Daniel Smith Coleman

Daniel has been working in the industry since he was a child. His parents owned and operated a non-profit repertory theater on Santa Monica Blvd. in a theatrical community known as "Theater Row" in Hollywood. The Coleman & Smith Artistic Company, or COLSAC for short, is where Daniel developed as a young artist. At the age of 9, he began his career as a stage actor in Thorton Wilder's Our Town as Joe Crowell, Jr. Daniel loved acting, but always took a greater interest in the technical aspects of storytelling. He began to work more as a stage hand and eventually moved up to lights/sound operator and eventually stage manager. Daniel stage managed over 50 different theatrical productions from original one acts to classics like August Wilson's Fences and Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist. From there, Daniel began to learn the craft of graphic and web design, creating countless programs and posters of COLSAC's productions. At the age of 16, Daniel directed his first play, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown and began to fill the shoes of his parents, Lamont A. Coleman & Rosemarie Smith-Coleman. Daniel solidified his theatrical training while studying Theater Arts at Chabot College in Hayward, CA. There, he received Dov Hassan's Golden Hammer Award for his excellence in technical theater. Shortly thereafter, Daniel's passion in film production emerged. Daniel dabbled as an extra for a couple years, using his acting talents to gain first-hand experience of the film industry. Soon after, he discovered his love for cinematography. Daniel was given his first opportunity to explore his talents in cinematography in 2008 as a camera operator on full length feature, In the Closet, under production company, Biblical Films. With the camera in his hand, Daniel began to experiment with techniques he learned from his favorite movies and television shows. Almost instantly, his passion was revealed. Daniel's first big gig came later that year when he was given the opportunity to shoot behind-the-scenes for WC's album release party, filming the likes of Ice Cube, WC, Power106's Big Boy, and other prominent members of the Hip-Hop community at Capital Records in Hollywood. The rest is history. Today, Daniel is a working professional in the independent film market. His work has received awards from various film festivals across America, premiered at AMC and distributed internationally. He opened a production company in 2014 called Naptime Video; a collective of artists who conceptualize and craft video. Daniel attributes his capacity for making stunning works of art to his theatrical training as a child.