About THE SMITH SOCIETY
The Smith Society is a podcast that focuses on the intricacies of storytelling, while giving an open and honest platform for each guest to shine and provide their own insight to empower each listener through the strength of their own experiences.
Smith (noun) - MAKER
Since the beginning of time, secret societies have existed to preserve history, stories, knowledge and folklore. Now, it’s your turn. The Smith Society is the club, and you have the password. This space is for storytellers to pass along their wisdom, retell their stories, and connect with those who have shared experiences. The Smith Society is an intimate look at how creatives who often go against the grain make their presence known. By discovering this secret passageway and diving in, you’ve made a commitment to learn and be a part of something bigger than yourself. This interview-style series is here to focus on our members to strengthen the collective, not the other way around. Our goal is to make the world a better place through sharing experience, struggles, passions, advice and thoughtful stories.
The Smith Society’s goal is to make the world a better place through representing and sharing the experiences, struggles, and passions directly from creative professionals.
The Smith Society. Follow your dreams, no matter where they take you.
All will be revealed in time.
About the Host DUANE FERNANDEZ
I am a writer, director, and producer with roots in marketing and advertising. In 2015, after 12 years dedicated to entertainment marketing, I launched VOKSEE, a visionary film and television production company.
I’ve been so incredibly grateful to have worked with some of the greatest leaders in the industry, from Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Disney, Marvel, Searchlight, A24, Focus Features, Universal Pictures, and Lionsgate, to Paramount, Sony Pictures, NBC, Fox, and FX. I spent much of my career breaking through archaic methodologies and introducing leading-edge techniques to drive returns, and in a way I suppose I still am. I’ve been honored to have launched several marquee films, shows, franchises, networks, and studios, but it was my work on awards films that truly inspired me. Getting to work with some of the greatest filmmakers in history refined my understanding of storytelling at a large scale. Over the years those campaign efforts and collaborations have garnered 24 HFPA nominations, seven Golden Globes, 42 Academy Award nominations and eight Oscars.
Currently, I’m working a new feature length script titled A Beautiful Disaster. We’re in preproduction on my first narrative short film titled, A Place to Fall Down, starring Clifton Collins Jr. I directed two music videos: Risk, with my long time collaborators, the band Metric; the other for Netflix and Alessia Cara’s song, I Choose, for the film The Willoughbys. Together these videos have garnered over 30,000,000 views.
I also directed one of the first short-form documentary series for Netflix, Making of OITNB. The six-episode series was a look back at the impact of one of the most acclaimed and culturally relevant shows in broadcast history. Along with other short-form documentary projects for Aston Martin and the legendary guitarist Johnny Marr.