Adam Smoluk

Adam Smoluk (born June 17, 1980) is a Canadian screenwriter, director, actor, community leader, and executive.[1] His work in media productions often explores themes of alienation and isolation.[2]

Adam Smoluk
Adam Smoluk in 2019
Born
Adam Smoluk

(1980-06-17) June 17, 1980
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Alma materMcMaster University
Red River College
National Screen Institute
British American Drama Academy
Occupationscreenwriter, film director, actor and executive
Spouse(s)Jennifer Smoluk

Early life

Adam Smoluk was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba and grew up in the St. Vital area.[3] As a child he developed a passion for the arts, specifically photography, writing, and theatre.[4] After seeing Singin' in the Rain, Smoluk was in awe of the production elements of the film and said he was "blown away with the magic of film -- it was quite captivating." [1] He was twelve-years-old when he purchased a used Pentax K1000 SLR camera from a neighborhood garage sale and begin learning about lighting and photography. In high school he became interested in playwriting, and after graduation studied theatre on scholarship at the British American Drama Academy at Oxford University.[5] Upon returning home to Canada, he began working as an actor in film and television. He attended McMaster University, a public research university located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and graduated with a diploma in Business Administration. He graduated with honours from Red River College (RRC)'s Human Resource Management and Management Development programs and earned a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) designation and a Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM-SCP) designation.[6] He was selected to RRC's 2017 billboard campaign for distinguished alumni.[7] He was awarded a Royal Bank of Canada scholarship to attend governance training with the Rotman School of Management and the Institute of Corporate Directors.[8]

Community service

Smoluk has been active in the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) and has served on the ACTRA Manitoba Political Action Committee, and was Chairman of the ACTRA Independent Film Committee. In 2007, he was appointed to serve as ACTRA's representative on the Manitoba Federation of Labour's Human Rights Committee. In 2012, Smoluk contributed profiles of the Right Honourable Edward Schreyer and Manitoba Film & Music CEO Carole Vivier for The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce's The Heart of Winnipeg, a book that profiles 41 Manitoban-based leaders. The publication profiles leaders who have contributed to growth and development of Manitoba.[9] In 2013, Smoluk was awarded the Manitoba Federation of Labour's Al Cerilli scholarship award. The MFL's Young Members Committee selects the winner on the basis of their record of commitment to the labour movement.[10] Smoluk was appointed to the Board of Directors for Winnipeg's Westland Foundation, a scholarship program to support youth from Winnipeg's inner city to attend post-secondary educational institutes.[11] He is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Winnipeg Film Group and served on the United Way of Winnipeg's GenNext Council. Smoluk was named chair of GenNext in October 2015 [12] and he was a key organizer of the first GenNext Summit ever held in Canada.[13] In 2019, he was appointed to the Advisory Committee for Reel Canada, which promotes Canadian Cinema[6]

Career

Smoluk made his debut feature film, Horsethieves which was completed on a shoestring budget and was awarded the Audience Choice Award at the 2005 Winnipeg International Film Festival.[14] Smoluk was awarded an Investors Group scholarship for leadership studies at The Banff Centre,[15] and received the Future Leaders of Manitoba award for the Arts. [16]

Smoluk was the youngest filmmaker ever selected to the National Screen Institute's Features First Program.[14] In 2009, Smoluk went into production of his second feature film, Foodland. The film follows a naïve grocery clerk as his life spirals out of control when he inadvertently helps his inept manager rob the store. Foodland's cast includes James Clayton (Actor), Ross McMillan, Stephen Eric McIntyre and Kim Poirier. The film was released in select cities in January 2011.[17] Super Channel, Canada's only national English pay television network, premiered Foodland in October 2011.[18] The network profiled the film in the Super Channel Gems selections. [19] Foodland premiered on the IFC in March 2014.[20]

