About
Brian’s writing been published in the Toronto Star, Waterloo Record and the literary journal Sport Literate. He is a winner of the Fresh Voices International Screenplay Competition, twice a runner-up in the Toronto Star Short Story Contest, and a winner of a short fiction competition commemorating Wilfrid Laurier University’s 100th anniversary. He wrote and directed Monster in a Box, a series of 26 animated shorts for The Cartoon Network.
SHORT FICTION • new & Published
'Ghost Stories' A Short Story Collection
Ghost Stories is a collection of short fiction like no other – each story inspired by a tintype photo from the dawn of the photographic age. This eclectic mix of imagined biographical sketches touch on universal themes of love, loss, redemption and regret. The collection ranges from the comic to the tragic, with several pieces intersecting the two. Ghost Stories is for those adventurous readers who are forever seeking out the next original discovery on the fiction shelf.
'Ruling of the Senses' Star Short Story Contest
Among the 2000-plus entered, this story won runner-up honours in Canada's best-known short fiction competition, the Toronto Star Short Story Contest. It is a dark parable set in a society that metes out justice by stripping criminals of one or more of their senses – the number of which is determined by the severity of the perpetrator's crime.
'On Tour with Dutch' Star Short Story Contest
'On Tour with Dutch' Star Short Story Contest
Tonally as far away from the previous story as imaginable, this twisted comic tale also won runner-up honours in The Toronto Star's annual short fiction contest. On Tour with Dutch tells the story of two hard-drinking country boys who, after bagging Bigfoot during a hunting trip, attempt to turn their legendary trophy into untold riches.
TELEVISION & FILM • produced & award-winning
'Toonboy'
'Monster in a Box'
'Monster in a Box'
Winner of the Fresh Voices International Screenplay Competition for Best Family Film Script, this reimagining of the Pinocchio tale is about an illustrator whose most recent character comes to life as a cartoon boy in a very real world, turning its creator’s contentedly bachelor lifestyle upside-down. A manuscript of this award-winning screenplay can be forwarded upon request.
'Monster in a Box'
'Monster in a Box'
'Monster in a Box'
Written and directed by Smith for Canada's Cartoon Network – they purchased it based on his spec scripts and illustrations – this eclectic series of comic shorts takes liberties with just about every monster known to man, while introducing several new creatures born entirely from the twisted mind of the series’ creator. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation described this series as having "a touch of The Far Side and just a little Monty Python".
'Pink Slip'
'Monster in a Box'
'Pink Slip'
This screenplay was optioned by Canada's Eggplant Productions after receiving an extremely favourable review from the Endeavor (formerly William Morris Agency) Story Dept. Its coverage document referred to the script as ‘hilarious’, with many ‘sharp, funny sequences.’ (Note to intrigued producers: The option has since elapsed; the sharp, funny sequences, however, remain intact.)
additional work & recognition
Sport Literate
Brian's essay, The Myth of the Apolitical Athlete, was chosen for the 30th Anniversary Edition of Sport Literate. As one of America's foremost literary sports journals, its essays have appeared in celebrated anthologies such as The Best American Sports Writing and The Best American Essays.
WLU Writing Competition
To commemorate its centenary, Wilfrid Laurier University held its Short Fiction 'Drabble' Competition – 100-word stories for 100 years – featuring three categories central to its motto: inspiration, leadership and purpose. Open to all Canadian writers, Brian was the only writer to have a story chosen and published in all three categories. His Leadership-themed story was also republished in the Waterloo Record along with a profile of the author.
SpruceHaven
SpruceHaven
This limited edition book was produced for the developers of an amibitious project in which local farmland was returned to its original state, including the replanting of its native vegetation and development of ponds that attracted thousands of bird and animal species. Smith's words and the stunning images of award-winning photographer Kai Clemen combined to create a brilliant tribute to this remarkable accomplishment.
IN THE WORKS
'Little Big Year: What I Discovered While Searching for 200 Birds'
Brian is currently completing a memoir recounting his attempt at a birding 'little big year' – identifying several hundred species over 365 days – against all odds. (Specifically his lack of birding expertise and a global pandemic that shuts down the entire world a mere two months into his year-long mission.) The result is a hilarious and ultimately poignant account of how a novice birder's quixotic quest turns into a deeply personal journey of self-discovery.
THE unsubtle ART OF SELF-PROMOTION
Brian not only appreciates the need for authors to promote their own work but also has the experience and skills to do so for himself with great effectiveness and results. Having been ranked among Canada's Top 10 copywriters by Strategy Magazine, his multimedia and social media campaigns have generated millions of dollars in free media coverage by CNN, the New York Times, BBC, CBC, CTV, Global National News, hundreds of online media outlets, and a front-page article in the Globe and Mail. Much of his work – including what one national newspaper called a 'brilliantly subversive' campaign for Colleges Ontario in which he invented a fake prescription drug called Obay – has also appeared as case studies in marketing textbooks.