Smith is an integral part of the senior team, and has been essential in developing new series for the net after Bravo announced during this year’s upfronts the plan to expand to seven nights a week of original programming in Q4 of this year. Smith cites her colleagues as her mentors and inspirational women. “At Bravo alone I have my superhero boss, Frances Berwick, to aspire to and my long-term mentor, Shari Levine, who hired me once at Bravo in 1999 and then again in 2013,” Smith says. “I’ve learned everything from them especially how to juggle family life and a busy career.” She also is involved in the Worldwide Wildlife Fund organization, where she helps raise funds to preserve the lives of African elephants.
Who is an inspirational woman you admire, and why?
I have been extremely fortunate to be surrounded by inspirational women my whole career; cable TV generally over indexes in powerful women. At Bravo alone I have my superhero boss, Frances Berwick, to aspire to and my long term mentor, Shari Levine, who hired me once at Bravo in 1999 and then again in 2013. I’ve learned everything from them especially how to juggle family life and a busy career.
What’s been the most dramatic change in your sector of the business today vs. three years ago?
The sheer proliferation of amazing content; as a developer, the bar is just so high. While daunting, this landscape provides a great challenge to reinvent what we think of as “excellent” and “innovative” and to strive for new heights.
If there were a reality show based on your office, what would it be called?
“The Real Exec Producer Wives of Bravo,” “The Real 30 Rock,” “Breaking Bravo”… take your pick. I will still be behind the camera!
