Charlie Smith

Charlie Smith is my best friend. We've known each other for almost a quarter century. And our lives have run in an uncanny parallel ever since we met.

Additionally (and in no particular order) Charlie is a director, designer and educator.

Charlie works in innovation consulting, combining motion design and video with human-centered methodologies to capture, interpret, and curate qualitative design research into concise, empathy-driven, human stories that change hearts and minds.

Charlie also teaches Video Storytelling at the IIT Institute of Design, where he helps students sharpen their narrative video skills, shape audience-focused stories, and explore storyboarding, camera and production workflows.

Little known detail: Charlie is a closet sneakerhead. He got into the hobby as a way of intentionally doing something fun for himself after settling into fatherhood. As a designer, he's interested in the sneakers from fashion and product design standpoint, but what he's more intrigued with is the psychology and commerce ecosystem surrounding it all. If you need help identifying dope kicks, he's your guy.

Charlie is dad to his 4-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter.

This episode feels less like an interview and more like a phone call between best mates. We skip the formalities of the show to dive right into our parallel struggles and compare notes as only pals could. We talk about our kids' media consumption, the psychological benefits of taking the long view on things, and how critical it is to team up with your partner first and remember your kids are part of your life—not the center of it. We also chat about the value of indulgence every once in a while.

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