About Princella D. Smith

Princella is an *Emmy-nominated director and award-winning screenwriter. She formerly served as a political strategist in Washington, DC for a number of government officials as well as a media commentator on various national news outlets. In 2016, Princella shifted her focus from politics to impacting culture through the arts by developing projects that unite Americans.

She is the writer and director of “Walk In The Light,” an animated short film about a blind hero of the Oklahoma City Bombing. The film is currently in circulation at film festivals and received financial support from the Arts & Business Council of Nashville, Arts Equity of Nashville, and Metro Arts Nashville.

Princella is the creator and co-author of the Beauty for Ashes Book Series about survivors and first responders of the Oklahoma City Bombing. Princella also penned an award-winning full feature script about the event by the same name, and the project is currently in development. In 2019, she wrote, produced, and directed an Oklahoma City Bombing- themed Public Service Announcement (PSA) titled “The World Watched” on behalf of Survive First, an organization promoting PTSD treatment in first responders. *The PSA garnered a 2020 Boston / New England Regional Emmy nomination and a Communicator Award of Distinction from the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts.

Princella graduated with a political science degree from Ouachita Baptist University and studied counter-terrorism and cybersecurity at Reichman University in Israel. She resides in Nashville, TN and is a member of the Entertainment Committee for the Tennessee Performing Arts Center.