# Marc Smerling > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Marc_Smerling > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Marc_Smerling.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Smerling > Source revision: 1334981755 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) American film producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and director **Marc Smerling** is an American film producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and director.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] He was nominated for an Oscar for *[Capturing the Friedmans](/source/Capturing_the_Friedmans)* in 2003, and co-wrote and produced *[The Jinx](/source/The_Jinx_(miniseries))*, a six-part [HBO](/source/HBO) documentary on suspected murderer [Robert Durst](/source/Robert_Durst).[1] He directed the [FX](/source/FX_(TV_channel)) docuseries *[A Wilderness of Error](/source/A_Wilderness_of_Error_(TV_series))* based on the [book of the same name](/source/A_Wilderness_of_Error).[2] ## Education Smerling attended [S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications](/source/S._I._Newhouse_School_of_Public_Communications) at [Syracuse University](/source/Syracuse_University) and has earned a Master of Arts degree in film production from [University of Southern California](/source/University_of_Southern_California).[3] ## Career Early in his career, Smerling was the associate producer of NBC's *Gangs, Cops and Drugs* with [Tom Brokaw](/source/Tom_Brokaw), and *The New Hollywood*. He then founded production company Notorious Pictures, producing and directing more than a hundred television commercials and music videos.[4] Smerling partnered up with [Andrew Jarecki](/source/Andrew_Jarecki) to form their own production company Hit the Ground Running. He produced 2003's *[Capturing the Friedmans](/source/Capturing_the_Friedmans)*, which was the winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the [Sundance Film Festival](/source/Sundance_Film_Festival) and nominated for an [Academy Award](/source/Academy_Award) for Best Documentary and 2010's documentary film *[Catfish](/source/Catfish_(film))*,[5] which inspired the television series *[Catfish: The TV Show](/source/Catfish%3A_The_TV_Show)*. In 2010, Smerling produced and wrote his first narrative feature film *[All Good Things](/source/All_Good_Things_(film))*, starring [Ryan Gosling](/source/Ryan_Gosling), [Kirsten Dunst](/source/Kirsten_Dunst) and [Frank Langella](/source/Frank_Langella), about the suspected murderer and real estate scion [Robert Durst](/source/Robert_Durst). The film was the predecessor to the 2015 HBO documentary miniseries *[The Jinx](/source/The_Jinx%3A_The_Life_and_Deaths_of_Robert_Durst)*, which Smerling co-wrote and produced with [Andrew Jarecki](/source/Andrew_Jarecki) and [Zachary Stuart-Pontier](/source/Zac_Stuart-Pontier).[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] He won the 2015 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary Series and was nominated for Outstanding Cinematography for Nonfiction Programming.[6] Smerling and Stuart-Pontier co-created the podcast *[Crimetown](/source/Crimetown)*, which debuted in 2016 and quickly became the most popular U.S. podcast on [iTunes](/source/ITunes). Each season of *Crimetown* examines how [organized crime](/source/Organized_crime) shaped an American city, starting with [Providence, Rhode Island](/source/Providence%2C_Rhode_Island), in season one.[7] They also co-created *The RFK Tapes* a Crimetown Presents podcast about the [assassination of Robert F. Kennedy](/source/Assassination_of_Robert_F._Kennedy).[8] In 2022, he hosted a 15-part podcast series focused on the Mahoning Valley mafia and Congressman [Jim Traficant](/source/Jim_Traficant) called "Crooked City: Youngstown OH."[9] ## Filmography ### Film Year Title Producer Writer 2003 Capturing the Friedmans Yes No 2010 All Good Things Yes Yes 2010 Catfish Yes No ### Television Year Title Director Producer Writer Cinematographer 2013 Catfish: The TV Show No Yes No No 2015 The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst No Yes Yes Yes 2020 A Wilderness of Error Yes Yes No No ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["'The Jinx' creators cancel interviews, release statement | EW.com"](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/03/16/jinx-creators-cancel-interviews-release-statement-robert-durst-case-4). *[Entertainment Weekly](/source/Entertainment_Weekly)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20150318190609/http://www.ew.com/article/2015/03/16/jinx-creators-cancel-interviews-release-statement-robert-durst-case-4) from the original on 2015-03-18. Retrieved 2015-03-23. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** N'Duka, Amanda (2020-04-24). ["Emmy Winner, 'All Good Things' Writer-Producer Marc Smerling Launches Truth Media"](https://deadline.com/2020/04/all-good-things-marc-smerling-truth-media-1202917057/). *[Deadline](/source/Deadline_Hollywood)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200508210415/https://deadline.com/2020/04/all-good-things-marc-smerling-truth-media-1202917057/) from the original on 2020-05-08. Retrieved 2020-07-22. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Marc Smerling — KCRW"](http://www.kcrw.com/people/marc-smerling). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20150402204244/http://www.kcrw.com/people/marc-smerling) from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-23. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Who's Who — THE JINX"](http://www.thejinxhbo.com/whos-who/). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20150417102434/http://www.thejinxhbo.com/whos-who/) from the original on 2015-04-17. Retrieved 2015-06-29. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Longworth, Karina (December 1987). ["Doc or Not, Catfish Is Stranger Than Fiction"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140116085745/http://www.villagevoice.com/2010-09-15/film/doc-or-not-catfish-is-stranger-than-fiction/). The Village Voice. Archived from [the original](http://www.villagevoice.com/2010-09-15/film/doc-or-not-catfish-is-stranger-than-fiction/) on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2013. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Marc Smerling | Television Academy"](http://www.emmys.com/bios/marc-smerling). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20150929070313/http://www.emmys.com/bios/marc-smerling) from the original on 2015-09-29. Retrieved 2015-09-28. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-ringer_7-0)** Ducker, Eric (13 December 2016). ["Not-So-Divine Providence"](https://theringer.com/crimetown-podcast-marc-smerling-zac-stuart-pontier-6c5ba7a7f949). *The Ringer*. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Marc Smerling, Zac Stuart-Pontier, and the Expanding Web of Crimetown"](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/crimetown). *Interview Magazine*. 2017-03-20. Retrieved 2020-10-18. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Crooked City: Youngstown, OH on Apple Podcasts"](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crooked-city-youngstown-oh/id1633245610). 7 November 2022. ## External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Marc Smerling](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Marc_Smerling). - [Marc Smerling](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0806830/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier)) Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF WorldCat National Spain Netherlands Poland Other IdRef This article about an American film producer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. - [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:US-film-producer-stub) - [t](/source/Template_talk%3AUS-film-producer-stub) - [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:US-film-producer-stub) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Marc Smerling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Smerling) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Smerling?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.