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In this episode, we sit down with Anthony Smith — trailer editor for Diary of a CEO, the fastest-growing podcast on the planet. Anthony pulls back the curtain on the craft behind DOAC's cinematic trailers: the 15-point checklist every cut must pass, the psychological research guiding every second of the edit, and the "Three Hats" framework every creator needs to master. He also opens up about hiding his love of drama as a kid to avoid getting bullied, the stage fright that ended his acting career at 17, burning out so bad he almost became a train driver, and how a LinkedIn job posting on New Year's Eve changed everything.
💬 What We Cover:
• Growing up as the second son performing for attention — ballet, drama, and living a double life
• The stage fright at 16 that made him walk off and never go back
• How Star Wars and LOTR behind-the-scenes featurettes led him to film
• Why nobody is born talented — the Ed Sheeran example
• Joining DOAC at 250K subscribers (now 15M+)
• Being told creative work was a "Mickey Mouse" pursuit — and getting called a soul-seller
• The Tim Grover trailer that set the standard — and the pressure to top it every time
• Why chasing virality is an addiction and a "disease"
• The 15-point trailer checklist and the "Moment of Value" philosophy
• The "Jenny" avatar method used to crack the Kevin Hart trailer
• Second-by-second emotional research and how DOAC plans around it
• Evolutionary psychology, true crime engagement, and genre conventions in editing
• Hitting burnout and panic attacks — and seriously considering becoming a train driver
• The cancer patient who watches DOAC trailers during his lowest moments
• How AI fits in as a tool, not a threat — voiceovers, B-roll, costume changes
• The 1% standard: why 99%-ready doesn't make the cut
• Building A-players: Liv, Cam, and "little Dom"
• The Three Hats: Top Hat (storytelling), Marketing Hat, and Data Hat
• Final advice: become a student, find your voice, focus on the bottom of the iceberg
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Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro & Welcome
00:31 – Childhood: The Second Son & the Need to Entertain
03:11 – Quitting the Stage at 16
04:37 – Discovering Film Through Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes
06:16 – Talent vs. Obsession: Nobody Is Born with It
09:19 – Joining Diary of a CEO at 250K Subscribers
10:57 – Why the Core of Storytelling Has Never Changed
14:29 – Storytelling as the Language of Humanity
16:29 – Impostor Syndrome & Being Told Creativity Doesn't Count
20:00 – "You're Selling Your Soul to the Devil"
22:11 – The Tim Grover Trailer & the Pressure to Top It
24:12 – How Steve Bartlett Was the First to Credit His Work
26:16 – Building a Different Kind of Show
27:26 – Landing the Diary of a CEO Job
30:06 – Why Virality Is a Disease
32:05 – Why DOAC Trailers Aren't Made to Go Viral
34:30 – Testing Culture Interest, Not Trends
36:16 – The Iceberg Analogy
39:59 – Advice for New Creators: Post Without Attachment
42:10 – Steal from Many, Not One: Tony Bennett's Advice to Bublé
44:53 – Care Trumps Talent
47:14 – Burnout, Panic Attacks & Almost Becoming a Train Driver
48:59 – Meeting Helena
52:24 – The Spider-Man Trip That Showed Him He Was Enough
55:17 – From LinkedIn Job Posting to Diary of a CEO
58:16 – The 15-Point Trailer Checklist
59:51 – The Kevin Hart Trailer & the "Jenny" Avatar Method
01:02:47 – The Moment of Value Philosophy
01:03:35 – Empty Views vs. Real Community
01:07:26 – Emotional Data & Shrinking Attention Spans
01:11:15 – Evolutionary Psychology in Editing
01:14:16 – Steve Bartlett Behind the Scenes
01:16:17 – Inside the DOAC Team Structure
01:20:14 – The Scrappy Reality of Production
01:23:24 – Building the Trailer Team
01:28:03 – Why Finding Great Editors Is So Hard
01:31:16 – What Makes an A-Player
01:33:46 – The Art of Text & Justification
01:37:04 – Genre-Flipping for Impact
01:39:45 – Full Creative Control from Steve
01:41:20 – The 1% Standard
01:46:01 – Leading Through Purpose, Not Incentives
01:49:33 – The Cancer Patient's Message
01:51:08 – The Hat From a Stranger
01:52:38 – How AI Fits Into DOAC's Workflow
01:55:24 – AI for Intro Cards
01:59:57 – AI for Cinematic B-Roll
02:02:24 – The Future of Editing & AI
02:04:31 – The Steve-O Trailer & the 1% Principle
02:07:37 – Rapid-Fire Round
02:19:34 – His Mother's Love of Film
02:22:20 – Family, Support & Staying Humble
02:25:23 – The Three Hats Framework
02:29:20 – Tech Stack & Tools
02:30:45 – Legacy: What He Hopes People Remember
02:32:15 – Final Advice to Dreamers
02:34:13 – Closing & Where to Find Anthony