Arthur Smith (producer)

Arthur Smith is a Canadian-born American television producer who is the CEO of A. Smith & Co. He previously worked for CBC Sports, Dick Clark Productions, MCA Television Group, and Fox Sports Net.

Early life

Smith was born Montreal in 1960 and grew up in Hampstead, Quebec.[1][2] He became interested in television during his youth, making predictions of television ratings and reading Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.[3] At the age of sixteen he became a disc jockey in Montreal. He also acted in television commercials and two films; Pinball Summer and Hog Wild.[4] Smith attended Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Toronto. He chose communications over theatre as his major.[3] While at Ryerson, Smith continued to act. He appeared in episodes of Hangin' In and Flappers. He also recorded voice-overs for commercials and produced segments for the CBC Radio's Variety Tonight.[5] He graduated in 1982 and was class valedictorian.[2]

CBC Sports

During his final year at Ryerson, CBC hired Smith as a junior producer. His first assignment was a profile of Canadian high-jumper Milt Ottey.[3] He went on to work as a camera director for Hockey Night in Canada and a producer for the 1986 Commonwealth Games, World Junior Hockey Championships, and horse races from Woodbine Racetrack.[5]

Smith was the lead producer for CBC's coverage of the 1984 Summer Olympics, 1988 Winter Olympics, and 1988 Summer Olympics. For his work on the 1988 games, Smith and his colleagues won Gemini Awards for excellence in sports and spot news coverage (of the Ben Johnson doping scandal).[2] In 1987 he became the lead producer for the CFL on CBC, where he introduced new graphics and animation and a halftime magazine show.[4] On October 10, 1988, Smith succeeded Don MacPherson as head of CBC Sports.[1] In this role he acquired a number of broadcasting rights for the network, including the 1992 Winter Olympics, CART racing, and the World Figure Skating Championships.[4]

Dick Clark Productions

In 1990, Smith left CBC to become vice-president of entertainment programming at Dick Clark Productions.[2] In May 1993 he was promoted to senior vice president. During his tenure at Dick Clark Productions, Smith produced a number of television programs and specials, including the CableACE Awards and American Music Award.[4]

MCA Television Group

In 1995, Smith joined MCA Television Group as senior vice president. His responsibilities included producing television specials, reality programming, and pay-per-view events.[6] During his short time with MCA, Smith was able to get commitments from all of the Big Four networks.[3]

Fox Sports Net

In 1996, Smith joined the fledgling Fox Sports Net as executive vice-president of programming, production and news.[3] Among the original programs produced by Smith were Fox Sports News, Hardcore Football, NFL Total Access, The Last Word, and Goin' Deep, hosted by Joe Buck.[4]

A. Smith & Co.

In 2000, Smith founded his own production company, A. Smith & Co. The company has produced a number of reality television programs for Fox, including Paradise Hotel, The Swan, Skating with Celebrities, Hell's Kitchen, and Kitchen Nightmares.[3] Outside of Fox, A. Smith & Co. has produced Trading Spaces, I Survived a Japanese Game Show, American Ninja Warrior, Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura, Full Throttle Saloon, Pros vs. Joes, The World According to Paris, American Gangster, and Unsung.[7]

Smith also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Tinopolis.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 "Smith appointed new chief of CBC Television Sports". The Globe and Mail. July 22, 1988.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Boone, Mike (July 4, 1992). "There's a lot shaking in producer Smith's life - not counting quakes". The Gazette.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Leung, Calvin (June 2006). "A. Smith's Heaven and Hell". Canadian Business.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Lang, Mark (May 4, 1998). "Arthur Smith: It's showtime". Mediaweek.
  5. 1 2 Boone, Mike (July 31, 1988). "28-year-old wunderkind heads to the top in CBC Sports". The Gazette.
  6. ↑ Hanson, Christine (December 19, 1994). "Arthur Smith appointed senior vice president, MCA Television Group". PR Newswire.
  7. 1 2 "Arthur Smith". A. Smith & Co. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
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