Women of The Cre8tors - Dani Jackson Smith
DANI JACKSON SMITH: THE CRE8TORS, FOUNDER & CO-CEO
What inspired you to pursue your career in the creative industry?
I’ve always been drawn to creative thinking. As a child, I wrote poetry, performed in plays, and even made my brother participate in talent shows for our parents where we’d sing and dance. Storytelling has always been a versatile art form that I wanted to explore.
When it came to choosing a career, I split the difference. A career in the arts was terrifying to my parents, so as early as high school, I balanced my time between creative and technical business endeavors. I was consistently in the choir but also on the radio/television staff and yearbook team. These aspects of writing and performing carried into college and adulthood. Advertising became the perfect intersection, an industry where creativity and business naturally coexist.
My mother was a journalism major who wrote throughout her college years and young adulthood. I wanted to be like her. I loved reading her stories and seeing them cataloged in our family photo albums at my grandmother’s house. My creative instincts made me well-suited for production life. I found that my curiosity about creative processes and human behavior helped shape how a story could take form, whether in print, on stage, or in an ad, and I loved it.
2. Who are some women—past or present—who inspire your work?
The women in my family inspire my work—my mother, grandmothers, aunts, and cousins have all poured into me. My grandmother, Myrtle Baggett, was especially influential. Born in 1925, she completed her education in 1947 and moved to Chicago in 1949, where she built a life rooted in family, community service, and resilience. She passed away earlier this month, just shy of 100 years old, leaving behind a legacy of strength and determination.
I work from a heart-centered space and with integrity, which are essential to how we navigate our lives and careers. My grandmother took the time to care, whether hand-sewing curtains me or volunteering with the elderly. She dedicated much of her career to the Board of Education and later worked at a nursing home, always finding ways to serve others. We often got to help her with bulletin boards and creative projects. She kept busy and never let the grass grow under her feet. As a child, I could never wake up earlier than my grandmother. She was always up before the sun. All of these things I’ve carried into my own life.
She was the ultimate creative problem solver. Whether it was taking out a wall in her home in her 80s or keeping me and my energetic brother entertained as kids, she always found a way. She didn’t believe in I can’t or I’m trying. She simply did. That spirit of care, determination, and resilience is what I carry forward in my work.
3. How do you hope your work impacts or inspires other women?
I’m proud of the work that Jenny and I are doing at The Cre8tors and I hope our work keeps the doors open for women on the rise that were once opened for me. In many cases, I was not the first, and I damn sure don’t want to be the last to champion diverse stories, equitable representation, and kick-ass creativity.
Our creativity is not just a work product. It is our lives, our culture, and our ability to communicate. I hope to inspire women across the globe to take a chance on themselves, honor their voices with action, and push forward with confidence, knowing they belong in every space they choose to enter.