Written By: Samantha Cee

Get connected on Instagram @anthonysmithjr__

With a deep background in performance arts, music, and photography, Anthony Smith Jr, is beginning to make his name known around Hollywood. In 2019, he began accumulating a following on TikTok, where he creates comedy skits, series, and a collection of series that have obtained him over 60 million views for his 138k supporters on the social platform. Since establishing his online presence, Anthony has had his work featured at the Hollywood Fringe Festival and has graced several commercials and work for major brands and productions, including, the Forbes-listed mezcal & tequila brand, Nosotros, along with other apps. With multiple projects in production, including his own writing, Anthony Smith Jr continues to make a name for himself, with hopes of playing a major part in the bright future of Film and Television.”

Please tell us about yourself and what got you to this successful point in your career. The start of my entertainment career began growing up, starting with art, singing in different school, city, and church choruses, and competing in singing competitions from about the age of 6 years old, up until the end of high school. When I was 9, I began to fall in love with film when I started to discover Tyler Perry and his work. I was intrigued by how his projects always provided a heartfelt story, but at the same time incorporated a comedic relief that overarched the sad narrative. Along with Mr. Perry, I soon was introduced to other creatives such as Jordan Peele and Donald Glover, who like him were creating these untold stories and transforming them into soul-moving experiences; I knew I wanted to do the same.

A few things necessarily don’t come to mind when people think about their success. The first thing is the hard work and work ethic that get you to these milestones in life. Work ethic goes unnoticed but is noticed by the right people. Being able to have that drive for the things you strive for will undoubtedly change your course of action for the better. The second thing is supporting people’s works and creations as if they were your own. Although we can cultivate our own success and achieve our personal goals, success is usually present when a cohort is created. When two people or a group have mutual respect for each other’s individual art forms, you have now created a successful link between creatives that have sparked a relationship that could lead to joint success. These two things can excel your ability to reach your goals, in the end, setting you up for these successful points.

What can we expect from you this year and what are you most excited about? I’m excited about a few projects I have lined up this year. This spring, I’ll be traveling to New York for projects I have been blessed to be a part of, including a runway show I will be walking in. Another is a project I personally have been working on — a scripted TV series I plan on having completed in the next couple of months. This is something that has been in the works for 2 years now and honestly something I feel I can truly pat myself on the back for.

Coming up with these stories myself and tailoring them to things that have happened in my life, I feel like it will be such an inspirational story that will help a lot of people with many things they have going on in life. With a few more added ideas, I can’t be certain what the future holds, but I have hopes of getting the right person to read it and seeing where my projects go.

Ultimately, I’m looking forward to just learning a lot more about everything. Learning, listening; just taking in all that I can from people I have the pleasure of working with. Using these bits and pieces to constantly better my craft, setting myself up now, for things that I eventually want to reach on my path of life.

Congratulations on having your work shown at the Hollywood Fringe Film Festival. Are there any other film festivals your work is involved with or that you aspire to one day? Thank you so much, it was such an honor to even be a part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival with the long entertainment history it has, especially since only being 19 years old at the time of the performance in 2021. Everything that went into the performance became such a fulfilling experience for me; the rehearsals, the dance numbers, and of course the incredible cast I got to work alongside during the course of the show. Since then, I haven’t had any work in recent film festivals, but do have high hopes of being a part of the Sundance Film Festival one day, along with a few others.

What are some of your 2022 highlights? 2022 was a year that I feel really transformed my creative passion. Toward the beginning of the year, I was a part of a live production of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, an adaptation to the popular series, The Chronicles of Narnia, playing the character Mr. Tumnus on stage. It was such an awesome experience; one, the cast I was able to work with and be a part of; and two, being able to play a character that I used to admire growing up really created that full circle moment for me.

Last year, I also began working on a project of mine, my first feature film that I’m beginning to write. It’s something new, something that I feel people will be moved by, being able to uncover situations that the world hasn’t necessarily brought to the forefront; it’s what I think has the ability to change the culture of film and how we perceive harder situations on the big screen.

How do you balance following your dreams in the entertainment industry while navigating your day-to-day life? The best advice I give to myself is to just take everything I want day by day. I know that everything I do, no matter what it is — even if I think it's small in relation to the big picture, is getting me to that place I ultimately want to be at, that life I’ll be able to change. I think about the reasons why I wanted to be in the entertainment industry and stay true to those ideas, allowing them to drive me while pursuing my day-to-day goals.

Where do you see your career taking off in the future and what steps are you taking to get there? I see myself excelling in the entertainment industry, being a writer, director, and producer who creates stories that help people feel, whether it be a scene that navigates them through a personal family matter, or something as simple as a smile that maybe that person needed to just keep going. I want to do everything I can to give back to people that are going through these rough situations and be able to show them that they will get out, they will make it through, and that it gets so much better.

I’m doing things now that will help me be in the position I want to be in, to provide this comfort and emotion for people. At the moment, I’m working to get all the experience I can, doing Production Coordination and Design, along with Creative Direction. Learning things from people that are where I want to be and turning their advice into my own habits. Being a sponge and eventually curating those skills into things that I can use daily to get to these goals. One of the goals being, to have the ability to begin cultivating a culture around the use of strength and perseverance of certain figures throughout film, letting this inspire generations to come.

Please share any final thoughts. I just want to express how grateful for this opportunity I am, and to just be able to let people know a little about myself. Hopefully one day, I will be able to start telling stories that create something in people that lift them higher, always instilling encouragement in them, in all aspects that may be.

Any shoutouts you would like to give? I want to thank my mother for instilling such a driving force in me, a dedication to always work toward what I want and never letting that drive fade, or the things that I’m wanting to show the world. I would certainly not be where I am without her strength and by the grace of God surrounding me.

And lastly, I’d like to shoutout my team at Bucketsquad, a production and luxury sportswear company that I’m blessed to be a part of at this time in my career. The magic our group is creating provides such a positive effect on social media and fashion and is truly something that is in fact, inspiring millions all over the world.

Fashion Gxd Magazine "Anthony Smith Jr"

By Pilar Scratch in Entrepreneur cover for Fashion Gxd Magazine

32 pages, published 2/1/2023

With a deep background in performance arts, music, and photography, Anthony Smith Jr, is beginning to make his name known around Hollywood. In 2019, he began accumulating a following on TikTok, where he creates comedy skits, series, and a collection of series that have obtained him over 60 million views for his 138k supporters on the social platform. Since establishing his online presence, Anthony has had his work featured at the Hollywood…