Meet Chance Smith | Writer and Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chance Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chance, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Whether I knew it or not, I have always been destined for an artistic career. Not in some deterministic way, but upon reflection on my life, it seems to be true. From drawing and making music as a child to writing novels and short stories as an adult, it seems to be an innate part of my personality. Either way, I made my choice to pursue an artistic career at the end of getting my PhD in sociology. It was mid-pandemic, and the career I seemed to be working toward was in a pretty serious amount of flux. At the same time, my co-writer, and I, started working on an old project called the Tales of Jovia once again. This was previously a novel by a different title, and this time we thought it made the most sense to make it into a visual media. That moment, and the joy I felt once again in the pursuit of an artistic endeavor, is what made me want to pursue and continue pursuing an artistic career.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I make live-action science fiction films that are highly influenced by classic space operas, anime, and the campy action films that I love. Specifically, I am a writer, director, and producer of the Tales of Jovia series created by my production company Inwood Park Productions. We have made a total of six short films (four of which are available for free on our YouTube), and have been building toward our second season of three shorts and one feature. That is what I am most proud of that I have completed, and what I am most excited to have other people see. I just look forward to the excitement that people will have when watching our space rebels adventure across planets.

I got here today professionally by not giving up. That is the only reason. I decided one day that I wanted to make films and I wanted to pursue the creation of this sci-fi world, and thanks to the help of countless people, I was able to do so because I just decided to never stop. Again though, this is only because I am surrounded by an amazing team that helps me pull these things off. While this process was not easy, and I have had a multitude of failures, the saving grace for my artistic career has been my inability to know when to quit (haha).

The biggest lesson that I have learned through my career has been to stick to your guns. When I say that, I am not saying to stop a project because you are not getting your way. What I am saying is that if you have an idea, a really great idea, do not let that idea be manipulated by others. Too often are artistic projects reduced in size and quality, and ultimately the creator’s vision, for the sake of others and if I have learned anything, it is to stick to your guns as the projects I have done this on are always my favorite.

I would want the world to know that there are highly creative sci-fi worlds being created, and you just need to know where to look (i.e. Inwood Park Productions) (haha).

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Ooh. Good question. That is a hard one as I feel the city has so much to offer. If I had to choose just a few places, I would take them to Truth BBQ (the best BBQ in town), and probably to one of the many film events run by local film organizations (i.e. Houston Film Commission, Second Tuesdays at Buffalo Bayou, and FUSE). I’m very bad at advising on places to go (haha).

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are far too many people to shout out, but I will try my best. My wife, my co-writer and best friend, my younger brother, and all of my friends and family that I did not mention, they all deserve more than a little credit in my story.

Website: inwoodparkproductions.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inwood_park_productions/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InwoodParkProductions

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@inwoodparkproductions

Image Credits
Images from Recontact on Blume, and The Chief, The Warrior, and The Renegade. Films by Inwood Park Productions.