Smoluk was awarded selection by an international jury to attend the eQuinoxe Europe screenwriting development program in Lindau, Germany in October 2016.[2] He directed multiple episodes of the true crime television series, In Plain Sight for the Discovery Channel.[21] In 2019, Film Training Manitoba (FTM) appointed Smoluk as the managing director and in this new role, he was made responsible for all operations, financial and training activities at the Winnipeg-headquartered organization.[22] At the time of his appointment, he was the youngest senior executive in the Province of Manitoba’s Department of Economic Development's Sector Council Program.[23] He led FTM's first rebranding of its logo and colors in twenty years, as well as growth from approximately 100 to 200 participants annually to 1,400 individuals undertaking FTM's training programs.[24]

In 2020, Smoluk and the National Screen Institute (NSI)'s CEO Joy Loewen launched a joint partnership between NSI and FTM to bring a combination of educational programming including distance learning, in-class training, career consulting and outreach to Indigenous creators and Manitoba’s northern communities. [25]

Smoluk delivered the 2020 commencement addresses at two of his alma maters, McMaster University[26] and Red River College.[23]


Filmography

As writer/director/producer

As actor
Film
Television

References
  1. Nadya Pankiw (August 14, 2019). "Film Training Manitoba gets a new managing director". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 2019-08-15.
  2. Simon Fuller (October 31, 2016). "Screenwriter Loving overseas writing program". Winnipeg Free Press. Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
  3. Arielle Godbout (August 12, 2010). "Childhood memories from city's south spark feature film". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
  4. Notable Life Staff (December 20, 2011). "YPDAILY: ADAM SMOLUK". Notable Life. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  5. "Youth Education Days - Workshop Leaders". Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival. Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2010-11-25. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
  6. FTM staff (September 18, 2019). "Adam Smoluk Appointed to REEL CANADA's Advisory Committee". FTM. Retrieved 2019-09-26.
  7. FTM Staff (April 4, 2017). "FTM's Adam Smoluk selected for Red River College's 2017 Billboard Campaign". FTM. Retrieved 2017-04-04.
  8. "RBC scholarship awarded to ftms program manager Adam Smoluk". RBC Scholarship award. Film Training Manitoba. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  9. "Adam Smoluk Contributes Profiles For Leadership Book". Leadership Winnipeg book. On Screen Manitoba. Archived from the original on 2012-09-13. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
  10. "MFL Al Cerilli scholarship awarded". MFL Scholarship award. Manitoba Federation of Labour. Archived from the original on 2013-10-05. Retrieved 2013-09-21.
  11. Tony Zerucha (September 21, 2017). "Smoluk named to Westland Foundation board". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
  12. "RRC student named chair of united ways GenNext council". Redblog. Red River College. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
  13. "Summit aims to inspire young Winnipegger". GenNext Summit. Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
  14. Kenton Smith (December 30, 2010). "Is the pen mightier than the budget?". Uptown Magazine. pp. Uptown Magazine. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
  15. staff (August 11, 2011). "ADAM SMOLUK AWARDED INVESTORS GROUP SCHOLARSHIP". On Screen Manitoba. On Screen Manitoba. Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-11.
  16. staff (February 3, 2010). "Adam Smoluk wins Future Leaders of Manitoba Award". National Screen Institute. National Screen Institute. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
  17. "First stills from Canuck grocery store heist comedy FOODLAND". Quiet Earth. June 2, 2010. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
  18. "FOODLAND PREMIERES ON SUPER CHANNEL OCT. 12". On Screen Manitoba. 11 October 2011. Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
  19. "Canadian indie Gem will have you rolling in the aisles - only on Super Channel". Channel Canada. 11 October 2011. Archived from the original on 17 December 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  20. Laura Friesen (March 28, 2014). "foodland premieres on ifc". National Screen institute of Canada. pp. National Screen Institute of Canada. Retrieved 2014-03-28.
  21. "full cast & crew". In Plain Sight. imdb. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  22. "In Brief: Liz Kohn to join TIFF in VP role". Playback. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
  23. "Adam Smoluk RRC Commencement Speech 2020". RRC Grad. Film Training Manitoba. Retrieved 2019-11-01.
  24. Simon Fuller. "Film Training Manitoba celebrating two decades". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
  25. "New partnership". Liz Hover. March 3, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  26. "Film Training Manitoba's Adam Smoluk to Speak at McMaster University's Convocation". McMaster Grad. Film Training Manitoba. Retrieved 2019-11-01.
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