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WES SMITH

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER / HEAD OF SPORTS

Trained as a lawyer, Wes was a member of the Los Angeles legal community for over a decade. His practice areas included: contracts, patent and trademark infringement, intellectual property, securities, and general business litigation. During his tenure in Los Angeles, Wes, through his network began to represent several creatives in the tv and film industry, as well as several authors. This development helped Wes transition from more traditional business practice to one which allowed him to combine his passion for both sports and history.

In addition to partnering with his clients, Wes is the executive producer of Forgotten Four: The Integration of Professional Football, a documentary co-produced with Ross Greenburg, which chronicles the African Americans who broke the color barrier in professional football and their impact and legacy on the sport. Here, Wes has worked with African American football pioneers such as the late George Taliaferro and Bill Willis, two players who helped reintegrate professional football, as well as other football greats such as Jim Brown and Harry Carson. Recently, Wes partnered with Mojo Global Arts (MGA), a Los Angeles-based production and management company to develop scripted and unscripted content with athletes who have compelling stories to share in the tv, film, and digital space.

Currently, MGA and Wes are producing The Jazz Griots: Liberty In Cadence, a feature documentary about Jazz legends and the rock and pop icons they inspired. The film will document more than 60 legendary musicians in their homes, studios, and performing live around the world. Wes is also developing, God Save the Quarterback, a book about American football in the UK, into a tv, streaming, or film property.

 

Wes also chairs the Advisory Board for Zolio Inc., an investment management talent identification platform. Zolio’s mission is to broaden the pool of investment talent for the investment and asset management sectors to include more diverse candidates, bringing a much-needed infusion of new ideas and a diversity of perspectives to the investment space.  Additionally, he sits on the Board of the International Athletic Association (IAA), presenter of the prestigious American International Athletic Trophy (formerly known as the Jesse Owens International Trophy) which bestows its trophy to the most outstanding amateur or professional athlete in the world based on the selection by an international body of sports journalists and experts. Previous winners include Sebastian Coe, Serena Williams, Carl Lewis, Ian Thorpe, Greg Louganis, Michael Johnson, and Usain Bolt.  

Wes is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania where he was a member of the 4-time Ivy League Champion football team, and Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, Missouri where he received his Juris Doctorate.  He currently resides in Cambridge, MA and New York, NY. 

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