Ep. 3 - Rick Smith: Documentary Director of Photography & Producer

Rick is a Documentary DP & producer based in Bozeman, MT. He has worked alongside Bear Grylls on The Island, shot for Steve Rinella and the MeatEater crew, and won the 2019 News & Documentary Cinematography Emmy for his work on Wild Yellowstone. Most recently, he was the Director of Photography for Netflix series Connected and Director of Photography for Human Footprint on PBS. He’s an incredibly talented dude who sheds a ton knowledge on his unique career journey in our conversation. In this episode, you’ll learn about: Childhood influences that led Rick to become an award winning cinematographer The process of building and producing a TV show and his role in it Managing relationships in a craft based job Expanding your world view by seeking out different opinions Can all jobs can be fulfilling and interesting? Pursuing interest and not stopping until you’re good at it Timestamps (0:00) - Intro to Rick (1:30) - Interests as a kid growing up in Washington (4:30) - Experience studying abroad in Costa Rica (6:35) - Trying to find first job (8:00) - Coming to a Cross Roads (9:08) - TV / Film Childhood influences (11:30) - Do I like doing this enough to keep doing it? (13:30) - Process of building a TV show (18:10) - Media made in Yellowstone (21:00) - Sitting and Waiting (24:05) - Being on a survival TV show (28:00) - Building up community (29:30) - Is the sacrifice worth it? (33:50) - Working with Steve Rinella (37:45) - Advice to young people (41:25) - Who are you going to advice for? Where can you learn more about Rick Smith? ricksmithmedia.com Instagram: @ricksmith_media Check out this article if you want to learn more about embarking on a career in cinematography: Going Deep with Alum and Director of Photography Rick Smith ’02