leaders such as Jordan Weisman, Jeff Gomez, Lance Weiler, Frank Rose and Lisa Hsia, StoryWorld Conference and Expo was the most important Transmedia event of the year. Representatives from media heavyweights such as BBC, LucasFilm, Layar , Sony, MTV Cross Media, ABC/Disney, Canadian Film Center, JWT, Microsoft and others spoke.
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SFSDF needed someone with the experience to both develop and implement fresh marketing strategies within challenging parameters. With proven start-up knowledge and experience in the film industry, I contributed immediately to the school's overall branding and positioning, strategic business development and core marketing DNA.
- Produced and directed a series of student interviews
- Wrote and directed a strategically designed, brand-awareness-building, short film
- Produced and directed an interview with filmmaker Jon Bowden
- Contributed to the development of new classes and events
Transmedia Project
Reckless graffiti criminals have terrorized a city for years. Pressured by citizens, a Mayor introduces the Sniper Corps to eradicate the vandals under a controversial Executive Order: Shoot on sight!
KilRoi Was Here puts you in the middle of the colorful conflict between Art and Law.KilRoi Was Here is a transmedia project that begins with a short, high-action film. Shooting early-2012, the movie will spawn supplemental shorts, webisodes, mobile content and other materials.
Lead Organizer
Founded by leading Transmedia consultant Robert Pratten in March 2010, Spoilrr is a loose-knit cabal of storytellers, technologists, filmmakers and futurists who come together to discuss the future of the narrative.
Learn more about the Transmedia media movement or join Spoilrr.
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Shadow Angel Films - BOTTLE CAPS
Narrative short
Assistant Director
A homeless man with a penchant for bottle cap art has a much bigger purpose in mind than decorating his local alley.
Bottlecaps is currently in competition at Doorpost Film Project. Check out the fun behind-the-scenes video.
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1st Annual Tasty Awards
Awards show for television broadcast
Production Manager
The TASTY AWARDS celebrate and recognize the year's best achievements in food and fashion programs on television, in film, and on the web. The show was emceed by Zane Lamprey of Three Sheets and included actress Debi Mazar (Entourage, Dancing With the Stars, Ugly Betty), the Executive Producers of "No Reservations" and "Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie," Lydia Tenaglia and Chris Collins, plus the writer-directors of the film, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.
I sourced and managed the four-person camera crew who shot the pre-show red carpet arrivals and awards show itself. Filmed at the Kabuki Theater in San Francisco, the Tasty Awards will be broadcast to several million homes on March 13th and will be available on Hulu shortly.
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Independent Television Services (ITVS) - PIA
Narrative short
Co-producer
In the future, much of human labor is replaced with service androids called PIA’s. One night a mysterious and malfunctioning PIA appears at Syama Raval’s front door displaying traces of human memories. While interrogating the robot, Syama must challenge her ideas about life and existence if she is to reconcile her past. Starring Tillotama Shome, Ajay Naidu, Pia Shah and H.P Mendoza, PIA is a futuristic love story about the convergence of technology and the human soul. Directed by Sundance award-winning director, Tanuj Chopra.
PIA is an independent film project commissioned by ITVS (Independent Television Service) as part of their new “FUTURESTATES” initiative where 11 filmmakers are given the opportunity to present an original vision of the American future in a short film.
As co-producer, I was responsible for major aspects of the development and execution of the overall production plan including creative, logistical and financial concerns.
_____________________________ Shadow Angel Films - SHADOW ANGEL
Narrative short
Assistant Director
Meet Richard Martin. He's lost his wife. His job. Maybe his daughter. He needs to get his life back together. But first... he needs to get Shadow Angel.
As 1st AD, I was responsible for helping keep the shooting on schedule and contributed to the overall production. Additionally, I had a small role in the film playing a mugger who attempts to rob the main character.
Trailer
Behind-the-scenes
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Our Bags Were Filled With Fruit We Were Smuggling
Documentary short
Producer, Director
A San Francisco street artist writes poems in a name-your-price/name-your-topic arrangement and talks about the experience of being at the nexus of capitalism and art.
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Fictional short
Producer, Writer, Director
The demands of maintaining an influential and important online persona have forced the media-obsessed to hire near-full-time Trailers who follow them throughout the day to record and photograph their actions and post their thoughts and opinions. But when a Trailer is fired for making a couple mistakes, we learn just how connected one’s online and offline can become.
