About Stanley A.
BioAn award-winning composer and multi-instrumentalist, Stanley has a career that spans record production, commercials, short films, web series, documentaries, features, soundtracks, and television.Stanley A. Smith (he/him) is a proud LA native who grew up in Compton, CA, as part of a very musical family. While majoring in music at nearby Cal State University, Long Beach, Smith honed his writing, playing, and producing skills, which led to several of his original songs making their way to the Billboard Charts.Smith’s original songs also found their way into various films, television shows and soundtracks, which eventually led to composing for Film & TV full time- scoring several award-winning and critically acclaimed independent feature films, such as Catfish In Black Bean Sauce, The Visit, Constellation, and eventually, his first big box office success, The Gospel (Sony).Perhaps best known for his work on the small screen, Smith was ecstatic when he was hired to create the original score for the groundbreaking The Bernie Mac Show (FOX). As the series composer, he crafted a unique sound for all five seasons of the award-winning show, composing over 100 episodes, in addition to writing the theme song. With an array of live musicians, he created a one-of-a-kind sound for the show that precisely echoed Bernie Mac's unique personality and style.With over 250 episodes of television to his credit, Smith's work includes other well-known TV series: Let’s Stay Together (BET), which received an ASCAP Screen Music Award, as well as 100 episodes of Ice Cube's syndicated series, Are We There Yet? (TBS), scoring and writing the theme songs for both.Stanley and his wife/business partner, Music Supervisor/Singer/Filmmaker- Jilien Smith, often collaborate on Film & TV projects with their Standard Music Production Co. & Studio. The Smiths recently teamed with director Keith Powell on A Holiday In Harlem (Hallmark), creating a playful, sentimental holiday-inspired original score with a nod to Christmas in Harlem. The Smith duo is also producing their first documentary, which Stanley is scoring- Make-Up Women: Glamour & Guts (Sundance | WIF Alumni) under their companion Standard Entertainment production banner.An advocate for more diversity and inclusion within the composer-film and TV community- Smith has served on the Television Academy PGEC and ASCAP- Writers Nominating Committee. He currently serves on the NAACP Image Awards Nominating Committee and sits on the Executive Board of the Composers Diversity Collective.Innately melodic, this self-professed genre connoisseur keeps his ear to the ground. A perpetual student of styles, sounds, and ever-changing technology, Smith notes the importance of producing authentic and wide-ranging music, while inspired to create scores that are as unique and individual as the projects themselves.Smith’s latest projects range from award-winning & historic documentaries such as, Betye Saar: Ready To Be A Warrior about the 97-year-old, legendary artist-activist (2022 Winner Best Feature Documentary Studio City Film Festival) and the upcoming The Real Red Tails (National Geographic) about the Tuskegee Airmen, to his collab with ARRAY Filmworks, scoring the second half of Season 2 (Ep. 205-208) of Ava DuVernay’s award-winning hit, one-hour anthology series Cherish The Day (OWN), to his latest film score for Kemba (MPI Original Films/BET+) based on Kemba Smith’s long-awaited untold life story (2023 Winner Audience Choice Best Film-St. Louis International Film Festival and 2023 Winner Award of Merit True Story Depiction- Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival). Stay tuned for what’s next!
Memberships & Affiliation: Television Academy Music Peer Group, Composers Diversity Collective, ASCAP, The Recording Academy, Image Awards Nominating Committee, Society of Composers & Lyricists, Sundance Institute (Alumni) & SAG-AFTRA.
