Biography
Tia A. Smith is an award-winning executive producer, producer, and creative consultant recognized for her impact across television, film, live events, and unscripted programming. With a career spanning more than two decades, Smith has become one of the entertainment industry’s most respected behind-the-scenes creatives, known for developing culturally impactful content and commercially successful projects. She began her career at BET, where she became the network’s youngest Music Director and later served as Executive Producer for the long-running gospel series Bobby Jones Gospel. During her tenure, she helped create and produce notable specials and programs including Lift Every Voice, Top 25 Countdown, BET New Year’s Countdown, and artist-focused specials featuring Mariah Carey, Usher, Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, and Queen Latifah.
Smith later founded talentedSOL Productions, producing and consulting on projects for major brands and networks including MTV, VH1, Lifetime, TV One, Ford Motor Company, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, including an internationally recognized malaria documentary filmed in Africa. Her producing credits also include VH1 documentaries such as Black in the 80’s: Color in Film, Save the Music Foundation with Lenny Kravitz, and Hard Rock Live Presents.
As a Network Executive at TV One for seven years, Smith helped launch several of the network’s most successful original programs and films, including the Emmy-nominated A Ray Charles Tribute: In Performance at the White House, The Gospel Tradition: In Performance at the White House, the NAACP Image Awards telecasts, Born Again Virgin, The Rickey Smiley Show, For The Love Of Ruth, and the hit true-crime franchises Fatal Attraction, For My Man, and Find Our Missing with S. Epatha Merkerson. One of her most notable accomplishments came as executive producer of When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story, which became TV One’s highest-rated original movie and drew more than two million viewers. The success of the project further cemented Smith’s reputation as a powerful force in scripted television development.
Throughout her career, Smith has earned industry recognition for both her creative leadership and cultural contributions. She received the Trailblazer Award from the African American Women in Cinema organization, a proclamation from the City of New York recognizing her artistic achievements, and multiple honors celebrating her influence in media and entertainment. She is also a longtime member of the Producers Guild of America and has represented the organization at the United Nations’ “Commission on the Status of Women” summit. In recent years, Smith has continued expanding her influence as a producer, consultant, Emmy judge, film festival panelist, and mentor, remaining a prominent voice shaping diverse storytelling across television and film.