Kathy Smith

Since age 5, Kathy Smith dreamed of working in the soap opera industry. After graduating from Bradley University, that dream quickly led her to her first job as Photo Assistant for Soap Opera Digest Magazine (she was later promoted to Assistant Photo Editor.) Her connections with industry photographers presented her the opportunity to attend the 2002 Daytime Emmy Awards as a freelance photographer’s assistant, helping photographers from Getty Images quickly identify celebrities on the red carpet and press room.

While daytime drama and entertainment had always been an interest of Kathy's, working in photo editing sparked a new passion, and is something Kathy still loves to-date. After Soap Opera Digest, she worked at a Nashville-based record label in the creative department, where she scheduled photo shoots for artists, made creative edits to designs and managed the in-house library. Kathy was also a liaison with the marketing team, so her transition to the advertising agency side of the business was an easy one, and is where she works today.

Career highlights include managing the creative design for the 2009 Healthy Choice rebranding campaign (including food photography & packaging redesign), as well as managing all in-house product photo shoots for Lululemon Athletica’s Chicago Bucktown store.

Her photo editing experience ranges from print to digital, and she also has experience writing articles for online publishing, as well as copy for creative advertisements and promotions.

In her free time, Kathy enjoys capturing life's moments through photography. Her new dream is to one day be the photo director at an outstanding magazine, and is currently looking for opportunities to return to a photo editing role within the publishing industry.