About

Vanessa is an Emmy-nominated producer, photographer, and creative director based in Los Angeles. A versatile creative who wears many hats with and without a camera, she brings storytelling to life across multiple disciplines. Alongside her husband, renowned Artivist Nikkolas Smith, she serves as his business partner and creative director, collaborating with clients such as Disney, Target, Marvel, the United Nations, and the American Red Cross. She also provides marketing and branding consultations that empower artists to become creatively and financially responsible business owners. As a director, she also coaches artists for speaking engagements, helping them feel confident and authentic on stage and in front of the camera.

With extensive experience in documentary filmmaking, Vanessa has dedicated her career to stories at the intersection of social change and artivism. Her 2012 feature-length documentary, Get Together Girls, produced by Italian rockstar Vasco Rossi, screened at more than 20 film festivals worldwide. In 2016, she was nominated for an Emmy for her work on the all-female produced documentary The Empowerment Project.

Vanessa's lens has captured stories across Italy, the United States, and Africa. Her photography has been featured in National Geographic, the LA Times, TIME Magazine, and People Magazine. Her work spans film, commercial, and music video productions, as well as television segments for Italian national broadcaster RAI during the Oscars, Emmys, and Golden Globes.

Deeply connected to the documentary community, Vanessa has served for many years on the selection committee for the Social Impact Media Awards (SIMA) and was part of the jury for the Busan Short Film Festival in 2024. She holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Entertainment Studies from UCLA, with a focus on documentary producing, and a degree in Film from the University of Bologna. During her time there, she was awarded with a scholarship for one year as an exchange student at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In 2014, she was named a PrimiDieci Under 40 honoree, celebrating distinguished Italian professionals in the U.S.