career objective                              

accomplished, versatile photographer eager to contribute expertise in photography, film, television, and video production toward supporting operations of a progressive organization seeking a driven and productive team member

profile                                                

ø  offer more than 25 years of photography experience specializing in documentary and instructional, commercial advertising, entertainment, and journalism

ø  excel in recruiting, building and leading superior client-focused teams

ø  dynamic communication, presentation, and time management skills; consistently achieve critical deadlines while maintaining high quality standards

ø  proactive team player equally effective in independent and collaborative environments

ø  winner of 18 addy awards for excellence in television advertising and promotion; co-winner of 4 arkansas associated press broadcasters association; winner of numerous arkansas press association best newspaper contest awards in editorial and advertising categories

ø  successfully handle multiple projects concurrently; operate own business on ongoing basis

professional experience                

buddy smith photography, white hall, ar                                                                                                         2002 c present

owner, photographer, videographer, editor

    provide top quality wedding, portrait, engagement, commercial and journalistic photography, as well as videography and editing services

 

the shaw group (shaw e & i), baton rouge, la                                                                                     2003 c 2008

office manager (via goldbelt-cedar construction division, llc, prairieville, la), 2007 c 2008

   effectively managed all administrative operational aspects of 30-person site engaged in modernization of the white phosphorous facility at pine bluff, ar, arsenal site

   regular duties included bidding on and purchasing all jobsite construction materials and equipment, scheduling and tracking deliveries, oversight of product quality and shipment accuracy, appropriate materials distribution and reporting

   performed human resources functions; recruited and hired employees, maintained personnel files and timesheets, processed all relevant paperwork

   assisted with producing final as built piping blueprint line drawings and schematics

   spearheaded site demobilization process; maintained and repaired office equipment and premises; performed receptionist and clerical duties

   proficiently tracked materials, manpower, equipment in extra-contract work resulting in increased billing of $1.5 million

senior photographer & editor/production manager

(phase ii via goldbelt-cedar construction division, llc), 2006 c 2007

(phase i via professional environmental engineers, inc., st. louis, mo) 2003 c 2005

    successfully oversaw the outdoor, all-weather photo documentation of phases i and ii demolition of the chemical weapons manufacturing facilities at the pine bluff arsenal, ar; large scale, $7 million project involving the destruction of more than 400 items and 20 buildings

    hired, trained and managed crew of three video and still photographers, editors, and a database specialist in creation of synopsized documentary dvd for later review by un inspectors

    actively photographed, logged, downloaded, edited, and titled stills and video; worked with 60,000 still photographs and thousands of hours of video footage; created and maintained critical computer network consisting of multiple hard drives and pritners

    devised standard operating procedures for day-to-day operations; developed field shooting and final presentation format; designed quality control standards for inspection of each deliverable before delivery to client

    quality of work recognized by un officials and held as the standard for photo documentary projects

materials controller/warehouse manager (via g.d. barri & associates, peoria, az), 2005    

    efficiently mobilized a highly functional warehouse office to support the federal emergency management agency s hurricane katrina relief housing project in anniston, al

 

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lester smith                                                                                                                                                                                                           page 2

 

    directed a team of three in all procedural development for warehouse operations including inventorying, data management, receiving and issuing, tracking government-issued property

    performed regular warehouse dock unloading, assembling, delivering, and recording duties to ensure proper handling and routing of materials; collaborated with all relevant parties as needed

    created and implemented tracking system to facilitate victim housing, inventories, and audits

 

central maloney transformer, inc., pine bluff, ar                                                                                   2003

mig welder/tank loader/core buster                                                                                  

    in recognition of superior performance, steadily progressed within company engaged in manufacture and supply of residential, commercial, and industrial electrical transformers

    as mig line welder, assembled tanks in accordance with blueprints; tank loader duties required tank inspection, removal, and stocking; core buster responsibilities included breaking off still-hot steel retainer bands, removal of steel forms, and hand pushing cores down the line, as well as subsequent stacking, palletizing, and stocking

 

the white hall journal/the arsenal sentinel, white hall, ar                                                                     2002 c 2007

freelance photographer, reporter, writer, design and layout, proofreader (part-time)

    photographed all types of sporting events, news stories, community events and ad photography

    additionally reported on events, created captioning, co-designed and assisted with layout of award-winning ads and section covers for the newspaper

    distributed all newspapers to area postal facilities, schools and businesses on weekly basis

    won numerous arkansas press association best newspaper contest awards in editorial and advertising categories

 

kfsm tv-5/cbs affiliate (a new york times company/time southwest broadcast group), fayetteville, ar 1989 c 2002

senior production assistant / production manager                                                      

    wrote, storyboarded, lit, directed, operated camera, voiced over, edited and performed postproduction of local television commercials, station promos, and public service announcements, training and orientation films

    performed show design and set construction, show format and graphic layout; maintained and troubleshot equipment as necessary

    additional responsibilities included community relations, human resources functions, inventorying and ordering

        

impact productions (government military audio-visual contractor), sheppard air force base, tx             1987 c 1989

motion picture and video production specialist/ manager      

 

espn & cbs sports, insert location                                                                                                      1989 c 2002

freelance grip & camera operator (part-time)

 

vista cablevision, wichita falls, tx                                                                                                        1988 c 1989

freelance production assistant (part-time)                                                                

                                                 

film lab, inc., wichita falls, tx                                                                                                             1986 c 1988

freelance sports cinematographer (part-time)           

        

fox-stanley photo products, inc., dallas and wichita falls, tx                                                               1985 c 1987

1-hour photo mini-lab manager          

 

gary alan strain photography, conway, ar                                                                                                        1982

photographer  

                    

photographic corporation of america, little rock, ar                                                                            1981 c 1982

portrait photographer, salesperson    

education                                           

northwest arkansas community college, rogers, ar

coursework toward a b.a. in communications