Stacy Smith Biography

Dr. Smith has authored over 75 journal papers, book chapters, and studies on media content trends and consequences. She has earned many "top paper" honors from the International Communication Association's Instructional Developmental Division for her research. Dr. Smith's study has been covered in the popular press, including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Huffington Post, Newsweek, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Slate.com, Salon.com, The Boston Globe, and USA Today, to name a few. She also contributed an article to Maria Shriver's book, A Woman Nation Changes Everything (2009). Dr. Smith has been collaborating with a group of undergraduate and graduate students since 2005 to examine how men and women are portrayed in popular media. Over a dozen projects have been completed, evaluating gender in films (e.g., 500+ top-grossing films from 1990 to 2009, 180 Academy Award Best Picture nominations from 1977 to 2010), TV shows (e.g., 1,034 children's programs, two weeks of prime time shows), video games (e.g., 60 best-selling), and point-of-purchase advertising (e.g., jacket covers of DVDs, video games). Examining 5,839 characters, a recent research of 129 top grossing G, PG, and PG-13 films theatrically released between 2006 and 2011 indicated that fewer than 30 percent of all on screen speaking characters are females or women. On the silver screen, the male to female ratio is 2.53 to 1. Other studies found that females are still more likely than males to be stereotyped (caregivers, romantically attached, unemployed) and hypersexualized (sexy clothes, nudity, thinness). Furthermore, women are significantly less likely to be portrayed in films as having clout and authority in political (e.g., Senators, Representatives), financial (e.g., CEO, CFO, COO, GM), or legal (Supreme Court Justices) spheres. While on-screen representation is lopsided, the ratio of females working behind-the-scenes is significantly lower. Between 2002 and 2012, just 4.4 percent of top-grossing films' directors were female. This study also looked at the overall number of distinct directors after excluding those who directed more than one picture. Only 41 distinct female filmmakers emerged from the 11-year period, compared to 625 distinct male directors. This equates to a gender ratio of 15.24 male directors for every 1 female director! According to Smith et al. (2013), the autonomous realm is more gender friendly. Smith and her research team were commissioned by the Sundance Institute/Women in Film in the summer of 2012 to examine female engagement as content makers at the Sundance Film Festival between 2002 and 2012. Females have made up 16.9 percent of all directors, 20.6 percent of all writers, and 29.4 percent of all producers in US storylines over the last 11 years. These percentages are all significantly higher than those found in Smith's previous work on top grossing studio pictures or Academy Award Best Picture Nominees. The Sundance study also looked into the qualitative barriers that female directors and producers face in the independent space, with gendered financial constraints, a male-dominated environment, and work-family conflict being the three most frequently mentioned obstacles by the 51 content creators and industry thought leaders interviewed. Smith's recent research (with Rene Weber Marc Choueiti) has focused on the economic success at the box office of feature films with women on screen and behind-the-scenes, as well as interviewing over 110 content creators (i.e., directors, writers, producers, executives, etc.) about the reasons for the under representation and hypersexualization of girls and women in popular movies. Dr. Smith's study has been supported by the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, the Sundance Institute, and See Jane. Dr. Smith is currently the head of a research-driven program on Media, Diversity, and Social Change at USC Annenberg. The program conducts cutting-edge, timely, and theory-driven empirical research on various minority groups in the entertainment industry. Every year, 20-30 undergraduate and graduate students work in her lab to perform gender and race research. Educators, advocates, and activists may gain access to and apply the findings to effect long-term industry change on and behind the camera. Dr. Smith enjoys teaching as well as conducting research. She presently teaches the COMM 203 "Introduction to Mass Communication" undergraduate course at USC Annenberg. Dr. Smith has received several honors from various campus constituencies for her great teaching. She has three times received the Annenberg Students Communication Association's Outstanding Professor Award, the Greek Professor of the Semester Award, the Golden Apple Award from Kappa Alpha Theta, the Professor of the Year Award from Gamma Alpha Sigma, and was named an Honorary Member of Lambda Pi Eta. Dr. Smith won the Parents Council at USC's Outstanding Teacher and Mentor Award in 2009. Mortar Board has also tapped her at USC. Dr. Smith won the Trojan League of Southern California's 2012 Outstanding Service Award as well as Los Angeles Magazine's LA Woman distinction in 2012.

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