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The Where-Is-Your-God-Now? Burger
Short film
Writer, producer
I wrote a fairly in-depth article about the effort in an SF Examiner piece.
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The Delivery
Fictional short
Assistant Director
A mother and son, each living a lie, are forced to reckon with each other as their lies collide one afternoon. In the end they see just how much they have in common.
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I wanted to strengthen San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking's reputation and standing in the San Francisco film community by contributing to the conversations that define it. Like any passionate field, an existing community respects and welcomes people that give back to it - people that speak from experience and authenticity. So, to bolster the school's standing both locally and nationally, I became the San Francisco Movie Examiner where I wrote about online film, indie film developments and film-related ephemera focusing on the San Francisco area. Highlights include: AnyClip Finds The Scene, my interview with BIRDEMIC: SHOCK AND TERROR director, James Nguyen, a film contest business model overview, a question about 'film hype', and my eComm Conference coverage (I, II).
With a byline that proudly displayed my affiliation with the school and our sister company, Fog City Pictures, I exposed our institutions to a much broader audience while securing a position as a thought leader in our industry.
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After Mocapay (see below) shifted its identity and engaged in large-scale lay-offs, I found myself ready to start something new. Determined to stick with a personal passion, I combined my strong entrepreneurial drive with my fondness for motorcycles and developed the framework for a motorcycle-centric news/social network property named Motorcycles OK.
I flew out to San Francisco to meet a programmer and explain the overall strategy. A working model was created and I began content practice runs as we learned the Joomla platform. The project never reached escape velocity, however, and we decided to shelve it for a later date. The rough proof-of-concept is still live.
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Recruited to Boulder, CO to help launch what is fast becoming the nation's premier mobile payment platform. As is customary in a tech start-up, I contributed to the development of everything from collateral copy, business strategy, creative branding and what kind of water with which to stock the 'fridge in the hallway. Additionally, I was leading salesperson while managing a merchant acquisition team of six.
As the Mocapay expanded, I relocated to Cincinnati, OH where I was the sole company representative and as such was responsible for all merchant and consumer-related concerns. Additionally, I managed the on-site deployment and operation of Mocapay's proof-of-concept initiative at national grocer, Kroger.
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Nestle asked guerillaPR to help build their new teen portal - The Cooler. I sought out some of the web's most influential teen writers in fashion, video games, music and movies to be part of this new initiative. I managed the writers and facilitated their contributions to the site. Additionally, I sought out complimentary alignments and agreements and consulted on the approach of The Cooler's foray into the teen market. Have a look.
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Working in conjunction with Konami and guerillaPR's internal web developer, I helped design and manage the online promotions for both Coded Arms and Death JR on Sony's Playstation Portable (PSP). These were critical releases as Coded Arms was the first first-person-shooter (FPS) released on the PSP and Death JR had a rabid and vocal fanbase that could doom the game from the start. We had to do a good job.
I coordinated the outline of targets, managed online marketing efforts and contributed to the overall success of the campaigns. Tactics including creating MySpace profiles, webmaster outreach, blog efforts and extensive community engagement. Our efforts made hundreds of thousands of positive impressions while rallying existing fans and creating new ones.
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VIZ Media is a leader in the publishing and distribution of Japanese manga for English speaking audiences in North America and a global licensor of Japanese animation. In short, they make killer cartoons!
We had the opportunity to promote two of their newest titles Zatch Bell and Naruto. With a decidedly younger audience in mind, I managed the research and compilation of target audiences, created the messaging and picked the resources to put on the project.
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Dell was releasing a new MP3 player - the Dell Ditty. This tiny little widget was small enough to go anywhere and packed enough songs to keep you on the road with fresh tunes for a long time. Dell chose to take a wacky approach with the release. They created a character called Mitch Ferrance that would show you the wonders of the Ditty through clumsy air guitar, ghastly dance moves and other shenanigans.
My job was to tap the best employees, allocate time, manage and track placements and catalog feedback. If you have a few moments, have a look at the campaign.
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As GoCar's first employee, I played an integral role in getting the company off the ground. From the raw concepting behind the messaging for all marketing and press materials to arranging tourist industry presentations, I was the point person as GoCar began to make headlines in The New York Times, USAToday and others. More than a distant PR flack, I manned the front desk, fixed engines and shared stories and experiences with tourists from across the world. The original Press Kit.
