Gareth Smith
mybrokenglasses@gmail.com
www.smithleedesign.com
c: 310.293.7716
Bio
I have been a creative director for 20 years and founder of two successful design companies.
With a strong background in filmmaking and design, I love to combine my knowledge and expertise in both areas to create memorable work for my clients as well as for my personal projects.
Client projects include 50+ main title sequences, graphics and special sequences for film and tv; studio logos; Broadway video projection designs and more.
As a small business owner with a passion for filmmaking and design, I have personally developed and overseen concepts, budgets, pitches, workflow pipelines, creative executions, and final deliveries for all the projects at Shadowplay Studio and Smith & Lee Design.
I have worked closely with top directors (Jason Reitman, Ivan Reitman, John Carpenter, Bong Joon-Ho, Zach Braff, Anne Fletcher, Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini, Karyn Kusama, R.J. Cutler), producers, post-supervisors, editors, assistant editors, and colorists.
I have also directed crews for film shoots, as well as design and animation teams in post-production.
In 2019, I collaborated with Cutler Productions and Matador Content to write, create presentations, and pitch a potential non-fiction series to various networks.
Skills: Adobe Creative Cloud software suite, photography, filmmaking
Qualities: Problem solver, creative, passionate, detailed
Education
University of California, Los Angeles
Bachelor of Arts in Design, 1999
Professional Experience
Co-founder & Creative Director, Smith + Lee Design
Los Angeles, CA / Portland, OR, 2010–present
Developed and produced 40+ main title sequences, graphics and special sequences for film, television, and streaming networks, as well as studio logos, and promotional videos for Google and Otis College of Art and Design.
Clients include Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV+, ABC, Showtime, HBO Films, CNN Films, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures and more.
Select List:
• Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry (Apple Original Film)
• Draft Day (Lionsgate)
• Going in Style (New Line Cinema)
• Okja (Plan B / Netflix)
• Young Adult (Paramount Pictures)
• Cinema Verite (HBO Films)
• Girl Rising: Sierra Leone (CNN Films)
Co-founder & Creative Director, Shadowplay Studio
Los Angeles, CA, 2002–2010
Creative direction, art direction, animation and design for a wide variety of projects ranging from video projection for Broadway musicals, video game cinematics, to film title sequences.
Clients included Fox Searchlight Pictures, Paramount, FOX Television, USA Network, Google, EA Games and more.
Select List - Title Sequences:
• Juno (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
• Up in the Air (Paramount Pictures)
• The September Issue (A&E IndieFilms)
Select List - Broadway Musical Video Projection Design:
• Wicked
• Spamalot!
• Man of La Mancha
Invitational Exhibitions
Textless, video art / personal project
• S. Mark Taper Foundation, Digital Commons, Central Library, Los Angeles, CA, 2021
• Vimeo Festival Awards, Best of the Year nominee, Brooklyn, NY, 2020
• Flux, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA, 2019
• WORLD.MIND annual symposium, Zurich, Switzerland, 2019
Up in the Air and Juno, title sequences
• 21st Century in Design at Viacom exhibit, Viacom, New York, NY, 2016
• Graphic Design: Now in Production exhibit, Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, New York, NY, 2011
• Graphic Design: Now in Production exhibit, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN, 2011
• Forget the Film, Watch the Titles, MU Gallery, Netherlands, 2010
Select Presentations / Juror / Instructor
• Finalist Judge, Motionographer, The Motion Awards, 2016 - 2021
• Guest Speaker, California Institute for the Arts, Visiting Designer Lecture Series, Valencia, CA, 2017
• Instructor, UCLA, Design Media Arts, Type in Motion, Los Angeles, CA, 2012
• Guest Speaker, ByDesign, Northwest Film Forum / AIGA, Seattle, WA, 2012
• Juror, SXSW Title Design Competition, Austin, TX, 2012
• Juror, Columbus Society of Communicating Arts, Creative Best, Columbus, OH, 2012
• Panelist, Typecon, Type That Moves (You), August, 2010
• Guest Lecturer, Arizona State University, Intro to Animation, undergraduate course, October, 2010
Select Press / Interviews
• Sound and Picture, “Smith Lee Design - The Team Behind the Split-Screen.” Vol. 26, No. 3, 2014
• Draft Day, DVD special features, 2014
• Men, Women & Children, DVD bonus feature, “Seamless Interface.” 2014
• 99% Invisible, “Movie Title Sequences.” Episode #28, 2011
• Up in the Air, DVD bonus feature, “Shadowplay Studio: Before the Story.” 2010
• The New York Times, “New Honor for the Designs That Get Movies Moving.” by Michael Cieply, March 9, 2010
• Art of the Title Sequence, “Up in the Air (+ Gareth Smith interview)” March 2010
• Print magazine, “I Made This Just for You: A Brief History of Design, 1999-2009” by Colin Berry, October 2009
• Design Week, “Title Bout” by Yolanda Zappaterra, February 21, 2008
• CBC News, “Juno and The Revival of Opening Title Sequences” by Martin Morrow, February 18, 2008
• Forget the Film, Watch the Titles, February 2008
• The Associated Press, “Where’d The Credits Go?” September 2007
• TYPO, “Thank You for Smoking (On Film Titles)” by Pavel Kocicka, August 2006
Short Films
Worst-Case Scenario, Inc., Co-Director / Co-Writer / Producer, 2016
• Winner - Jury Prize, Best Narrative Short, Sacramento Film & Music Festival
Doppelganger, Co-Director / Art Director, 2001
Premiered at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival. Aired on HBO, PBS and the Sundance Channel. Starred Timothy Olyphant and Rebecca Gayheart.
This Guy is Falling, Co-Director / Art Director, 2000
Award-winning short film produced while attending the UCLA Design department. Premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2000 and went on to play at over 30 film festivals worldwide.
• Winner - Jury Prize, Best Live Action Under 15 Mins, Palm Springs International ShortFest
• Winner - Special Achievement Award, USA Film Festival