The MediaSmiths Digital Story

MediaSmiths Digital is the brainchild of Jobie Smith, owner and operator along with his son and

partner, Scott.


Jobie started his professional career in Akron, Ohio back in 1977 as Photographer and Photo

Illustrator.  Always the individualist, Jobie worked as an independent freelancer using the business

moniker "Images Unlimited".  He served agencies and individual clients in the commercial and

industrial markets in North East Ohio until moving to Florida in 1981.  During that period he

produced a body of work for clients ranging from local models, actors and dancers to Centran

Bank, Goodyear, and Tangier Restaurant.  Some of those photo illustrations appear below.


During this period he also taught self-styled courses in "Color Darkroom Technique" and "Photo

Studio Lighting Technique" at the Akron Fine & Performing Arts Center.  All the while he

developed a reputation as one of the areas finest fashion, glamour and character photographers,

helping many aspiring models, actors, dancers and performance artists with creating their

composites and portfolios.


In 1980 Jobie was hired by American Eagle Productions for the filming of the feature "The

Instructor", a low budget indie martial arts film staring national Karate champion Bob Chaney

and other local talent.  Jobie hired on as 'Gaffer' but quickly rose to the position of 'Assistant

Director', not to mention 3rd Camera Operator and Stunt Actor.  He was hired on the strength of

his Martial Arts Fight Fantasy short films.  These films have recently been up-converted to Internet

High Definition standards and can be view here.  The study of Martial Arts and Martial Arts Films

has always been one of the constants in Jobie's life.  "The Instructor" turned out to be a boxoffice

bust, but a very valid and rewarding production experience, none the less.


The Florida Period

From 1981 through 1988, Jobie lived and worked in and around Treasure Island, Florida, a beach

town in the shadow of St. Petersburg.  Jobie picked up some new skills during that period.  He

started learning Video Production, working freelance with the local Cable TV franchise and other

local production entities doing live-switched multi-camera video shoots for local sports and

community events.  His exposure and experience here would serve him well as an impetus for

launching his own video production company upon his return to Ohio.  He also fell into a skill

aimed at the tourist trade.  He became a roving beach Photographer, shooting and selling Photo

Key Rings to tourists in restaurants and nightclubs.  What at first seemed to be an aesthetic

step backwards from his chosen art forms of Photo Illustration and Video, Key Ring Photography

turned out to be so lucrative that he couldn't afford to quit.  Jobie adds, "Not only was it good

money, it turned out to be a great education in Human Nature and people skills which serves me

well now, as a video director".


Return To Ohio

Jobie returned to Akron in 1988, bringing his new skills with him.  He continued producing Photo

Key Rings, turning that endeavor into an art form of it's own.  Over the next ten years he made

Photo Key Ring history, working in many of the finest restaurants and nightclubs in Ohio,

spending most of his time as House Photographer at Akron's famous Tangier Restaurant &

Cabaret.  During this period he photographed well over a million faces, making people happy

(mostly couples) by creating tiny little romantic portraits of their special occasion; "capturing the

moment" as they say.


All the while, Jobie was also working in video.  He started his first production company in 1991,

acquiring equipment and operating under the banner S&S Associates which later evolved into

SSTV.  He specialized in Live-switched Multi-camera Event Video for public education and

documentaries for local origination cable and broadcast.  Jobie, also a former professional

firefighter, produced the first pilot video program for the Akron Fire Department entitled "Akron's  

Fire Focus" which was cablecast on local access and broadcast on local PBS.  He produced a

six part limited-run series for local cable access entitled "Summit Spotlight."  For this body of

work he garnered two bronze statuettes from the annual "Telly  Awards"  The same show won an

"Honorable Mention - Finalist" with the national organization "The Alliance for

Community Media." in their annual Video Festival.  He also produced many videos for local

churches, dance companies, bands, singers and entertainers.  Working with, and helping fellow

artists with their careers has been a reoccurring theme for Jobie.


In 1996, MediaSmiths Inc. was born when Jobie's son Scott came on board as a partner.  In

2000 MediaSmiths entered the digital age with the acquisition of their first NLE Video

Editing Workstation and digital video and still cameras.  MediaSmiths became known as

MediaSmiths Digital.


