Z.D. Smith
Encyclopedia
Matthew James Andrew
Smith (born December 27, 1977), whose screen name
is Z.D. Smith, is an American
actor
and producer
primarily working in Midwest
based independent
film productions. His recent projects include Sister Mary
, Not Another B Movie
, and award winnersMichael Morlock's Supernatural World and Paranormal Calamity.
. He is the first born child of James Thomann Smith and Dawn Marie (Powers) Smith. His descent is roughly 5/8 Irish
. The remaining 3/8 is unclear but there's a tiny bit of English
and German
in there. The family got transferred often through James' job in retail management at J. C. Penney
and they moved to Clinton, Iowa
when Z.D. was two years old. At age four (a couple months shy of five), the Smiths moved again to Anderson, Indiana
. They would continue to reside there for about seven years until the next transfer to Lafayette, Indiana
came, just shy of Z.D.'s 12th birthday. Z.D. attended Wainwright Middle School
and then McCutcheon High School
where he was a left-handed pitcher
on the baseball team (the first varsity
batter he faced was future MLB player Eric Bruntlett
who lined out to short
) and a member of the National Honor Society
. He then attended Ball State University
where he studied Telecommunications with an emphasis in video and audio production
and is also where he took his first acting classes. He graduated with a B.A.
in May 2000. Z.D.'s parents and lone sibling
Paul Michael Smith still reside in Lafayette today.
from Jan-April 2000 (his final semester of college) and lived at his grandparents' house in Hillside, IL. He worked on "The Afternoon Show" which aired Monday through Friday from 4pm-8pm. In his first week, show hosts Dan McNeil and Dan Jiggetts
put him on the air after McNeil (who was also a Ball State alum) was impressed with the cut
he made of the show's intro. Once Z.D. started talking, McNeil commented that he sounded like Jeff Spicoli
, the character Sean Penn
played in Fast Times at Ridgemont High
. "Spicoli the Intern" became somewhat of a recurring character for the remainder of the stint. After graduating in May 2000, Z.D. returned to Lafayette and worked temp jobs
while seeking his next opportunity to hopefully return to the Chicago area. This would come in August when he began an internship at The Jerry Springer Show
(he would have to re-enroll at Ball State since he had already graduated). Since the internship was unpaid, Z.D. also worked a temp job on his days off and pursued a business opportunity with Primerica while continuing to live at his grandparents' to keep expenses minimal. He would stay on at the Springer Show until Christmas 2000 and now with two internships under his belt attempted to seek employment. He would find this in a freelance job as a production assistant on "Preps: Chicago Hoops", a documentary series which followed the day to day lives of a select number of promising high school basketball players in the Chicago area. Notable players involved included future NBA players Eddy Curry
, Will Bynum
, and Luther Head
. Z.D.'s main responsibility was logging raw footage for pre-editing. The show aired nationally on Fox Sports Net
in the Spring of 2001. The assignment ended in April 2001 and finding more jobs had not gotten any easier for Z.D. He decided to use the extra time he now had to focus on the Primerica opportunity while picking up part-time work at Jewel-Osco in Elmhurst, IL. Encouraged by the initial progress he was seeing at Primerica, Z.D. began to view it as a vehicle to gain financial command of his life so he could more actively pursue the entertainment opportunities that were appealing to him without having to "chase the paycheck". The pursuit would last until mid-2004 when personal and financial issues that had been surfacing over the previous months forced Z.D. to seek a new direction. To get some income coming in, he started working part-time as a package handler at FedEx Ground
in Wheeling, IL. This wound up being the start of something more than he expected as he was promoted to a full-time quality assurance
position after just a few months and by the Fall of 2006 was in management.
. Scott was aware of Z.D.'s background (through many yammerings from his grandparents to give him a 'job') and hoped to gain some insight from him on the politics of the radio industry. He asked him to help out on the television show he was doing to coincide with his TV show he was doing on public access. Z.D. (too busy with his current direction in finance) referred a recruit from his business (who had the same college degree he had) to edit the show. That guy eventually got a paying job and quit the show, and around this time (August '03), Z.D. (who'd just gone through a hard breakup) was looking for an escape into the world he'd originally been pursuing by working on a public access show similar to one he worked on in college. He contacted Scott to get involved with his show. It was shot at GETV who's manager was John Wesley Norton. Norton was an aspiring independent filmmaker who'd been working on completing his first film (Space Daze
) for several years. Months later, sometime in the spring of '04, Z.D. saw John working on editing a scene that had Corey Feldman
in it and asked him what that was. John, seemingly semi-embarrassed by how long he'd been working on the movie, brushed him off like he did not want to talk about it. Nonetheless, it planted a seed in Z.D.'s mind that John was pursuing what he himself REALLY wanted to get into.
