JD Smyth is a visionary leader in his mind and his pants. He hasn’t really reimagined anything of late, except perhaps the intersection of global affairs, the economy, and an impending mid-life crisis. 

As editor and partner at Final Cut he has at times driven growth, but little else, unsurprising as he didn’t get a driving license until his 40s. He is known for taking breaking opportunities and breaking them; pioneering unnecessarily complex solutions. 

With over 20 years of experience pushing the boundaries of poor taste and ineptitude, his strategic vision is a little blurry without the requisite eyewear. If he has had any enduring impact, it remains to be seen - we’ll have to wait for a pithy bon mot on his headstone.

Directors who have had the misfortune to work with him include Johnny Hardstaff, Errol Morris, Patrick Daughters, Jake Scott, Darren Aronofsky, Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu, Sophie Muller, Jake Nava, David Fincher, Tony Kaye, Ron Howard, Paul Hunter, as well as others who are probably relieved not to be mentioned here.

His work has been recognised with Emmys, Lions, Pencils, Webby’s, the AICPs and AICE, further fueling his persistent imposter syndrome.

When not immersed in typically British self-deprecation, he likes to believe that true magic exists in the act of creation and that, to quote John Berger:

“Hope is a contraband, passed from hand to hand and story to story.”