Editor’s Note: We recently had a great conversation with OVU alumnus Noah Smith. He is currently living in Los Angeles, California. He moved there in 2005 to pursue his acting career. Smith runs his own photography business and has appeared in several national television commercials and print ad campaigns. Smith is originally from Point Pleasant, West Virginia.
Q: What was your time like as a student at Ohio Valley University?
My time at OVU was actually split into two different times. My first year there was 1995-1996. I was a business major and a member of the basketball team. I joined the Army reserves in the fall of ‘96 instead of coming back to college. It wasn’t until the 1997-1998 school year that I decided to come back to OVU after getting contacted about the new soccer program that was beginning. I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to be a pioneer, to be a part of something new at OVU! Good times!
Q: How has your experience at OVU helped you in your career?
I would have to say my experience with athletics (basketball & soccer) at OVU has really helped me in my career. I learned to believe. The fact is that if you believe in yourself and work hard, then you can make anything happen. OVU athletics tested me daily. Between OVU and the Army, I learned to push myself until I thought I couldn’t go any farther, and then to push a little more. I had to work hard to get a chance. I didn’t get recruited for basketball at OVU, but I walked on and made the team.
That experience helped me in my acting career today. I have to persevere and be resilient, because 90% of the time doors are shut. Because of the competitiveness of college athletics, as well as the work ethic one has to have for college sports, I have been able to apply that same mentality in my acting career. Nothing is handed to you, so I learned to work hard for every opportunity.
Q: How did you decide to attend OVU?
I played basketball in high school and I always wanted to play in college. I began college at West Virginia State University but a friend of mine at OVU introduced me to some of the players on the OVU basketball team and I decide to transfer and try out for the basketball team. I took a risk, and it paid off, because I made the team.
Q: What was it like living in the dorms?
Dorm life was cool. It felt like one big happy family!
Q: What activities were you involved in at OVU?
I was a member of the basketball and soccer teams. I was actually one of the first captains of the OVU soccer team.
Q: What teacher/professor made a difference in your life at OVU?
I remember my coaches, specifically Dan Lyons, the OVU soccer coach. He helped keep the game fun and not too serious all the time. I think that is very valuable in life. Life is to be lived, to be enjoyed to the fullest and to be happy while doing it. One must be able to laugh and keep going, even when things don’t go the way you plan. You’ve got to be able to bounce back and go on again.
Q: Do you keep in touch with any other alumni?
I have kept in touch with a few people. It is always really cool to have old friends find me on My Space or through the OVU Alumni Directory.
Q: Tell us about your career and how you got started?
I have a couple of careers going right now. I am an actor [www.noahsmith.com] as well as a photographer [www.tripleglance.com]. I got my start as an actor while living in Columbus, Ohio. I worked with a talent agency in Ohio that got me started with a few major national print campaigns. I remember my first booking was a print job for Bank One (which is now Chase). And after that, I started getting a lot of work. Everything from catalogs, posters, marketing material for major companies, training videos, and the funniest one of them all--I was in the Damon’s Grill menus all across America.
In the beginning most of the jobs I booked were print jobs. However, I wanted to do principal work in commercials and I also wanted to start acting in television and films. So I started training and taking acting classes. I learned a lot, and then I started booking a few principal roles in commercials and was blessed enough to have a few national commercials run for awhile. I became eligible to become a member of SAG [Screen Actors Guild] after my first national commercial for Sofa Express & More. I got a chance to work with Genevieve Gorder from the TV show “Trading Spaces”.
With acting, I am not constantly working so I started my own photography business as well. It is something that I really enjoy and it also gives me the flexibility to go on auditions and bookings as needed. I got started with head shot photography, because it seems like everyone needs head shots out here. So it has been a perfect fit for me.
Q: What are a few fantastic events in your life?
It’s hard to just pick a few. I have been very blessed. One “fantastic” event for me was when I decided to take that leap of faith or, shall I say, that drive of faith: when I decided to load up my car and move to Los Angeles, which I had never even visited before. Since moving out here, I’ve worked small parts on TV shows, films, and commercials with some really cool people. I shot a Reebok commercial this year with Alan Iverson and Vince Young, which was a lot of fun.
I don’t know if you would call it a life lesson or a motto, but a phrase that I live by is: ‘It’s not over, until you quit’. So as long as I have breath in my body, as long as I keep pushing myself, and as long as I keep God first…tomorrow could be my day. So my life lesson is to never quit, and I will have a chance to do great things. Don’t settle…go for what you want…make it happen. Don’t just dream about it or wish for it, but BE about it and DO it. You only get one life to live so don’t waste it being miserable doing what you don’t want to do, or being where you don’t want to be.
