Jana Naomi Smith (she/her) is a Gary, Indiana-bred, interdisciplinary writer, filmmaker, and cultural worker. She is the writer/director behind the Tribeca Film Festival award-winning audio drama, Red for Revolution, a six-part series exploring love and liberation starring Jordan Hull, S. Epatha Merkerson, Loretta Devine, Rutina Wesley, Renée Wilson, Danny Glover, Jennifer Beals, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Caro Guzmán, Vanessa E. Williams, Alimi Ballard, and many more amazing talent.

Previously, Jana wrote the podcast Built to Last for American Express, hosted by Elaine Welteroth and featuring Issa Rae and Kimberly Drew. Additionally, she is the creator of the meditation series Relax, Relate, Release featuring insights from Dr. Maya Angelou, Ruby Dee, Dr. Angela Davis, and others. Jana is the author of the Essence Magazine essay “What Would I Say To My Daughter If She Is Assaulted?” In 2024, she launched Relatively Conscious, a virtual multimedia space inspired by the wise words of James Baldwin that offers community gatherings and craft workshops.

Throughout her career, Jana has worked for the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, Random Acts of Flyness, 911-Lone Star, CBS, American Documentary, and POV Film.  She is a recipient of the Ida B. Wells Disrupting the Master Narrative Award for her short film, Baptême, and has been a finalist for the Lena Waithe & Eva Longoria MACRO Episodic Story Lab, and Mike Gauyo's Black Boy & Black Girl Writes Program.

Jana is an alum of Ryan Murphy’s “Half Initiative” and holds a BA from Sarah Lawrence College where she developed an interest in the intersection of Black womanhood, erased histories, and intergenerational healing.