About Greg Smith
Professor of Sound Design, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA
Owner, Pros from Dover Productions
Owner, Four Points Studio
Founder and CEO, “Guitars for Heroes” (charitable organization)
Founder and CEO: “Inside Voices United” (charitable organization)
Producer, Musician, Writer, Editor
Curriculum Vitae
Employment History: Academic
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Savannah, GA: Academic Program Coordinator; Sound and Film/TV Professor.
As Academic Program Coordinator, I assessed departmental programs and workflow and suggested improvements and/or policy changes as needed, including program revisions for the film department’s BFA. Also, lead the production team to produce, shoot and present SCAD student and faculty films for festivals around the country and the world. I created and mentored the student television crew that won the National Student Emmy for Best Comedy Series for “The Buzz.” I also teach courses in both the film and sound design departments, with a concentration on film sound and film history.
Aug 2015 – present
American University, Washington, DC: Term Professor and Affiliate Professor for the AU Film Department, School of Communication; and for the Audio Technology program, Department of Performing Arts, College of Arts and Sciences
At one time or another, I’ve taught most of SOC’s film production courses and many of ATEC’s (Audio Technology) film and music-related courses, including Location Film Sound and Post Production courses that I created for SOC and carried over to ATEC (specific classes listed below.) While serving as a Term Professor for the College of Arts and sciences, I was also named an Affiliate Professor for both the CAS and SOC. I also created a sound effects library of over 2,500 sounds that I donated to AU’s Bender Library.
I’ve also been involved in numerous SOC and ATEC “Service” activities (full list below), including WVAU (campus radio station) reconstruction and a Christmas charity music project involving students, faculty and staff from several different university departments. Since 2007, I’ve been involved in SOC’s Discover the World of Communication summer program, teaching a variety of courses I created for them, including Music Studio Production, Broadcast Journalism, Weather Broadcasting and News Writing. I’ve taught and developed these courses for both of DWC’s sessions (in D.C., and San Francisco at UC Berkeley). I also created and co-host an award-winning, independently-produced monthly television program Greatest Scene Ever, which dissects historically-significant films and related topics and airs on AU’s cable channel and website. The program is staffed by student and faculty volunteers. In May, 2015, Greatest Scene Ever won a “Best in Industry: Education” award from the New Media Awards for a web series.
2005 – 2015
Employment History: Professional Film, Audio & Related Experience
IMAX, New York, Houston and Toronto (Film): Lead Astronaut Trainer, Sound Recordist, Assistant Camera, Location Manager
I’ve recorded audio in the studio and the field for over a dozen large-screen format IMAX films. Locations range from the mountains of China and the jungles of South America, to the deserts of the American West and Kazakhstan, to the Ginza District in Tokyo and the deck of the Titanic on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. IMAX films include Blue Planet, The Dream is Alive, Titanica, Grand Canyon, Michael Jordan to the Max, Mission to Mir, NASCAR-3D and Hubble- 3D.
In addition, since 1991, I’ve been training NASA’s astronaut crews in the use of IMAX recording equipment for use on-board the Space Shuttle and International Space Station. I also designed the audio recording system that the astronauts use to record sound in space.
In April of 2012, various items from my sound recording kit (microphones, recorders, etc.) were donated to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum for an exhibition on filming in space.
1984 – present
Lucasfilm, Ltd., Marin County, CA: Staff sound mixer, Second Unit Producer, location manager, and sound effects recordist.
While on staff at Lucasfilm, I worked on more than thirty feature, documentary and animated productions. These include a number of Hollywood’s most successful films, such as the Star Wars series, the Indiana Jones series, the Jurassic Park series, as well as Glory and Cocoon. I was also the Second Unit Producer for the ABC-TV/Lucasfilm series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. Since leaving Lucasfilm’s full time staff in 1989, I’ve continued to work for LFL, consulting on film projects and recording efx for a number of Lucasfilm productions, as well as the Star Wars series, and Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln.
As full time staff: 1984 -1989
As freelance: 1990 – present
National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C. (Television): Location Sound
I recorded production audio for two Geographic films that aired on NBC and PBS: “Secrets of the Wild Panda” and “Inside the White House”. Both films continue to be top sellers for NatGeo in their retail stores and online.
1991 – 94
National Park Service, Washington, D.C. (Film): Unit Producer, Associate Producer, Location Sound Recordist
I’ve unit produced and/or recorded sound for numerous NPS films, including “On the Edge of Land and Sea” for the Cabrillo National Monument in California (I was also the soundtrack’s composer), “Manassas: End of Innocence” for the Manassas National Battlefield Park in Virginia, and “Land of Stone and Light” for the Badlands National Park in South Dakota.
