For NC State alumna Shequeta Smith, an interest she discovered while in college paved the path for a career.

After years of developing her skills as a screenwriter, Smith worked her way to become a top-20 finalist in HBO’s newly revived documentary filmmaking contest executively produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.

The contest, Project Greenlight, started July 24 and chronicled the trials and tribulations Smith faced as a first-time director until she was voted off in the top 10.

A native of Salisbury, North Carolina, and a 2001 NC State graduate with a degree in sociology, Smith said she always had an interest in film.

“I grew up watching [The Andy Griffith Show] and The Beverly Hillbillies with my grandma, and I like to think that my small-town upbringing gives me the advantage of being able to dream up big, fun ideas out of simple life situations,” Smith said.

Although her love of film and movies started at an early age, Smith said it wasn’t until she came to NC State when her skills flourished.

“My freshman year, when I took African-American Theatre, I wrote a play that was sort of based on my family,” Smith said. “I gave it to my English teacher to read, and she said I should really consider screenwriting. I thought, ‘I didn’t even know what screenwriting is,’ so I didn’t really take it that seriously.”

Not long after, Smith began interning with Def Jam Recordings during her sophomore year, and continued to do so through graduation. Smith was Def Jam’s campus rep, which required her to assist the executives when they came into town, attend luncheons and radio station interviews and set up listening parties on and around campus.

Smith said doing this kind of work sparked curiosity among her friends, who were asking her about what it was like to meet celebrities.

“I thought, ‘Well, maybe I should start documenting this and writing articles,” Smith said. “That’s when I started writing for Nubian Message.”

After several years of college journalism and honing her writing skills, Smith said another major event took place her senior year when she ran into her roommate from freshman year, who said she wanted to start writing for TV.  

Interested, Smith began helping her friend get her career started. During this time, Smith was inspired to write her own TV script, which she then sent in to Disney. Nothing happened with the script, but Smith didn’t stop there.

“I started looking at writing feature-length screenplays and looking for an organization,” Smith said.

After writing Drama, her first feature-length screenplay, Smith was a little taken aback when it became a finalist for the Screenwriter’s Lab at the Sundance Institute. Smith said this is when she “started taking it seriously.”

Smith said she spent two years out of college working with the North Carolina screenwriter’s group before moving to Los Angeles, where she committed to writing for television and feature films.

Since then, Smith has worked on shows such as The CW’s Everybody Hates Chris and VH1’s Flavor of Love. Smith has also participated in writing programs at the University of California at Los Angeles and University of Southern California, and her short films have been selected for multiple film festivals.

For Project Greenlight, Smith entered her film titled The Gestapo vs. Granny, which tells the story of Agnes Monroe, a mischievous senior citizen who has been kicked out of 18 retirement homes and arrested nine times. Once sent off to Shady Oaks, she must deal with the resident dictator nicknamed “The Gestapo.”

“Desperate for freedom, the residents of Shady Oaks beg Agnes to lead them to their very own revolution, but The Gestapo is a force to be reckoned with, even for a pistol like Agnes,” Smith said.

Although she dabbles in several genres, she feels comedy is her strong point, Smith said.

“I like writing comedies because I’ve always felt that movies were a time to get out of your own head and your own life,” Smith said.

And although Smith said it has been a thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding experience for her to be part of this contest, she said it certainly came with its challenges.

“The most challenging aspect of all this is probably just keeping the pace,” Smith said. “You can write as much as you want and be really good, but if an agent doesn’t want to look at you, it’s really hard to get the kind of attention you want.”

Tom Wallis, a professor in the NC State film department, also said people’s misconceptions about making it in the industry can make them reluctant about pursuing careers in film.

“Earning a living in film doesn’t mean having to be the next big director; usually it means doing editing for a company, or helping design costumes, scout locations, work on marketing campaigns, shooting video for local companies … that sort of thing,” Wallis said. “Those jobs are plentiful.”

When asked about advice she has for aspiring writers and filmmakers, Smith said it’s important to start while still in college.

“I would tell them to start writing now,” Smith said. “If you have a camera on an iPhone, you can go shoot something. They can be making films now and getting better and better.”