 Shadow Play Entertainment is pleased to announce that Robert Smith has joined its growing family. (Thurs. March 4, 2010) As Don't Ask, Don't Tell continues to dominate the political landscape, what is still missing from the debate are the stories from the soldiers affected by it. Ask and Tell is intended to be a step towards filling the coverage gap, specifically as it pertains to the black community, who are rarely represented in military coverage and woefully underrepresented in the Don't Ask, Don't Tell conversation. In Ask and Tell, Rob Smith talks candidly about joining the Army at 17, discovering his sexual orientation, deploying to Kuwait and Iraq, and negotiating his identity as a Black, gay man under the backdrop of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell rule. By talking about his experiences, Rob hopes to make this hot-button political issue personal in the minds of his audiences, inspiring and motivating them to take action towards repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell by applying pressure to their local congressional leaders. Shadow Play Entertainment's lead publicist Cyrus Webb first interviewed Smith on his radio show during Season One of VH1's I WANT TO WORK FOR DIDDY. He recently had him back on Conversations LIVE! to discuss President Obama's handling of Don't Ask Don't Tell and why he felt as though his story needed to be told. Ask and Tell will be launching in mid-April 2010 at selected universities and pride events with a full roster of dates/locations to be announced shortly. To bring Ask and Tell to your university or pride event, or to schedule an interview with Robert Smith or any of the other clients of Shadow Play, contact Cyrus Webb at cawebb4@juno.com / 601.896.5616. |
| Rob Smith Biography Rob Smith rose to national attention in August of 2008 when he was one of 13 people selected from over 25,000 applicants to appear on Season 1 of VH1's I Want to Work for Diddy, becoming the first gay Iraq war veteran in the history of the VH1 network and instantly becoming the face of the issue for the younger generation. Having joined the United States Army at the age of 17, Rob Smith served for 4 ½ years as an Infantryman including deployments to Kuwait and Iraq before being honorably discharged, earning the Army Commendation Medal as well as the Combat Infantryman Badge in the process. Smith chose not to re-enlist due to the added pressure of living under the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. A graduate of Syracuse University with a degree in Communications and Sociology, he has since been a featured writer for the LOGO Television Network's AfterElton.com, and published work in USA Today. Currently, he is the resident lifestyle columnist for Swerv, the newest national magazine targeted to the African-American LGBT community, writing about dating, politics, and life as a 20-something gay male in New York City. Rob has recently published well-received articles about his experiences serving in the U.S. Army under Don't Ask, Don't Tell at The Huffington Post, which have been discussed everywhere from Americablog to MSNBC.com's The Grio. Rob is also currently featured in the Faces of Don't Ask, Don't Tell project, an ongoing initiative by Servicemembers United to help put a human face on the issue. In addition, Rob is working on a memoir detailing the years he spent serving in the military as a gay soldier under the DADT rule and his deployments to Kuwait and Iraq. Find out more information about Rob and his work at www.robsmithonline.com. He can also be reached at www.twitter.com/robsmithonline. |
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