Donna Smith's Life as a film producer: 

Her Life as a film producer: A respected film producer, former Universal Pictures Senior Vice President and completion bond executive, Donna Smith served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Cinema Completions International.  Based in Los Angeles with offices in London and Sydney, CCI underwrote completion bonds for movies.  Smith, greenlit new business and spearheaded strategic planning, managerial insight, guided by an extensive network of relationships with Hollywood studio executives, producers, filmmakers and creative talent. 

Donna Smith taps a deep understanding of the entertainment industry, overseeing a company that guaranteed such Academy Award-winning films as THE HOURS, CROUCHING TIGER/HIDDEN DRAGON, TRAFFIC, THE ENGLISH PATIENT, THE THIN RED LINE and HERO.

Prior to CCI, Donna served as Senior Vice President of Production and Post-Production for Universal Pictures.  The first woman ever to serve as head of physical production for a major movie studio, Donna supervised every picture made at Universal from 1989-96.  More than 150 titles were released during her tenure, including SCHINDLER’S LIST, JURASSIC PARK, BABE, CASINO, 12 MONKEYS, FRIED GREEN TOMATOES, SCENT OF A WOMAN, BACKDRAFT, BACK TO THE FUTURE, BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY, WATERWORLD, CASPER and APOLLO 13.

Smith was offered the Universal Pictures position following her work as Executive Producer of the Universal film K-9, starring Jim Belushi.  Her work on the comedy represented her first project with Universal, yet immediately caught the attention of studio brass, who recognized her potential as a Senior Executive.

Following Universal, Donna served as CEO/President for the Entertainment Coalition, a management entity formed to coordinate full-service completion bond and insurance services for the entertainment industry worldwide.  Under Donna’s leadership the company insured such titles as STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE, THE NUTTY PROFESSOR, BATMAN & ROBIN, LA CONFIDENTIAL, ARMAGEDDON, LETHAL WEAPON and THE MATRIX. 

Prior to her association with Universal, Smith served as Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Entertainment Completions International, a motion picture completion bond company.  Eager to explore an area of entertainment not familiar to her, she first learned the world of international banking and completion bonds overseeing the bonding of more than 40 films.

Smith entered the world of completion bonds after having established a sterling reputation as a “highly bondable” producer.  At the beginning of her film career, Donna worked in a producing capacity on more than a dozen feature films including RAGING BULL, TRUE CONFESSIONS, SOUL MAN, RECKLESS and TERMINATOR.

More on Miss Donna Smith       In her closure of Cinema Completions she has stopped her self from doing more than a dozen projects, but with 157 film produced during her tenure at Universal and more throughout her film carrier, now she can focus on a few select projects.

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