Confirmation (Catholic Church)
Confirmation is one of the seven sacraments through which Catholics pass in the process of their religious upbringing. According to Catholic doctrine, in this sacrament they receive the Holy Spirit and become adult members of the Catholic Church....
Smith (born December 27, 1977), whose screen name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
is Z.D. Smith, is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
primarily working in Midwest
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
based independent
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
film productions. His recent projects include Sister Mary
Sister Mary
Sister Mary is a 2011 American comedy musical film directed and written by Scott Grenke. It stars Ant, James Vallo, Bruce Vilanch, Judy Tenuta, Sean Paul Lockhart and Shawn Quinlan.-Cast:* Ant as Agent Peccant* James Vallo as Mark Rima...
, Not Another B Movie
Not Another B Movie
Not Another B Movie is a satirical comedy film written and directed by John Wesley Norton which peers into the process of making a low-budget horror film. It was premiered in 2008 under the original title Working Title in Woodridge, Illinois...
, and award winnersMichael Morlock's Supernatural World and Paranormal Calamity.
Early life
Z.D. was born Matthew James Smith in Burlington, IowaBurlington, Iowa
Burlington is a city in, and the county seat of Des Moines County, Iowa, United States. The population was 25,663 in the 2010 census, a decline from the 26,839 population in the 2000 census. Burlington is the center of a micropolitan area including West Burlington, Iowa and Middletown, Iowa and...
. He is the first born child of James Thomann Smith and Dawn Marie (Powers) Smith. His descent is roughly 5/8 Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
. The remaining 3/8 is unclear but there's a tiny bit of English
Englishman
Englishman may refer to:*English people*Grey Partridge*Jason Englishman, Canadian rock music singer and guitarist*Jenny-Bea Englishman, real name of the Canadien singer Esthero*Erald Briscoe, reggae musician who records under the name Englishman...
and German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
in there. The family got transferred often through James' job in retail management at J. C. Penney
J. C. Penney
-External links:*...
and they moved to Clinton, Iowa
Clinton, Iowa
Clinton is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 26231as of 2010. Clinton, along with DeWitt, Iowa , was named in honor of the seventh governor of New York, DeWitt Clinton. Clinton is the principal city of the Clinton Micropolitan Statistical...
when Z.D. was two years old. At age four (a couple months shy of five), the Smiths moved again to Anderson, Indiana
Anderson, Indiana
Anderson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Indiana, United States. It is the principal city of the Anderson, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses Madison county. Anderson is the headquarters of the Church of God and home of Anderson University, which is...
. They would continue to reside there for about seven years until the next transfer to Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 67,140. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which has a large impact on...
came, just shy of Z.D.'s 12th birthday. Z.D. attended Wainwright Middle School
Wainwright Middle School
Wainwright Middle School is a middle school in Tippecanoe County, Indiana. It houses grades 6-8. The current principal is Neal McCutcheon. The school's colors are blue and white, and the mustang is the school's mascot...
and then McCutcheon High School
McCutcheon High School
McCutcheon High School is located in Lafayette, Indiana, off Old 231 South. It is active in the Hoosier Crossroads Conferences. For the 2005-06, McCutcheon had 1900 students enrolled....
where he was a left-handed pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
on the baseball team (the first varsity
Varsity team
In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...
batter he faced was future MLB player Eric Bruntlett
Eric Bruntlett
Eric Kevin Bruntlett is a retired Major League Baseball utility player who last played in the New York Yankees organization. He was known for his defensive versatility; he usually played second base or shortstop, but has also played left field. Bruntlett played every position except for catcher...
who lined out to short
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
) and a member of the National Honor Society
National Honor Society
The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
. He then attended Ball State University
Ball State University
Ball State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans and includes 106 buildings...
where he studied Telecommunications with an emphasis in video and audio production
Video production
Video production is videography, the process of capturing moving images on electronic media even streaming media. The term includes methods of production and post-production...
and is also where he took his first acting classes. He graduated with a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in May 2000. Z.D.'s parents and lone sibling
Sibling
Siblings are people who share at least one parent. A male sibling is called a brother; and a female sibling is called a sister. In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together and spend a good deal of their childhood socializing with one another...
