Posts by pwsadmin

My short film, SAFE & HAPPY, hits the festival circuit on July 14 as part of the 2019 St. Louis Filmmaker Showcase.  A drama about an ex-cop with an explosive secret, SAFE & HAPPY, is now out to festivals throughout the country.  More to come!

A superb cast and crew finished production on my new short film, SAFE AND HAPPY, after a two-day shoot on March 8-9, in St. Louis.  SAFE AND HAPPY tells the dramatic story of an ex-cop who for years has kept an explosive secret from his wife and the world but is suddenly exposed at a critical…

I am pleased to announce that in January I optioned the film rights to the fascinating true story memoir, BLINDSIDED BY THE TALIBAN:  A JOURNALIST’S STORY OF WAR, TRAUMA, LOVE, AND LOSS, by Carmen Gentile.  It’s a captivating and piercingly honest account of a war correspondent who, amazingly, survived a rocket-propelled-grenade attack, and went on…

I’ll be selling and signing books–my debut novel, MR. WONDERFUL, and my prize-winning history of the Trail of Tears, AN AMERICAN BETRAYAL:  CHEROKEE PATRIOTS AND THE TRAIL OF TEARS (Henry Holt)– on Saturday, Nov 17, 9am-4pm at the Kentucky Book Festival.  The event is held at the Kentucky Horse Park in the Alltech Arena.

I recently recorded a podcast interview with Simon Watson’s Extra Features Movie Review Podcast up in Toronto.  Check it out! http://www.extrafeatures.ca/2018/10/19/extra-features-interviews-daniel-blake-smith-texas-heart/

Not even half-way through its festival journey, MEMORY BOX has already been selected for 14 festivals and has either earned 9 nominations and/or awards from festivals in the US, Australia, Canada, and Spain.  After a very successful world premiere at the Austin Revolution Film Festival in late September, my film has been screened in Amelia…

My short film, MEMORY BOX, just two months into its festival journey, has now been accepted into 6 festivals and given (or been nominated for) 3 awards!  The festivals naming our film as an Official Selection include as of mid-August:  Austin Revolution Film Festival (Sept. 18-23); Rendezvous Film Festival (at Amelia Island, Florida), Sept. 20-22;…

My short film, MEMORY BOX, about how a man’s visit with a loved one leads to a shattering revelation, will premiere at the Austin Revolution Film Fest, Sept. 18-22.  The number one reviewed film festival in the country, ARFF is a blue-collar, indie-loving festival where story, not A-list celebrities, is king.  All of us involved…

UNHEARD VOICES:  You Don’t Know My Story, a play I conceived but drawn directly from the raw and courageous stories of young men (aged 16-20) living in a transitional residence in north St. Louis, will be performed on April 28 at the Ferguson Youth Initiative and on May 12 at the Gaslight Theater in St.…

We had a terrific shoot for my new short, MEMORY BOX, on April 7.  Here are some pics that capture a bit of the action. From left, Gaffer Nathanael Brunner watches as director Karl Shefelman and cinematographer Dave Rutherford set up a shot.  Also observing is Assistant Director, Ryan Gregory, right. Nurse Clair, Jessica Ambuehl,…