Chris Smith(II)

Attended University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Graduate Film Program in 1995, having just completed his film American Job. Chris met Mark Borchardt while editing American Job, and began filming a documentary about the making of Mark's psychological thriller Coven. Both films played at the Sundance Film Festival, and American Movie won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary. Sony bought the picture for $1 million.

On taking American Movie (1999) to the Sundance festival: "It was our film and Blair Witch that people were talking about by midweek. At one point the film's price went up half-a-million dollars in 10 minutes. It was insane."