Uprising: Jack Smith’s Deliberate Journey to Production
Jack Smith grew up in Coventry (“Often referred to as ‘the jewel’ of the Midlands,” he reminds us) during which time he didn’t have many inklings towards creativity, but he just really really loved film. Thanks to Tom Cruise in ‘Mission: Impossible 2’ he also grew fond of the idea of becoming an actor. “However, after surpassing him in height, that dream was over,” he says.
Because of his back and forth between wanting and not wanting to act, among other things, Jack arrived at university-application time not really knowing what he wanted to study. The options for him joining the film or advertising industries were also not viable as he didn’t even know they could be a career. “So, with top grades in my humanities studies and an affinity for geological landforms, I opted for geography at Manchester Met,” Jack remembers. Two years in, after a two-hour long lecture in water hydrology he knew he had to take a year out.
During that time, he headed to London for an impromptu internship at Grey Shopper, “which led to another and a total of nine months in the big smoke.” In the capital Jack found his deeply buried obsession with advertising and the genius that it takes to condense a storyline in 30 to 60 seconds that also “levels an emotional impact on the viewer.”
When he arrived back at Manchester, he knew he had to start steering his degree as far as possible from geography and towards creative media. He even analysed British identity in commercials for his dissertation, which gave him a good stepping stone for when he was entering the industry with a degree not really related to it.
The journey, once hypothetical and glistening on a far horizon, became very deliberate at that point. Jack knew production is where he wanted to be, whatever the form. “I applied, relentlessly, for months, to both agencies and production companies. Until my knights in shining armour Joe Elliott and Cal Gordon got me my foot in the door at Burning Reel.”
Those months of persistent banging on advertising’s front door taught Jack resilience and inquisitiveness. Looking back now, he knows that others who might currently be in that situation should never be afraid to ask the question they have in mind, regardless of how ridiculous.
“Everybody has been thinking the same thing at some point in their career,” he reminds. “And also - network. You never know who you’re going to meet or the opportunities that could arise whether it be over a cup of tea or at an industry party, in a basement, in the depths of Soho.”
This knack for networking is what keeps him polished at his current role as business development at Pulse Films as well. Jack’s passion lies within discovering new directing talent and bringing them into the fold. “I want to help them cultivate their career. My ultimate goal is to build and maintain a successful director roster.”
Cultivating careers for new talent, though, proves hard these days in the industry. The new talent versus established talent debate roars on and is one of Jack’s biggest battles (this, and presentations). Breaking new directors or music video directors into commercials to him is a huge challenge. “When there are so many amazing, established directors out there, it’s a tough job doing so. But to stay creative we need diverse, new and fresh perspectives.”
Jack knows it all boils down to convincing agencies to believe in new talent as much as you do and when you manage to do so, it’s like “pure ecstasy.” He continues, “That said, being at a production company like Pulse Films does make this job a little easier. It’s an industry-wide respected name that was built on discovering new talent and nurturing them into directing megastars. We share the same passion.”
Jack’s passion also bleeds into his side projects. This year, he is a mentor in the Creative Mentor Network programme - an initiative aiming to create a more accessible and inclusive future for the creative industries by training those already in them about access barriers and how to nurture inclusive cultures. “Those in the programme also get partnered with young creatives to support them in setting and reaching their goals - it has been a fantastic experience so far. My mentee is nothing short of inspiring,” says Jack.
Overall, nurturing new talent is the type of job Jack thrives in and what motivates him to keep getting better at what he does. Making his parents proud shares the first place with that goal, of course. He adds, “To elaborate on a previous point on discovering new talent, I love the idea of coming full circle. Twenty years from now, watching them go on to direct feature films and beyond.”
When it comes to decompression outside of work, Jack is familiar with the power of a good bubble bath, among other things - hitting the gym, playing squash or heading over to The Faltering Fullback (“home to arguably the best pub garden in London,” according to him). He also still loves film, but has now finished watching all the Mission Impossibles and moved on to more experimental stuff. “My favourite director is probably Yorgos Lanthimos,” he says. “Then there’s Denis Villeneuve - I’m a huge fan of the science fiction genre (films, books, video games) and find stories and worlds imagining ‘what could be’ immensely fascinating. I’d add the Cohen Brothers to this list too - I’ll never forget the first time I watched ‘No Country for Old Men’ in the cinema. It’s flawless.”
Lastly, Jack elaborates on how he keeps himself fresh and abreast of developments in the field. It’s simple - eavesdropping. “But also,” he adds, “Reading LBB of course!”