Paul Michael Smith still reside in Lafayette today.
Early career
Z.D. first came up to the Chicago area through an internship he did at WSCR "The Score"WSCR
WSCR is a sports radio station in the Chicago, Illinois radio market. The station is owned by CBS Radio and transmits on 670 kHz on the AM dial. Its transmitter is located just off Army Trail Road in Bloomingdale, which is a western suburb of Chicago. It is known as "The Score," and has been on...
from Jan-April 2000 (his final semester of college) and lived at his grandparents' house in Hillside, IL. He worked on "The Afternoon Show" which aired Monday through Friday from 4pm-8pm. In his first week, show hosts Dan McNeil and Dan Jiggetts
Dan Jiggetts
Dan Jiggetts is a retired American football offensive lineman. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 1976 NFL Draft-Early life:...
put him on the air after McNeil (who was also a Ball State alum) was impressed with the cut
Multitrack recording
Multitrack recording is a method of sound recording that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources to create a cohesive whole...
he made of the show's intro. Once Z.D. started talking, McNeil commented that he sounded like Jeff Spicoli
Jeff Spicoli
Jeff Spicoli is a fictional character in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, where he was played by Sean Penn. While he is a freshman in the book, he is a senior in the film...
, the character Sean Penn
Sean Penn
Sean Justin Penn is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, also known for his political and social activism...
played in Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a 1982 American coming-of-age teen comedy film written by Cameron Crowe and adapted from his 1981 book of the same name...
. "Spicoli the Intern" became somewhat of a recurring character for the remainder of the stint. After graduating in May 2000, Z.D. returned to Lafayette and worked temp jobs
Temporary work
Temporary work or temporary employment refers to a situation where the employee is expected to leave the employer within a certain period of time. Temporary employees are sometimes called "contractual", "seasonal", "interim", "casual staff", "freelance", or "part-time"; or the word may be shortened...
while seeking his next opportunity to hopefully return to the Chicago area. This would come in August when he began an internship at The Jerry Springer Show
The Jerry Springer Show
The Jerry Springer Show is a syndicated television tabloid talk show hosted by Jerry Springer, a former politician, broadcast in the United States and other countries...
(he would have to re-enroll at Ball State since he had already graduated). Since the internship was unpaid, Z.D. also worked a temp job on his days off and pursued a business opportunity with Primerica while continuing to live at his grandparents' to keep expenses minimal. He would stay on at the Springer Show until Christmas 2000 and now with two internships under his belt attempted to seek employment. He would find this in a freelance job as a production assistant on "Preps: Chicago Hoops", a documentary series which followed the day to day lives of a select number of promising high school basketball players in the Chicago area. Notable players involved included future NBA players Eddy Curry
Eddy Curry
Eddy Curry is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. He was born in Harvey, Illinois...
, Will Bynum
Will Bynum
William "Will" Bynum is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons in the NBA. He plays the point guard position.-Early life and college career:...
, and Luther Head
Luther Head
Luther Dale Head is an American professional basketball player. Standing 6'3" and weighing 185 lb , Head plays primarily shooting guard but played small forward as a college basketball star at the University of Illinois.-High school:Head attended Manley Academy in Chicago where he averaged over...
. Z.D.'s main responsibility was logging raw footage for pre-editing. The show aired nationally on Fox Sports Net
Fox Sports Net
The Fox Sports Regional Networks, or simply Fox Sports Net , are a collection of cable TV regional sports networks in the United States owned and operated by News Corporation.- Beginnings :...
in the Spring of 2001. The assignment ended in April 2001 and finding more jobs had not gotten any easier for Z.D. He decided to use the extra time he now had to focus on the Primerica opportunity while picking up part-time work at Jewel-Osco in Elmhurst, IL. Encouraged by the initial progress he was seeing at Primerica, Z.D. began to view it as a vehicle to gain financial command of his life so he could more actively pursue the entertainment opportunities that were appealing to him without having to "chase the paycheck". The pursuit would last until mid-2004 when personal and financial issues that had been surfacing over the previous months forced Z.D. to seek a new direction. To get some income coming in, he started working part-time as a package handler at FedEx Ground
FedEx Ground
FedEx Ground is a shipping company which is a subsidiary of the FedEx corporation. It is headquartered in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. Originally conceived as a lower cost competitor to UPS, Roadway Package System was created to take advantage of new barcode, material...
in Wheeling, IL. This wound up being the start of something more than he expected as he was promoted to a full-time quality assurance
Quality Assurance
Quality assurance, or QA for short, is the systematic monitoring and evaluation of the various aspects of a project, service or facility to maximize the probability that minimum standards of quality are being attained by the production process...
position after just a few months and by the Fall of 2006 was in management.
