Biografia
Mr. Smolan is an acclaimed director whose work encompasses feature films, documentaries, television, commercials, and virtual reality projects.
His debut feature, "Rachel River," received critical acclaim, earning a Grand Jury Prize nomination at the Sundance Film Festival, along with awards for Best Cinematography and a Special Jury Prize for actress Viveca Lindfors.
His innovative VR film, "The Click Effect," produced by Annapurna Pictures, won the Lumiere Award for Best VR Documentary of the Year. The film premiered at Sundance and Tribeca Film Festivals and was nominated for an Emmy.
His television work includes HBO’s "The Last Soldier," Lifetime’s mini-series "Beach Girls" starring Rob Lowe and Julia Ormond, as well as "A Place To Be" and the Emmy-winning "Taking A Stand" featuring Betty Buckley, for which he also received a Best Director nomination. His TV credits span the pilot of "Middle Ages" and over 80 episodes of network and streaming series such as "Brothers & Sisters," "Ally McBeal," "The O.C.," "Dawson's Creek," "L.A. Law," and "Northern Exposure."
His documentaries include "The Human Face of Big Data," which won the Jury Prize for Best Cinematography at the Boston International Film Festival, was selected by the U.S. State Department for the American Film Showcase, aired nationally on PBS, and streams on HBO Max; "12 Stones," which earned the Jury Prize for Best Short Documentary at the Tallahassee and Newport Beach Film Festivals; and "Wall of Fire," recipient of a James Beard Award.
He served as associate producer on two CBS documentaries: "The Cowboy, The Craftsman and The Ballerina" with Morley Safer, and "Juilliard: A Life in Music," narrated by Charles Kuralt and recipient of a Peabody Award.
Mr. Smolan has spoken at the EG Conference in Monterey, California, and The INK Conference, affiliated with TED. He has also participated as a panelist at Sundance, Tribeca, Cannes, Hollywood Digital, and Seattle Film Festivals. He is a National Academy of Sciences Science and Entertainment Exchange Fellow and has been a guest professor at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts.
He is married to actress Pamela Reed.
