Owen A Smith GTC, DGGB

Director of Photography, Cinematographer, Lighting Camera Operator & Focus Puller 1st Assistant Camera Technician

Owen is an experienced professional Director of Photography, Cinematographer and broadcast television Lighting Camera Operator and First Assistant Camera Technician / Focus Puller with over ten years of experience working in Broadcast Television and Film Production and Media. Owen is a Full member of the Guild of Television Cameramen and a Fully Accredited Member of The Directors Guild of Great Britain.

Owen originally studied at Epsom School of Art & Design now known as the University of Creative Arts (UCA) before Owen got his first job as a Camera Opterator, Owen was working for Adam B Studios / Adam B Colour Services based in the heart of London’s West End. Starting as a messenger / runner he rapidly worked his way up to become a Black & White photography processor and went on to work as a studio assistant. Owen’s role then was to help set up shoots and lighting in the studio for high end glossy magazine adverts and full size billboard commercial adverts for top level companies in line with the advertising agency briefs from advertising companies such as Satchi, McCann Ericsson, Obgalvys and many more top London West End London agency’s and companies of the day.

Owen later had the chance to move to New York and in his early 20’s he took the opportunity to move to New York City where he had the opportunity to live and work in media related work associated with one of the early development and pioneering media production companies who specialized at the time in shooting and directing a new form of genera today known as promoting the development of music promo videos which n the mid 1980’s was very much a new medium in which to explore. Though at the time Owen was not directly involved in the production side of the company mainly. The then new New York based Telegenic’s company working directly under Colin Medlock who was head of Marketing Owen’s role was to research music promos and to write reviews on their direction for a promotional music video magazine called Video Print

Returning to the UK after a year in New York Owen opted to stay in his home country and ended up working for one of the first UK based Cable television companies which was called Croydon Cable Television which was later brought out by a series of media companies from United Artists to Cable & Wireless, NTL and Virgin Media. Owen went on to work for CityDraft Advertising Agency Ltd starting as an account executive he rapidly climbed the corporate ladder to become a shareholder and company director where he helped shape and develop the company from working below the lines to above the lines media before a career change to civil aviation.

Owen returned to work in the music industry and founded Red Skin Records Ltd and later Red Skin Media Ltd gaining experience shooting music promos and music related interviews and documentaries. He moved on to work in gaining experience in documentaries, sports television, fashion television and later Film and TV drama.

He gained experience working on features as the EPK camera operator before moving up to operate as a Cinematographer shooting on several feature films and a number of short films gaining experience of shooting film drama.