Biography
Award-winning filmmaker Jack Thomas Smith made his feature film directorial debut with the psychological thriller Disorder (2006). He was also the writer and producer of that film. Disorder (2006) opened in select theaters in the United States in the summer of 2006 and was later released on DVD and VOD by Universal/Vivendi and Warner Brothers. Overseas, it screened at the Cannes Film Festival and the Raindance Film Festival in London. Disorder (2006) has just been released worldwide on Digital HD for the first time by Monarch Films.
Born on March 10, 1969 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Smith lived there until he was eight when his family relocated to a quiet island community in Michigan, where he began to write after reading the Stephen King novels Salem's Lot and The Shining. By the time he was eleven, he had written a 300-page novel and a number of short stories.
Smith's family moved to Sparta, New Jersey when he was a teenager. It was there in that middle-class town that he discovered the films of George A. Romero, Stanley Kubrick, Brian De Palma, and John Carpenter. Inspired to make movies, he wrote and directed a handful of short films that were shot on Super 8mm and starred his brother and friends in all of the roles.
As a young adult, Smith produced films for horror directors Ted A. Bohus and John A. Russo, co-creator of Night of the Living Dead (1968). From that point on, it was only a matter of time for his growth as a filmmaker to expand.
Smith wrote, produced, and directed the dark thriller Infliction (2014), which deals with the horrors of child abuse and its long-term effects. Infliction (2014) opened as a limited theatrical release in the United States in the spring of 2014 and was later released on DVD, VOD, and Digital HD on July 1st, 2014, by Virgil Films & Entertainment. In 2018, Infliction (2014) was released internationally on Digital HD by Monarch Films. For Infliction (2014), Smith won awards for Best Story in a Feature Film at the Buffalo Niagara Film Festival and Best Screenplay at the Macabre Faire Film Festival.
Smith is a member of the Horror Writers Association. He served as a guest contributor to the Bram Stoker Award nominated book "Horror 201: The Silver Scream." Other contributors include John Carpenter, Wes Craven, and George A. Romero.
Smith directed the music video for the song Purple Pam: Take Me Away (2006), which appears on the Disorder (2006) DVD. He shot music videos for the hardcore/metal song Danny Stoddard: There's No in Between (2013); the ballad James Kevin O'Connor: Favorite Song (2015); and the hard rock song Purple Pam & The Flesh Eaters: How Does It Feel? (2014), which appears on the Infliction (2014) DVD.
Smith is married to TV producer and talk show host Mandy Del Rio and served as the executive producer of her show The Indie Lounge (2014).
Smith's strong support for the military took his career in a different direction. He created the pro-military documentary TV series War Heroes with Kris Paronto (2021) hosted by Benghazi hero Kris Paronto. Smith directed and co-produced the pilot episode with Mandy Del Rio, who serves as one of the executive producers along with Glenn Nevola. The pilot episode of War Heroes with Kris Paronto (2021) premiered on Newsmax on Sunday, August 22nd, 2021.
Smith directed and co-produced with Mandy Del Rio the documentary 9/11: The Day That Shook the World (2021), which premiered on Newsmax on Friday, September 10, 2021. Interviewees include Rudy Giuliani, Bernard Kerik, Thomas Von Essen, Curtis Sliwa, and Peter King. Smith also directed and co-produced with Mandy Del Rio the documentary Socialism in America (2021), which premiered on Newsmax on Sunday, September 26, 2021. Interviewees include Steve Moore, James Jay Carafano, Jessie Jane Duff, and Helen Raleigh.
In 2022, Smith directed and co-produced with Mandy Del Rio the January 6th documentary Day of Outrage (2022), which premiered on Newsmax on Wednesday, January 5, 2022. Interviewees include Sebastian Gorka, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Greg Kelly, Louie Gohmert, Aaron Babbitt, and Micki Witthoeft. Smith also directed and co-produced with Mandy Del Rio the George Floyd documentary America Burning (2022), which premiered on Newsmax on Wednesday, May 25, 2022. Interviewees include Eric Bolling, Rob Schmitt, Cicely Davis, Ann Dorn, and Drew Hernandez. In addition, Smith directed and co-produced with Mandy Del Rio the documentary Shame of a Nation (2022), which reveals the civil rights violations of the January 6th defendants. Shame of a Nation (2022) premiered on Newsmax on Sunday, November 13, 2022. Interviewees include Sebastian Gorka, Joseph McBride, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Greg Steube, Peter Navarro, Kash Patel, Brandon Straka, and Geri Perna.
Presently, Smith serves as the writer, director, co-executive producer, and co-showrunner, along with Mandy Del Rio, of the Newsmax documentary news TV series Newsfront (2023), which focuses on politics, current events, and human-interest stories.
Smith is the proud father of Megan Cruz, who works closely with him on most of his projects. His son-in-law is Matt Cruz, and his twin granddaughters are Angela and Olivia. He is also the proud stepfather of Luna Del Rio, who is an aspiring actress.
Smith's production company, Fox Trail Productions, is developing feature films and documentaries.
