He grew up in a blue-collar, ranching town in the American South where he spent his summers working as a cowboy, a ranch-hand, roofer, construction worker, lighting technician, and a landscaper. His high school acting teacher helped develop his love and appreciation for acting, theatre, and storytelling in general. After high school, he went on to graduate from The United States Air Force Academy. He continued to act in professional theatre throughout his time in uniform. He also found time to study acting with the faculty of the National Theatre Conservatory. After the military, Brian moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as an actor, writer, and director.Brian Smolensky has won wards for his acting, his directing, and his writing. This first feature, The Gadarene Swine, won Best Feature Film at the Queens World Film Festival in 2011. His screenplays have been shortlisted for both The Academy Awards Nicholl Fellowship and The PAGE International Screenwriting Competition. His script for the feature film Searching for Fortune won Best Screenplay at the 2017 Queens World Film Festival where Brian also won recognition for his acting work in that film.He lives in Los Angeles where he has been hired as a script-doctor on numerous projects but travels often for acting work and writing research. In his spare time, Brian likes to build things with his bare hands and read. Show less «