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I launched a magazine. There. I said it. I have always had a strong affinity for film and a parallel appreciation for the publishing world. Colorado had - and still has - strong independent film and production communities and I felt that they weren't getting their due. So I set out to create a vehicle that would acknowledge the efforts of local and regional filmmakers and promote their works. The magazine and complimentary website were very well received. I did the rounds and garned coverage in The Denver Post, Colorado Public Radio (mp3's) and The Reggie Williams Radio Show (locally famous, trust me.)
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After losing lots of money to the venerable Craigslist, the San Francisco Chronicle needed a jolt to their Classifieds. I was brought in to think up some good ideas - and put them to words. I created print, online, TV and Radio (mp3) ads that promoted the Chronicle's new offerings.
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One of the world's foremost outfitters was gearing up for several catalogue releases - and they needed help. I was brought in (literally, as I lived in Denver and HQ was in Nebraska. I lived in a hotel with my dog) to help write extensive catalog copy. From fishing waders and beef jerky making kits to high-end Canons, I wrote compelling copy for an estimated readership of over 1 million.
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Cheap Tickets was ready to step up and be a big player in the online travel game. A pending re-design needed a textual touch and I stepped in to write, edit and manage content deployment to the new sites. Apart from liasing content issues and core writing, I contributed ideas to the Vacation Package department, wrote monthly email blasts to an audience of hundreds of thousands and contributed to other projects.
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Big race, big promotion. The Big Kahuna race was coming up fast and Speedvision needed a good TV commercial. I sat down in a studio and cooked up the copy and helped to design the look and feel of the spot. Start your engines....
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Working with Insight Digital Cable, Starz! was rolling out a new service offering for college students. With the start of the school year, students were faced with many choices. We tried to make their cable TV choice an easy one. The approach I created was used on radio as well as print in local publications and banners on campus. Additionally, I concepted a door-hanger approach for marketing materials.
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Action sports was where all the, uh, "action" was in 2002. The X-Games were on fire, Tony Hawk had a video game and brash kid-athletes were hawking everything from soda to pogo-sticks. As one of the first brands of this industry, Airwalk had a strong legacy and big plans for the future. I wrote the athlete bios for the Airwalk skate, BMX and snowboards teams as well as the skaters for the fledgling, ultra-premium skate brand Genetic. These bios were the go-to materials for TV announcers for the X-Games and other competitions and were included in all Airwalk marketing initiatives and press efforts.
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Expanets was one of the nation's most respected telecom/networking strategy and deployment companies. They had launched a new practice within the company and asked me to give it an identity. Called the eSolutions Group, this effort was designed to fully leverage the emerging power of the Internet to increase efficiency, fine tune business processes and integrate and enhance systems and networks. I concepted and wrote the web copy as well as sales sheets for each vertical: Commerce, eSolutions Discovery, Web Enablement and Knowledge Management. Expanets has since been sold to Avaya.
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Originally hired as the copywriter for Denver-based DNA Advertising, the firm was soon scooped up by an up-n-coming IT consultancy. I was charged with creating the identity of this new company complete with web copy, recruiting pieces, sales sheets, direct mail and the primary brochure. Working closely with the Art Director and Chief Strategy Officer, I helped to craft the voice of the the company.
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The leader in home-grown eyewear, Colorado's own Mountain Shades/Optic Nerve have stood up against ocular-protection giants and maintained their focus on being one of the best sunglass companies in the country. Optic Nerve, the edgier sibling, came to my company for a brand assessment. I researched the competitive landscape and provided a detailed analysis of current and future opportunities for the company. Additionally, I wrote all the copy for the 2002 Mountain Shades dealer catalog.
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In the midst of the Dot Com explosion, PentaStar was one of the nation's largest telecommunications service providers. By consolidating dozens of smaller, similar firms, PentaStar began to grow - and need support material. I wrote the company's tagline, web copy, primary sales brochure, and an array of sales sheets. PentaStar Communications is no longer in operation - a victim of the times. What does the trusty Wayback Machine have to show?
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Staffscapes is one of the Rocky Mountain region's premier Professional Employer Organization (PEO).
They were ready for a complete make-over and I led the content efforts. I came up with the new name, tagline, wrote all copy for the website and three versions of their brochure as well as two direct mail pieces.
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As a multi-tasking editorial assistant, I contributed to almost every phase of the monthly release of the magazine. I wrote profile pieces on action sports athletes, gear reviews, scene reports and others. Magazine folded in 2009.
