Meet TRAVIS SMITH | Broadcast Technical Manager & Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with TRAVIS SMITH and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi TRAVIS, what’s the end goal, career-wise?
My end goal is to have my feature films on the big screen world wide and streaming on all the major streaming platforms. Also to oversee the broadcast engineering for a VP and CEO level.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a broadcast technical manager as well as a film director and I work professionally in the film/tv industry, currently I have close to 300 live major TV productions under my belt. My work has expanded several of the major TV networks from ESPN, NFL Network, Bally Sports, Court TV, NBC, MTV, Univision, MLB Network, UFC, Telemundo, Yahoo! Sports, New England Patriots, ABC, FOX and many more.

How I got start well: I have always been into comic books, sci-fi, and fantasy stories and I wrote several of my own stories growing up. My love for cinema began when I saw The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, it was then I wanted to turn my stories into movies. Through middle and high school, I wrote my own comic books and screenplays staying the course of wanting to make films. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in film production from Full Sail University in 2012 and I started off as an audiovisual technician. For six years, I did AV until I broke into the TV industry professionally with ESPN (Thanks Amy Miller) as a utility (grip) then I worked my way up. Eventually I became a video engineer then sr. video engineer, broadcast engineer, sr. broadcast engineer and now I am a broadcast technical manager.

As a broadcast technical manager, I oversee the technical design, build, transmission, production and hiring of the technical crew for the major live professional TV productions from in studio, on location, stadiums, and sound stages. As a film director I get to bring my ideas and storytelling to the screen working with  writers, actors, and amazing cameras.

What I specialize in is broadcast engineering, video over IP, cinematography, virtual production, and directing.

The film/tv industry has not always been easy. A lot of people want to work in this industry but they don’t understand there is a lot that comes with it. Breaking in was hard, but once you are in you are in. I have traveled the last three years being on the road 200 days a year away from home in all kinds of weather conditions and also the hours are long. I am one of the few African-American engineers in the industry as there is not that many of us and then I’m also turning 31 soon; most of your engineers are much older. There have many been times I showed up for a show and people don’t even shake my hand or they think I’m the driver until they realized I am the engineer in charge over the whole show.

I want the world to know about my artistic creativity and brain power of broadcast engineering that  I bring to the world of TV and Film.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Interesting question. I literally travel 200 days a year working in the film industry the majority of the time. I am from Atlanta and live here but I am hardly ever in town, but I would go by this little list here:

Stone Mountain Park
Georgia Aquarium
MLK Center
The Garden Room
Atlanta Fish Market
Atlanta Breakfast Club

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to dedicate this to three people. God who has given me all my success and so much more and to my parents Samuel and Regina Smith who supported my film dreams from the very beginning. I have had very supportive parents and I’m happy they have stuck with me on this interesting ride to see it pay off. I love you guys

Instagram: director_of_productions

Image Credits
Picture 1: Travis Smith on camera at UFC Fight Night Picture 2: Travis Smith video engineering for MLB Network Braves vs Astros Picture 3: Travis Smith with rapper Lil’ Durk at an ESPN basketball production Picture 4: Travis Smith’s ‘The Shores on Paradise’ (2021) a capture of his cinematography from his latest short film he directed Picture 5: Starion Pender acting in Travis Smith’s ‘The Shores on Paradise’ (2021), the latest short film he directed Picture 6: Another capture from Travis Smith’s ‘The Shores on Paradise” (2021) Picture 7: The title card from Travis Smith’s short film ‘The Songs of Life” (2021) he directed.