2000 – 2006. Complete filmography on IMDb.
Broadcast TV/Radio, Journalism & Related Experience
National Public Radio, Washington, D.C. (Radio): Senior Editor, Producer, Reporter, Composer
As an editor, reporter and producer for the network, my responsibilities included, at various times, creating story ideas and editing copy on deadline, producing pieces for the programs, and acting as line producer. During my tenure there, I edited or produced all of the network’s major nationally-broadcast news programs at one time or another, including All Things Considered, Morning Edition and Talk of the Nation.
In addition to my news duties, I also was the producer of two promotional videos for the network: “NPR: A Year in Review”, in both 1996 & 1997.
I also composed and performed theme music for several NPR shows, including Talk of the Nation, Day to Day, The Motley Fool Radio Show and the Weekend Edition Sunday Voices in the News. I continue to serve as a consultant and compose music for NPR’s news, online and programming divisions.
As full-time staff: 1979 – 84, and again 1993 – 99.
As consultant: 1999 – present
CBS News, Washington, D.C. (Television): Staff Segment Producer
Staff producer for the daily CBS news broadcasts America Tonight and Nightwatch. As segment producer for Leslie Stahl (America Tonight) and Charlie Rose (Nightwatch), I generated story ideas and developed them into pieces for the programs.
I also was a desk producer for the CBS Evening News and CBS Morning News programs, and produced numerous pieces for those broadcasts. (1990 – 91)
National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C. (Radio): Senior Editor, Location Sound Recordist, Writer
I co-wrote and copy-edited “Oceans of Life”, an hour-long radio documentary co-produced by National Geographic and National Public Radio. In addition, as one of the program’s correspondents, I reported from the underwater oceanographic habitat “Aquarius” (which lies on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean), and also from a research submarine to a depth of 1000 feet.
1994 – 95
Music Experience
Composer, Performer, Producer:
I’m proficient on a number of instruments. I’ve written for, produced and played on numerous jazz, rock, new age and classical albums. In addition, I’ve composed and released eleven solo albums, including “Redemption Road”, “After Words”, “So it Was” and “Album the First”. My music has logged tens of thousands of listens/views on both my YouTube channel and Spotify.
I’ve also contributed several original songs to charity Christmas albums, including “You Don’t Know What I Want” for the “Santa Cause” collection to benefit D.C.’s Children’s Hospital. I also produced and played on another Christmas charity album in conjunction with American University. My music has been featured on radio stations in San Francisco, Washington, D.C. and Savannah.
I’ve also written music for and produced several books-on-tape for various publishers, such as Simon and Schuster, Houghton Mifflin, Penguin Books, Dove Audio and Random House. The authors I’ve worked with include Bailey White, Andrei Codrescu and Jeanne Dixon.
In addition, as an independent music producer and composer, I’ve written film scores, theme and piece music for numerous film, television and radio projects. Clients include National Public Radio, IMAX, The National Park Service and Lucasfilm, Ltd. Film scores include: Marshall, Texas, Stryker’s America, Eighteen and Coal.
1978 – present
Honors & Awards
In Academia/Television
2017: Created and mentored student TV crew that won the National Student Emmy for Best Comedy Series.
In Journalism
At National Public Radio I was on the staff of programs that received three of journalism’s highest awards for work I had done in part with each program:
1999 George Foster Peabody Institutional Award for NPR’s Morning Edition
1996 Alfred I. duPont Columbia Silver Baton Award for NPR, Senior Editor
Weekend Edition Sunday
1981 Alfred I. duPont Columbia Silver Baton Award for NPR’s Morning Edition
In Music
2000: Named a Taylor Guitars “Independent Artist”.
In Film/Audio
2015: “Best in Industry: Education” from the New Media Awards for Greatest Scene Ever (Link: http://www.newmediaawards.org/webawards/2015/greatestsceneever.htm
2015: One of my microphones and a recorder used by IMAX/NASA donated to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
2011: Award of Merit for Marshall, Texas at the Los Angeles Best Shorts film festival (as Producer)
Education
2011
Master of Fine Arts, American University, Washington, DC
Major: Film and Electronic Media
2010
Master of Arts, American University, Washington, DC
Major: Film and Television Production
1978
Bachelor of Arts, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Major: Communications
Web Links
Updated Spring 2021