Don Levy

Don Levy has been at the forefront of the entertainment industry’s digital transformation, developing “the intersection of entertainment and technology” throughout his career and at Sony Pictures Entertainment (Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Digital) from 1995-2012. He founded Smith Brook Farm in 2012 as a creative consultancy to help businesses and individuals grow.

During his tenure at SPE, he was a key member of Sony Pictures Digital’s senior executive team, involved in the management, marketing, communications, public relations, organizational development and digital policy functions of his division and the company. He was instrumental in the growth of SPE’s visual effects, animation, post-production and digital entertainment businesses. Levy originally joined Sony Pictures as the studio’s awards campaign consultant where his efforts resulted in a Best Picture nomination for Sense and Sensibility and the Academy Award for its screenplay adaptation by Emma Thompson. At Sony Pictures Imageworks and for Sony Pictures Animation, he helped earn more than a dozen Oscar nominations and Academy Awards for Best Animated Short (The ChubbChubbs) and Best Visual Effects (Spider-Man 2).

Don is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, serving on its feature animation nominating committee and recently chaired a working group for the Science and Technology Council. He also is a member of The Television Academy’s Interactive Peer Group.

Levy is a frequent speaker on the subjects of innovation, digital creativity, education and visual effects. His 2012 talk on the principles and evolution of visual effects at the TED Conference in Long Beach, CA was posted on TED.com in January 2013. He added to his TED library with a 2014 talk at TEDxAthens and TEDxAlbuquerque . He is active in local education issues and organizes TEDxConejo in association with the Conejo Valley (Thousand Oaks, Ca) Unified School District.

Levy is on the faculty of Boston University’s L.A. Program, where he teaches Entertainment Marketing. He holds a visiting scholar post at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, exploring collaborative production models, and he is a consultant to USC’s Entertainment Technology Center. He is an advisor to Cosmic Forces, a content start-up specializing in animation and mobile applications, Zerply, a platform that matches creative talent and productions in games, visual effects and animation, Broomstick Productions, Little Wing World and serves on the board of advisors for BLUE, the Ocean Film Festival and Conference, a leading forum for filmmakers, researchers and individuals actively engaged in the study and protection of the oceans.

Levy attended New York University, received his B.A. from the University of Denver and earned certificates from UCLA’s Anderson School of Business.