Gary T. Smith
Gary T. Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born | Gary Thomas Smith October 30, 1954 Atlanta,Georgia, US |
| Occupation(s) | Screenwriter, actor, and film and television director |
| Years active | 1971–73, 1976–78, 1980–present |
| Spouse | Vicki G. Smith (1976–present) |
| Website | garytsmith |
Gary T. Smith(born October 30, 1954) is an American screenwriter, actor, and film and television director. A native ofAtlanta,Georgia, he is descended from a long line of Georgians, dating back before theCivil War.His father was an executive in the baking industry and his mother was a housewife. He has drawn on this heritage as inspiration for his films.
Early career
[edit]Smith's career began in 1971 atWHAE-TVin Atlanta, while he was a high school student. The station was owned and operated byPat Robertson'sChristian Broadcasting Network.After a stint as station courier and film department assistant, he moved to the studio where he began to learn the skills that he later used to develop his own productions.
In the mid-70s, he relocated to Virginia where he worked at CBN's headquarters' station, running camera for the network's flagship programThe 700 Club.On April 29, 1977, he participated in the inaugural broadcast of theCBN Satellite Servicewhich is nowFreeform.
In the 1980s, Smith directedThe Breakfast Club,a live daily talk show in Atlanta (which also aired weekly on the defunctPTL Satellite Network), as well as studio segments forMotoWorld,seen onThe Nashville Network.He was awarded an AreaEmmyby the Atlanta Chapter of theNational Academy of Television Arts and Sciencesfor work on the documentaryZoo Atlanta: The World's Next Great Zoo,in July 1987.[1]
In the 1990s he co-developed and directed the television seriesPrep Sports +forGeorgia Public Television,and he directed the internationally broadcast programPraise the Lordfor theTrinity Broadcasting Network.
Recent career
[edit]January 2010 the narrative short filmThe Mailbox,which he wrote, directed and acted in, premiered at Atlanta'sLandmark Art Cinemaand won aRedemptive Film FestivalRedemptive Storyteller Award. A tag-line for the movie was "A young boy learns the meaning of the old saying 'You only get to keep what you give away.'" Smith described the film as "sort-of a parable".
The majority of the story takes place in rural Georgia during 1947 and centers on a family's mailbox, which the mother paints a bright yellow. The yellow mailbox is the origin of the name for Smith's own film production company, Yellow Post Pictures.
In March 2012, Triple Horse Studios (which had announced plans to "build a Hollywood-style film studio in Covington, [GA], ultimately investing $100 million, with the goal of solidifying Covington's position as the 'Hollywood of the South.'"[2]) concluded a deal with Smith to co-produceThe Engagement Ring,a feature-length movie that he wrote and was slated to direct.[3]A romantic comedy, the story takes place on the campus of fictional Mountainview College in north Georgia.
Smith had a commitment to movies set and filmed in his home state. He planned to shootThe Engagement Ringentirely in Georgia.[3]Smith also had several more movie projects in various stages of development, includingTrouble in the Plate(a suspense comedy) scheduled for release in summer, 2014; andFirst Georgia Blue,aCivil Wardrama which he hoped to release as part of the sesquicentennial commemoration of the conflict.
Personal life
[edit]In 1976, Smith married Vicki Irene Greer. The idea of the yellow mailbox (seen in the filmThe Mailboxand the origin of the name Yellow Post Pictures) derived from the Greer family mailbox, which Vicki painted yellow and which was yellow while they were dating. The couple has 3 children.
Smith is a graduate ofMercer Universityin Atlanta (BAin Religion, 1979), Master's International School of Divinity (MMin,2012), andRegent University(MAin Cinema and television, 2013). He was ordained aSouthern Baptistministerin 1993 and is acommissioned officerin theGeorgia State Defense Force.
Selected filmography
[edit]| Year | Production | Writer | Director | Actor/Talent | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Announced | The Engagement Ring(feature) | X | X | X | Coach Barnett |
| 2014 | Trouble in the Plate(feature) | X | X | X | LT Reily |
| 2010 | The Mailbox(short) | X | X | X | Uncle Billy |
| 2007 | Searching for Church(documentary short) | X | X | X | Host |
| 1998 | Atlanta Passion Play: 2nd Edition(video) | X | Nicodemus | ||
| 1994 | Praise the Lord(TV series) | X | X | Himself | |
| 1992 | Prep Sports +(TV series) | X | X | X | Himself (voice) |
| 1988 | MotoWorld(TV series) | X (studio segs) | |||
| 1985 | Fisherman(video) | X | X | ||
| 1985 | The Breakfast Club(TV series) | X |
References
[edit]- ^The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution,July 19, 1987, page D/24.
- ^"Triple Horse to build film studio in Covington".April 12, 2013.
- ^ab"TRIPLEHORSESTUDIOS.COM".www.triplehorsestudios.com.