Serious Fans

In January of 2006 Jobie's son and partner Scott approached Jobie with his own media

brainchild.  He wanted to produce a radio show based on commenting on Cleveland Browns

football games along with his brother Michael Smith and their life-long friends and die-hard

Browns fans, Brandon Beck and Michael Stanley.  And he wanted to do it live during the actual

games.  He wanted Jobie to help them produce their pitch material, initially a Demo DVD.  "I told

Scott they couldn't afford me, but he was persistent and finally sold me on their concept."  Scott

threw up a web site in support and started promoting.  Scott and Jobie knocked out a cool DVD

to pitch the idea and the effort became known as "Serious Fans: The Browns Edition.".  That

summer, prior to football season, Scott started producing short-form comedy videos to help

promote their Internet radio efforts.  To date the Serious Fans Boys, with the help of

MediaSmiths Digital have produced some 30 short-form comedies and documentaries , most of

which can be viewed here on this site.  Since then they have made Internet Radio

history by Internet-casting three seasons of Cleveland Browns football games streaming

live, from Scott's home studio.  The execution was brilliant, but the business model was flawed. 

With the help of the NFL, Serious Fans folded after the '08' season.  Scott is now producing video

through his own company, Vid-Biz-Wiz.com.


Internet Video

To his surprise, because of Scott's involvement with Serious Fans, Jobie found himself helping to

produce short-form comedies and ENG style documentaries for the Internet.  "Until the summer

of '06' I never bothered with Internet Video.  I was moving toward long-form video in wide screen

High Definition with my own work.  I never considered Internet Video worth my while as a viewer

or as a producer.  I didn't see the potential of that small screen, not to mention the less-than-

broadcast quality.  I just wasn't paying attention.  But working with my sons Scott and Mike and 

the Serious Fans Boys woke me up.  I started noticing YouTube, MetaCafe and the many other

sites devoted to video.  I started seeing quality work being done successfully by other obviously

professional producers.  Plus I could see that our short-form videos where being watched by a lot

of Browns fans and actually becoming popular.  It didn't take me long to figure out that the

Internet was a viable market for production services.  I now realize that Internet Video is the way

of the future and the future is now..  And it won't be long before people will be watching

entertainment programing in High Definition Internet Video on large LCD screens right from their

computers.  Not to mention all the hand-held devices.  I'm talking sitcoms and action/adventure

series and programing of all kinds produced specifically for Internet viewing.  Hell, they already

are.  I'm In". - Jobie Smith



AFPAC Period (Akron Fine & Performing Arts Center)
First Akron Period
Jobie's Favorite Stills And Flat Illustrations
CD, CDG, DVD Fulfillment
Second Akron Period
Family
I would like to take this opportunity to thank my family for their support and involvement throughout my professional career.  Without them, I would not have accomplished nearly as much. 
My two sons Scott and Michael are the kind of men any father would be proud of.  Both now have two sons of their own, not to mention Scott's oldest, my beautiful granddaughter Ashley (she can be seen on the CD+G label above. see Ashley here).    Whenever I've needed them, whether to pick up a camera, act the fool in front of the camera or just to pick me up when I run out of gas, they've been there.  No father could ask for more. I know it hasn't always been easy for them having a father like me.  Scott and Mike can be seen in action on my Video Archives page as Karate kids in the "Smith Family Fight Fantasies" section, and as they are now in the "Serious Fans" Group.  Now that they have their own branded show you can also see them and hear samples of their show by going to their site, Serious Fan:The Browns Edition.
Her name is Rosemary but I call her Rose because she is one.  My life and business partner, I would simply not be where I am today without her faith and support.  Always willing to step in and lend a helping hand no matter what the task may be; model, stand-in, 2nd camera operator, confidant, you name it, she's always there for me. The photos to the left  were taken over 25 years ago, but I could re-shoot these same setups today and she would still look just as good.  I'm a very lucky man.
A few old shots of me shooting.
Before Digital

These illustrations were for the front and back covers of my very first Price Brochure back in 1978.  The reflection in my eyes is not a composite.  It's a live reflection of the model.  To achieve this the model was only two feet away from my face with the camera between her legs.  It was a lot more challenging to produce composites back then, and in this case, a lot more fun (yes, she was nude).

My Cousin, Guy

In 1978 I was hired by my cousin Guy Keefer to fly to New York for a hair fashion shoot for his employer, Silligman & Latz, a design firm in the heart of Manhattan one block from the Empire State Building.  Sometimes it's who you know.  Guy is the hair designer with the white shirt in the lower left photo.  He also appears above on the Men Models plack.
A prolific artist in his own right, Guy was a huge influence on me.  Guy left us in 1992.  He was 42 years old
This is my granddaughter, Ashley
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