Biography

Shelley Smartly (nee Ensz) is Owner of Smartly Entertainment, which produces the comedy TV series, The Smartlys. Season 1 of The Smartlys (8 shows) premiered in late March, 2022. She is a 73-year-old arthritic widow and San Diego stand-up comedian.

For several decades she was Founder and President of an international nonprofit agency for rare forms of arthritis. Her extensive website at sclero (in 23 languages) was nominated several times for the international Tech Museum Award for Technology Benefiting Humanity. She is also the co-editor of the Voices of Scleroderma book trilogy.

At 69, she took in a inquisitive stray cat, who she dubbed Dr. Elliott Smartly. Since she had personal security issues, she adopted the stage name of Shelley Smartly when she became a stand-up comedian. Within a year, she began development of The Smartlys, originally producing a pilot in front of a live audience in a senior's complex.

This micro-budget version was created during the first Covid lock down. The script was redeveloped so that their ensemble cast could self-film with green screen, for maximum health safety. Performances were then digitally combined, using custom virtual backgrounds.

Floyd Strayer, after being cast as Preston Smartly in 2018, deservedly rose through the ranks to become Director and Producer of this version. (Please see his separate bio.)

- IMDb mini biography by: Shelley Smartly