Shane Smith | |
|---|---|
 Smith in 2014 | |
| Born | 28 September 1969 |
| Alma mater | Lisgar Collegiate Institute Carleton University |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, media executive, journalist |
| Known for | Vice Media co-founder |
| Spouse | Tamyka (2009-2021) |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Sean Smith, Patricia Reilly, Fiona Smith |
Shane Smith (born 28 September 1969) is a Canadian journalist and media executive and former billionaire.[1][2] He is executive chairman of the international media company Vice Media, operating an international network of digital channels, a television production studio, a record label, an in-house creative services agency, a book-publishing house, and a feature film division. Smith served as CEO of Vice from its founding until March 2018.[3] Former A+E Networks CEO Nancy Dubuc was named CEO 13 March 2018. In his role as Executive Chairman, "Smith will now be focused on creating content and strategic deals and partnerships to help grow the company."[4]
Shane Smith was born in Ottawa, Ontario, in 1969. He attended the Lisgar Collegiate Institute and later graduated from Carleton University with a degree in English literature and political science.[5]
Before Vice, Smith went to university in Ottawa, played in local punk bands, and travelled around Eastern Europe before moving to Montreal.[6][7]
Smith, Suroosh Alvi, and Smith's childhood friend[8] Gavin McInnes founded the youth magazine Voice of Montreal in 1994[9] and changed its name to Vice in 1996 after they bought out their publisher. The magazine was originally funded by the Government of Canada as part of a welfare program.[10] After being acquired in 1999 and moving to New York City, Smith and his co-founders bought VICE back and moved to Williamsburg, Brooklyn in 2001.[11] Initially publishing print articles based on offbeat alternative culture, VICE moved to creating news content and social criticism on multiple media platforms in 2006. Smith remains an owner of the company, and The New York Times has described Smith as "a cross between a punk rocker and Fortune 500 Executive".[1]
In 2006, on the advice from the company's creative director Spike Jonze, VICE Media began expanding into digital video. This led to a massive expansion of VICE into new channels, including a partnership with Intel in 2010 for The Creators Project, as well as deals with partners like Viacom, YouTube,[12] and HBO, led by Smith.
In April 2013, VICE started a new series with HBO, "VICE", in which Smith and other VICE correspondents cover news stories from around the globe. The show's second season won an Emmy for Outstanding Informational Series or Special.[13] The show was picked up for two more 14-episode seasons by HBO in May 2014, which aired in 2015 and 2016.[14] Based on the success of the weekly show, in 2015 HBO and VICE announced an expanded deal including a daily news show on HBO Now premiering in 2016, 32 VICE-produced specials over four years, and an expansion of the existing show from 14 to nearly 30 episodes per year. "VICE" started its 5th season of weekly broadcasts on HBO under the expanded episode deal on Friday, 24 February 2017.[15]
In 2015, VICE partnered with several companies, including Verizon,[16] Rogers Communications, Live Nation, Spotify and Snapchat, where VICE was a launch partner for Snapchat's "Discover" platform.[17]
As a journalist Smith has travelled to locations including North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan, Libya, Kashmir, Liberia, Sudan, and Greenland, initially for the 2006 online TV series VICE Guide to Travel.[1] Smith has continued to serve as a correspondent for VICE, appearing in online content as well as the host of VICE's HBO show and VICE Special Reports.
In 2015, Smith accompanied US President Barack Obama as part of the president's first historic visit to a federal prison,[18] interviewing Obama along with five non-violent drug offenders at El Reno Prison. He also conducted the first public interview with the Eagles of Death Metal following the 2015 terrorist shooting at their show at the Bataclan in Paris that left 89 dead.[19]
On 9 December 2016, HBO broadcast "Vice Special Report: A House Divided", which explores the political dysfunction in the United States during the Obama presidency. The 75-minute program features Smith interviewing influential US politicians including President Obama, former Speaker of the House John Boehner and former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor to understand the development of excessive polarization and gridlock, culminating in the 2016 presidential election.[20][21] It was nominated for an Emmy award.
In June 2014, it was reported that Time Warner was negotiating to acquire a minority stake in VICE Media; among the company's plans were to give Vice Media control over the programming of HLN—a spin-off network of CNN which had recently struggled in its attempts to re-focus itself as a younger-skewing, social media-oriented news service. However, the deal fell through as the companies were unable to agree on a proper valuation, and VICE Media partnered with A&E Networks for a 10% minority stake in VICE Media for $250 million, keeping VICE Media independent.[22] The following April, it was announced that A&E's channel H2 would be rebranded as VICELAND,[23] a lifestyle channel aimed at millennials. On 29 February 2016, VICE Media officially launched VICELAND with investment support by Disney and A&E.[24] Disney has since increased their stake in VICE Media through A&E with two $200 million investments—the first in November 2015, followed by the second a week later in December 2015—for a roughly 10% stake to assist in funding programming and growth.[25]
Smith, in interviews, has mentioned the possibility of VICE going public, saying in a 2015 interview: "There hasn't been a media company like this to go public in 15 years… the markets would love it", and he told CNBC in 2016 that "it's the best time in history to be a content creator."[26][27]
On 22 June 2016, VICE Media unveiled a number of international deals that, by the end of 2017, will make its programs available in over 50 new territories, over 80 in total.[28][29]
In 2015, Canadian Business placed him on "Canada's Richest People", claiming his net worth to be at $1.27 billion.[26]
In 2016, Smith resided in Santa Monica, California, with his wife, Tamyka, and his three daughters.[7]
In 2021, his wife Tamyka filed for divorce.[30]
Smith's work on VICE's HBO show won him an Emmy award in 2014, as well as a number of environmental awards for his work covering global warming in Greenland, Antarctica and beyond. He has also been honoured with a Frank Stanton Award for Excellence in Communication,[32] an LA Press Club Award,[33] and two Peabody awards [34] for serving as executive producer of VICE News' documentaries "The Islamic State" and "Last Chance High".
