Musician & Stage Manger Doug Smith On Why He’s Running For U.S. Congress

For decades, Doug Smith has been working behind the scenes for some of the biggest shows in entertainment. From the Academy Awards to the Grammys, he’s done it all as a stage manager and has played on many stages as a musician with indie bands Idaho, Scenic and The Mooks, but he’s playing on a completely different stage on March 5.

Smith is one of seven candidates on the California ballot running in the primary for the U.S. House of Representatives California District 32, which is based in Los Angeles County. Unlike some of the candidates, he’s doing it without asking for donations. He doesn’t even have a campaign manager. Smith’s in the race for the same reason he got into music: he simply wants to make a difference in the world.

“The world we live in right now is very strange,” Smith tells Pollstar. “There’s a lot going on in my head right now, especially because I was a musician before I was a stage manager, and I’ve always thought us playing music, we’re trying to make the world a better place. And I guess that’s essentially what politics does also.”

Smith, one of five democrats on tomorrow’s Los Angeles ballot, is a New York native whose family moved to Los Angeles before going into high school. He quickly adopted the laid-back lifestyle of Southern California life and moved to Hollywood while attending UCLA. He stayed in Hollywood, figuratively, and got into the entertainment business as a stage manager, a title he’s held for 40 years.

Such a resume isn’t typical of a politician, but Smith feels that his skills as a television stage manager and musician are pertinent to serving as a representative. Smith has been involved in labor negotiations as a longtime member of the Directors Guild of America and the DGA council. He says he has managed to keep a calm demeanor on high-stress events such as the Olympics, Emmys and Tony Awards and has also kept egos in check throughout the process.

“I’m sure there are plenty of egos in politics as much as there are in the entertainment industry,” says Smith, who got a glimpse of politicians behind the scenes by working on Democratic conventions. “I think there is an amazing similarity between the businesses because politicians are also stage managing their own careers and campaigns in a similar vein.”

The social strife in America is what ultimately inspired Smith to join the race, and his platform slogan is, “Defund Politics.”

“The more money we take away from it, the less corruption will come of that,” says Smith. “In my opinion, by taking away money from it, we create incentive and what we get rid of as much as possible is the division and the vitriol and the combatant nature of politics right now. I don’t think we can get through this year without improving that and reaching out to our fellow Americans, regardless of political party.”

With so much divisiveness in the nation, Smith hopes to bring his calm demeanor and level-headedness into the mix to help the two parties find some common ground and regain the trust of the American people.

“I certainly hope one of our overriding priorities is getting along with each other and making us the United States again. Right now, our name is an irony is an ironic name and I think we need to make it in the United States not an irony again.

Artificial intelligence is another big concern for Smith, not only because of how it affected the strikes in the entertainment industry but socially as well.

“How do we embrace technology without losing focus of our humanity? That’s being lost right now,” Smith says. “Without limiting progress and technology’s amazing promise, we also have to bring with it the essence of our humanity. Without it, we could make a dangerous mistake.”

If elected, Smith would address artificial intelligence, climate change, women’s reproductive rights, voting rights and homelessness. He has a card on him at all times to add any other issues the citizens may have, and he asks that you check out his website to let him know if there’s something he should add to the list. That kind of flexibility, consensus building and ability to pivot is surely something he’s learned as a live industry professional.