Getting Back In
In April 2003, Z.D. had an encounter with a guy named Scott Vanderstuyf (aka Scott Alan) who was re-tarring his grandparents' driveway. Z.D.'s grandparents had been a long-time client of his and he also had a public access radio show on WJJGWJJG
WJJG is a radio station licensed to Elmhurst, Illinois, USA. The station serves the Chicago area. The station is licensed to Joseph J. Gentile; however, he died on October 10, 2011.- History :...
. Scott was aware of Z.D.'s background (through many yammerings from his grandparents to give him a 'job') and hoped to gain some insight from him on the politics of the radio industry. He asked him to help out on the television show he was doing to coincide with his TV show he was doing on public access. Z.D. (too busy with his current direction in finance) referred a recruit from his business (who had the same college degree he had) to edit the show. That guy eventually got a paying job and quit the show, and around this time (August '03), Z.D. (who'd just gone through a hard breakup) was looking for an escape into the world he'd originally been pursuing by working on a public access show similar to one he worked on in college. He contacted Scott to get involved with his show. It was shot at GETV who's manager was John Wesley Norton. Norton was an aspiring independent filmmaker who'd been working on completing his first film (Space Daze
Space Daze
Space Daze is a 2005 sci-fi comedy film written and directed by J.W. Norton and distributed by Troma Entertainment. It stars James Vallo, Byron Thames and features a cameo from Corey Feldman.-Plot:...
) for several years. Months later, sometime in the spring of '04, Z.D. saw John working on editing a scene that had Corey Feldman
Corey Feldman
Corey Scott Feldman is an American film and television actor. He became known during the 1980s, with roles in the Hollywood films Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, The Goonies, Stand by Me, The Lost Boys, License to Drive, Dream a Little Dream, Gremlins and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...
in it and asked him what that was. John, seemingly semi-embarrassed by how long he'd been working on the movie, brushed him off like he did not want to talk about it. Nonetheless, it planted a seed in Z.D.'s mind that John was pursuing what he himself REALLY wanted to get into.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | The Intervention | Alex | Short film |
| The Package | Leland | Short film | |
| 2006 | Stranger than Fiction | vehicle stand-in | |
| 2007 | Dustclouds Dustclouds Dustclouds is the second film by director Filip Jan Rymsza. It serves as a companion to his 2004 film Sandcastles. Dustclouds and Sandcastles travel in a ceaseless loop, forming a diptych titled Sunday Morning Sublime. Each film starts where the other leaves off and can be seen independently or... |
production assistant | |
| 2009 | Satanic Panic | Crime Scene Policeman 2 | |
| Like a Moth to a Flame | David Davidovitch | Anthology film Anthology film An anthology film is a feature film consisting of several different short films, often tied together by only a single theme, premise, or brief interlocking event . Sometimes each one is directed by a different director... ; Segment: "Deep" |
|
| 2010 | Michael Morlock's Supernatural World | Hadley | |
| Mountain Mafia | Skeeter | ||
| Paranormal Calamity | Zeke McIntyre | Also Co-Producer | |
| Special Day | boyfriend | Short Film | |
| 2011 | Not Another B Movie Not Another B Movie Not Another B Movie is a satirical comedy film written and directed by John Wesley Norton which peers into the process of making a low-budget horror film. It was premiered in 2008 under the original title Working Title in Woodridge, Illinois... |
Piss Ant | Also Co-Executive Producer |
| Chasing Hollywood | himself | Also Executive Producer | |
| 2012 | Sister Mary Sister Mary Sister Mary is a 2011 American comedy musical film directed and written by Scott Grenke. It stars Ant, James Vallo, Bruce Vilanch, Judy Tenuta, Sean Paul Lockhart and Shawn Quinlan.-Cast:* Ant as Agent Peccant* James Vallo as Mark Rima... |
Ray | Also Producer |
| Little Creeps | gun-toting villager | ||
| Doctor Spine | Zeke |