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Shane Smith

Shane Smith

Producer and director, also actor and writer · Born September 28, 1969 (57) · Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Shane Smith is the founder and CEO of VICE, the global youth media brand. One of the industry's most respected visionaries, Smith is also a critically acclaimed journalist, and the host and executive producer for the Emmy winning news series, VICE, on HBO. Under Smith's guidance, VICE, initially launched in 1994 as a punk magazine, has expanded and diversified to become the world's leading youth media company; 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. VICE recently announced a new TV network in a joint venture with A&E called VICELAND. VICE's award-winning video content covers news, culture, music, technology, sports and fashion from a unique perspective tailored towards a young international audience often ignored by mainstream media. To syndicate VICE's content globally, Smith established a network of content distribution partnerships with leading platforms, including YouTube, Snapchat, Rogers, HBO, 20th Century Fox, Verizon, and others. VICE's reach has since exploded, with its network of channels reaching hundreds of millions of viewers a month. Smith has reported from the world's most isolated and difficult places, including North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan, Kashmir, Liberia and Greenland. Smith has been awarded numerous journalism and media awards, including the 2014 Knight Innovation Award, two Environmental Media Awards, the Frank Stanton Award for Excellence in Communication, the LA Press Club Award, and more. VICE has also won scores of awards for its groundbreaking reporting, including an Emmy Award for Best Information Series or Special, two Peabody Awards for VICE News, the PEN Center 2014 Award of Honor, the Television Academy Honors for socially conscious programming, and many others. Smith graduated from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, with a BA in English Literature and Political Science.

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Biography from IMDb.

Born
September 28, 1969 (57)
From
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Works as
Producer and director, also actor and writer
Titles
38 on MovieCove · 67 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 63 days to Oct 26Down 44% in 30 days

What are Shane Smith's films like?

Across their 38 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Society.

Genres

Documentary5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 81st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Biography3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 80th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 65th percentile
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
37%
Society
20%
Power
15%
Survival
11%
Bonds
8%
Ideas
7%
Morality
3%
Identity17 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity17 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition8 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose7 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival5 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt5 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 13 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 1 · Serious 4 · Dark 8

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 8 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 3 · Charged 3 · Intense 7

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 7 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 4

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 9 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 8 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 3 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 1

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 4 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 8

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 6 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Contemplative
25
Tense
13
Warm
12
Joyful
10
Hopeful
13
Other
29

How their films linger

Thought-provoking21 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet12
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous18
  • Cyclical4

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Shane Smith's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 20 of their 38 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (13).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Shane Smith's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

67 credits, 38 with a MovieCove page; 9 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Shane Smith Has Questions (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Show 3 episodes · as Host

  • The Report(2019)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Voicemail (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Associate Producer

  • The Beach Bum(2019)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Goldie(2019)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Lords of Chaos(2018)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Crystal Swan(2018)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Hollywood Love Story(2018)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Mister Tachyon(2018)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • My House(2018)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all shows

  • Panic: The Untold Story of the 2008 Financial Crisis(2018)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Post Radical(2018)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Slutever(2018)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all shows

  • Drugs, Skate & Violence: Filmmaker Harmony Korine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Executive Producer

  • Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond(2017)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • SHOT! The Psycho-Spiritual Mantra of Rock(2016)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Bad Batch(2016)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Shelter(2016)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Third Industrial Revolution (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Executive Producer

  • Outsider (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Show 4 episodes · Executive Producer

  • Funny How?(2017)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Jungletown(2017)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all shows

  • Most Expensivest(2017)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all shows

  • Nuts & Bolts(2017)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows

  • Rise(2017)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Tattoo Age(2017)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Last Shot(2017)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Trixie & Katya Show(2017)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • VICE Special Report: A House Divided (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Director · Writer · as Self - Correspondent

  • Author: The JT LeRoy Story(2016)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Black Market with Michael K. Williams(2016)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • Bong Appétit(2016)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • Dead Set on Life(2016)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all shows

  • Fuck, That's Delicious(2016)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • Gaycation(2016)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all shows

  • Nirvanna the Band the Show(2016)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • States of Undress(2016)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Woman with Gloria Steinem(2016)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Crack Climbs and Land Mines, Alex Honnold in Angola (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Executive Producer

  • VICE Special Report: Countdown to Zero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Director · as Self - Host

  • LARPing Saved My Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Executive Producer

  • VICE Special Report: Fixing the System (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Director · as Self

  • eSports: The Celebrity Millionaires of Competitive Gaming (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Executive Producer

  • NOLA: Life, Death and Heavy Blues from the Bayou (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Show 7 episodes · Executive Producer

  • Fishing Without Nets(2014)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • All This Mayhem (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Executive Producer

  • The Police vs Grime Music - A Noisey Film (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Executive Producer

  • Saving South Sudan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Executive Producer

  • The Hermit Kingdom: Basketball Diplomacy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Executive Producer · as Self

  • Last Chance High(2014)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Basketball Diplomacy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Director · Producer

  • Lil Bub & Friendz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Executive Producer

  • Vice(2013)

    Show 11 episodes · Director · Creator · Executive Producer · Writer · as Self - Correspondent

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • Huang's World(2013)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • Bride Kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Executive Producer

  • Beautiful Liverpool (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Executive Producer

  • North Korean Film Madness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Actor

  • Epicly Later'd(2011)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Tokoloshe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Executive Producer

  • Swansea Love Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Executive Producer

  • Hamilton's Pharmacopeia: The Sapo Diaries (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Associate Producer

  • White Lightnin'(2009)

    Co-Producer · Original Story · Writer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The VICE Guide to North Korea (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Producer · Writer · as Himself

  • Heavy Metal in Baghdad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Executive Producer

  • Inside Sudan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Director · Producer · as Himself

  • The Vice Guide to Travel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Show 4 episodes · Actor

  • Light Up Gold Road Trip (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Executive Producer

Career shape

A full career of 40 titles, 39 of them dated from 2007 to 2024.

Biggest box office

The Beach Bum (2019)

$4.6M worldwide

Highest rated

Nirvanna the Band the Show (2016)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

Vice (2013)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting3 of 40: 3 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting5 of 40: 2 only directing, 3 with another roleWriting3 of 40: 0 only writing, 3 with another roleProducing34 of 40: 29 only producing, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score73rdOther crew1 of 40: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

40 titles, 6 with more than one role — producing and directing overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

2000s6 · 1 acting · 5 crew2010s32 · 1 acting · 31 crew2020s1 · acting

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Shane Smith's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 73rd percentile, the median of all 13; across their 13 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 71st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

71stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Approval · how many liked their films

75thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Reach · how many have seen their films

67thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Midcredits score across 38 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up18
  • 50th to 74th9
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th6

Shape of the crowd

13 of their 38 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Divisive4
  • Cult Classic4
  • Crowd Pleaser12
  • Mixed13

Most divisive · producer

Woman with Gloria Steinem (2016)

98th percentile spread · 43% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

Epicly Later'd (2011)

Midcredits 98th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 70/100 and the pacing 48/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Shane Smith's work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity and alcohol & drugs run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore5 titles36–92 · median 87 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles33–75 · median 49 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity5 titles58–89 · median 70 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs5 titles17–80 · median 59 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 73 · intenseMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Shane Smith work with?

People who share at least 2 of Shane Smith's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Eddy Moretti shares the most, 33.

Directors

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles