Arthur Smith’s Key to Success: ‘Reach’

Nearly anything is possible when you “reach.”

Just ask television producer Arthur Smith, author of the inspirational memoir, “Reach: Hard Lessons and Learned Truths from a Lifetime in Television,” which comes out on June 6.

“Reach is the power of extending yourself,” Smith, who is responsible for such hits as “Hell’s Kitchen” and “American Ninja Warrior,” told the Journal. “[It’s] not being afraid to put yourself out there.” 

Throughout his book, Smith shares moments from his pioneering career in nonfiction television. 

“I really like to think of it as a memoir with a purpose,” Smith said. “The stories I have selected [are] not necessarily the biggest hits or the funniest stories, they’re stories that support the message of the book.”

Smith’s “Hell’s Kitchen” introduced the United States to Ramsay and vice versa, and was the first successful network food TV show. 

And, he adds, they are entertaining. For instance, people will see a side of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and what makes him special, as well as the beginnings of Gordon Ramsay. Smith’s “Hell’s Kitchen” introduced the United States to Ramsay and vice versa, and was the first successful network food TV show. 

“There’s another one with Magic Johnson that makes me laugh every time I think about it,” Smith said. 

His memoir is naturally also very personal. 

“I grew up an extremely shy kid, and when I tell people this, they find it really hard to believe, because I’ve been an actor, I’ve been a producer,” Smith said. 

Smith shares how everything changed.

“I don’t want to ruin it for the readers,” he said. “Something happened to me when I was 9 years old, and I didn’t realize it at the time … but it changed my life. It changed the way I viewed the world.” 

Smith said that he was forced into a situation where he had to reach, to be vulnerable.

“I can literally trace that moment to the next one [and] the next one,” he said. “I became obsessed with reaching, and so I started to take really big chances.” 

Those “reaches” led to life-changing accomplishments. 

After getting his start in sports production, Smith rose to become the youngest-ever head of CBC Sports. Years after moving from Canada to the United States to produce entertainment programming with his mentor, Dick Clark, Smith spearheaded an entirely new approach to sports television at FOX Sports Net. Since 2000, when he launched A. Smith & Co. Productions, he has produced over 200 television shows on more than 50 networks. 

In conjunction with his book, Smith established the REACH FOUNDATION, where all of his proceeds from “Reach” will go.

“The foundation is going to give money to a select group of charities,” Smith said. “All of which in some way lift people up to reach in their own lives, and to reach for their dreams.” 

Smith says that it’s easier to reach when you’re coming from a strong foundation. 

“That foundation was my parents,” he said. “I have great friends, a great wife and great daughters. But my parents really set everything in motion for me.” 

He continued, “My mother drove me crazy, like a good Jewish mother can do. But she was always there, and she was the one who told me to go for it.”

Smith believes if you tell a child that they’re special, they believe it. And he is proof. 

“My dad was my role model,” Smith said. “He was the most grateful man I know. [Whenever] my father and I were having a sandwich together, and it’d be the exact same sandwich, his would be so much better than mine. Because he appreciated everything so much, because he loved everything so much.”

One habit Smith picked up from his father was putting on his tallit every day. Smith can’t start his day without being grateful.

Between a father who kept him grounded and a mother who made him feel special, it’s no wonder Smith was positioned to take on the world of nonfiction television, which is exactly what he did. 

“It’s all about momentum,” he said. “I feel like I’m running this string of positive momentum. All that being said, I’ve had disappointments too. The secret is to bounce back.”

Smith also attributes his strong Jewish values to his parents. 

“My father used to say, ‘There’s never the wrong time to do the right thing, and there’s never the right time to do the wrong thing,’” Smith said. “It’s not unique to him, but it was something that he would often say. And I live my life by that.”

One of the things that makes Smith’s nonfiction television so unique and engaging is that they present great stories with an emotional impact.

For instance, “American Ninja Warrior” is a family show that gets the audience invested in the characters. 

“It’s the same on “Hell’s Kitchen,” even though they’re very different shows,” Smith said.

A lot of this stems from Smith’s background in sports. 

“Even though I love sports and I’m a big sports fan, the thing I enjoyed most about sports was not the game itself,” he said. “It was the setup of the game. It was the story.”

While none of the women in his family are particularly interested in sports (Smith also has two sisters), he said, but they are all big fans of sports movies, the Olympics and “American Ninja Warrior.”

“I’m always reaching for that bigger, broader audience,” he said. “I guess so much of my life has been focused on bringing as many people into the tent that it’s resulted in television that I like, that makes you feel.”

Smith’s company works really hard at making the audience care about the characters. Other key ingredients for engaging television include a great concept, the right talent to go with the concept, great execution from the producers and freshness of concept.

“In the nonfiction genre people get tired of the same thing,” he said. “The biggest hits in reality/nonfiction television come from originality. So we have to keep reinventing. We have to keep freshening up ideas. We have to keep reaching.”

For more on Arthur Smith, check out the interview on Taste Buds with Deb on JewishJournal.com.