Today we’d like to introduce you to Wayne Smith.
Hi Wayne, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My introduction to the industry came from my old AAU Basketball coach. In my younger years, acting was something I really wanted to get into and it just so worked out that my coach was an actress herself. She brought me on set with her for this TV Show called” Game of Silence” and I knew from that moment that this was for me. I took the next two years to focus on Basketball and Graphic Design then after graduating high school I decided to continue pursuing the dream. I spent the next year and a half as a background/Featured extra using it as an opportunity to make connections and study the craft first hand. I started to realize that I loved the production side more so I became a production Assistant and the love continued to grow from there. Now I’m currently a Producer, Writer and Director, feels good to be able to say that. It took a lot of Dark days, Long nights, and faith in myself to make it where I am now. I’m in a good position but there is still so much left to learn and accomplish.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Nothing great in life comes easy, and the more your challenged when trying to achieve something the more you know that it’s meant for you. Starting off as a Background Extra, I wasn’t making a lot of money. It was times where I barely had enough gas money to take me to set and then not even get placed in the frame. If I had a double booking sometimes I had to sleep in my car until the next day just because I didn’t have enough money for gas to make it back. Also, I was in my freshman year of college when I started and I chose being on set rather than being in class. I got put on academic probation and lost my financial aid. With that happening, I lost the support from my parents and some family members. That was a tough time mentally because the road to be successful in this industry is tough. Got caught up in the streets for a while which was also a crazy story but all I can say is I’m blessed and happy this worked out.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about WSmithProductions?
After working for some production company’s and seeing the type of material they were producing, seeing the amount of money they put into projects of no substance and seeing how poorly things operated and ran, I knew from that I wanted to own my own production company. I Launched officially in 2019 and right now, I’m currently working on our first Feature(Population Zero), TV series (Loyalty), and Animated Children Series (The Adventure’s of Axel and Ari). There’s a lot of ideas I have and a lot of stories to tell so I’m excited about getting the chance to share them all and introduce you to a new experience every time.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
The best thing I love about this city has to be the amount of raw talent and creativity here. From Music to Fashion, Sports, Film, etc…. There’s so much present here and it’s all love. No matter where you are there will always be hate and envy but here, the love outweighs the hate here. I’ve received a lot of love from this city in regards to everything I’m doing and I cant wait to be at a great place to give back to the city that made me who I am.
Contact Info:
- Email: waynejr907@gmail.com
- Instagram: waynesmithjr_
