Smith with his wife, Gabrielle.
Smith with his friend and editor, Allison
Goldstein, during a Woodland Hills High
School reunion.
“Comedy writing is probably the craziest for me in terms of how I
got started,” says Smith. A friend of his entered an amateur “roasting”
contest sponsored by the Friars Club of New York, where the winner
earned a place on the panel to roast actor/comedian Jack Black. Smith’s
friend asked him to help write some of his material and the jokes were
so funny that Smith’s friend triumphed over approximately 70 other
roasters and won the contest. Having been invited to the Jack Black
roast in NYC, Smith met a few of the producers and told them to keep
his contact information in case they ever had another event that he
could help write for. “Since then, we’ve stayed in touch and I’ve just
finished writing for my eighth roast, in Washington, D.C., for CNN’s
James Carville,” says Smith.
When asked what it’s like to juggle three professional roles at the
same time, Smith simply replies, “It’s an honor to do all three.”
He adds, “Writing books/fiction is pretty self-explanatory. I sit with
my laptop, usually in an office or in my bed, and just crank out a story.
I write a chapter, send it to my editor, she sends it back and tells me all
the work I need to do to fix it... rinse and repeat for about a year until
it’s all finished,” he laughs.
“Filmmaking is the most stressful and complicated because it
involves the most organization,” he says. “The ‘writing’ is the easy part,
but filming an actual project takes so much time and money!” Smith
goes on to say that directing a film involves forming a strategic vision
and having other people implement that vision across a variety of
creative areas (visuals, performances, music, etc.). “You’re the person
who everyone should be able to count on to make decisions and
you’re responsible for encouraging an open and collaborative working
environment.” Smith points out that when producing a film, one is
responsible for mechanically and logistically ensuring all of the above
can actually take place. “That can range from booking locations to
making sure everyone on the set has food—really, anything needed,”
he says. “They’re very different roles, but equally important. ‘Gala’ was
the first full-on project I directed, and it’s pretty surreal—being part
of dozens of people in the same room, all making a piece of art from
something that came out of your mind.”
Beyond Smith’s teachers at Woodland Hills High School, he’s found
his hometown peers and colleagues to be instrumental in his career.
Smith (left) on the set of “Gala.”
Allison Goldstein (WHHS Class of 2004) is Smith’s editor for all of
his writing. “She’s a brilliant editor who approaches editing from such
a collaborative perspective,” says Smith. “She’s the only reason I’m able
to take my writing out into the world, and I trust her with my words
more than anyone else.” Amadeo Fusca (WHHS Class of 2004) is also
very inspiring to Smith. “He’s spent over a decade developing his craft
of acting and there’s no one who
will approach a project with more
dedication and preparation than
him,” says Smith. “I’ve worked
with him in comedy (the roasts)
and in drama (‘Gala’) and he’s
one of the most talented people
I know.”
Smith finds his inspiration
everywhere. “Writers pull
ideas from all walks of life,
Smith (right) with Amadeo Fusca during
from relationships to personal
a comedy roast held in New Jersey.
experiences, history to rare
moments,” says Smith. “The trick is being able to sustain one of those
ideas into a complete piece of work.”
Smith’s biggest challenge is finishing a project. “While there’s usually
a rush of excitement at the beginning, it’s hard to paddle through
all of the problems and issues while still maintaining that level of
enthusiasm, regardless of the medium you’re working in,” he says.
Smith also adds that writing is a very competitive field, but advises
career hopefuls to be humble and open to constructive criticism.
“It’s impossible to grow as a writer or an artist without embracing the
concept that we can always do better,” he says. “Hearing people tell me
that a piece of my work affected them in a positive way has to be my
favorite thing about what I do. There’s a big difference between general
praise and learning someone was truly touched by your writing. The
former is nice, but the latter makes everything worth it.”
For more information, or to contact Mike Smith, visit
mikesmithwriter.com. n
Woodland Hills | Fall 2016 | icmags.com 13