Douglas W. Smart
Assistant Professor, Department of Communication Studies

Doug Smart, the program coordinator and a faculty member in the Department of Communication Studies at SUNY Oswego, is a 20-year veteran of prime-time television production in Hollywood. His professional credits include: The Golden Girls, Newhart, Empty Nest, Benson, The Lawrence Welk Show, The 51st, 52nd and 54th Academy Awards… and many other episodic series and prime-time specials.

Doug has been a member of the Director’s Guild of America since 1975 and, as Associate Director of the Oscars, was twice nominated for the Guild’s highest honor, “Outstanding Directorial Achievement.” In 2003, Doug was nominated for an EMMY award for producing and directing “The Byrds Celebration,” a musical-variety special for PBS featuring the music of the seminal 60’s band, The Byrds. He has also been honored by the San Diego chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) for his contributions to the performing arts.

While at Southern Illinois University, Doug started Studio A Productions, a student-run production company that produced entertainment programming for WSIU-TV, the PBS affiliate for the southern Illinois region. The programs included “Studio A Café,” a contemporary musical-variety show in a coffee house setting, “Studio A Playhouse," which presented original comedy and drama, “Studio A in Concert, a classically-themed musical variety program that featured the SIUC School of Music, and “Alt.News,” a magazine-style program that examined the off-beat and unusual. During its five years of production, “Studio A Presents” amassed over 100 episodes, received four consecutive EMMY nominations in the student category for the Midwest region, and won two EMMY awards – in 2000 and again in 2003.

Doug also served as Internship Coordinator for “Hollywood Studies,” a highly successful summer internship program based in Los Angeles. Under his leadership, students were able to complete internships in the entertainment industry on programs such as “Dharma and Greg,” "Access Hollywood,” “The Young and the Restless,” “Still Standing,” “Extra,” “Politically Incorrect,” and “Entertainment Tonight.” Students were also given the opportunity to work for companies such as 20th Century Fox, Paramount, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, the WB, VH-1, an The American Film Institute (AFI).

Given Doug’s in-depth knowledge and experience, he is the perfect inside source for your Hollywood P.O.V. experience!