Ed Smith

Vintage Video Game & Computer Designer

Travels From Travels From:
Orlando, FL, USA
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Ed Smith Biography

Ed Smith got the technology bug early on in life, repairing appliances for the folks in the neighborhood. Smith attended Westinghouse Technical High School for Electronics and studied Marketing and Computer Science and Pace University. After studying microprocessor technology at Fairchild while developing traffic control signals at traffic control company Marbelite, the computer bug hit Smith at the age of 21. He would read Popular Electronics, Popular Mechanics and Omni magazines to stay caught up in a whirlwind of technological change. Smith’s first home was Radio Row on Canal Street, NY and his second home was Radio Shack.

By 1976, Smith was hired by APF Electronics in New York to work on the next generation video game after the success of TV Fun - a variation of Pong. Smith’s role at APF included collaboration on hardware design, building the prototypes as well as Joystick and I/O port design for the MP1000 video game. The MP1000 competed directly with Atari, Magnavox and Coleco during the first generation of cartridge-based games. By 1978, Smith and the APF design team leveraged the processing power of the MP1000 and the I/O design by him to add a computer console unit to the MP1000, creating the Imagination Machine personal computer.

Since his time at APF, Smith has been involved in almost every area of emerging technology with stints at Apple, Novell, Infosys Technologies and Kronos, developing global technology partner relationships that generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. Smith worked with firms at the senior executive level in areas of Mainframe and Mini Computer Integration, Networking, Enterprise Application Development and Integration, Open Source Solutions, ERP, CRM, Workforce Management, Cloud Computing and Big Data amongst others.

Smith has worked with some of the top firms in the industry to deliver solutions that are seamlessly integrated. Some of the firms he has partnered with to deliver pervasive solutions to global clients include IBM, HP, Digital Equipment, Oracle, Microsoft, Infosys, Wipro, Unisys, SAP, Workday, Informatica, Tibco, Intel, Adobe, Amazon, Google and others. Smith has been engaged with over 200 software and hardware firms during his career. ​ Smith has been recognized for his early pioneering work in the video game and personal computer industry by numerous publications including Fast Company and Vintage Computing. He is listed as one of seven Black tech pioneers by PC Magazine. His book “Imagine That!” is now available on Amazon eBooks. Smith is an active speaker at corporations, high schools and universities across the country, telling his story of being a dreamer and overcoming almost impossible odds to escape the ghetto stereotypes and eventually be hired as an African American engineer in the early 1970s.

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Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 05/23/2024.

Ed Smith Speaking Topics

    • Vintage video gaming and computers
    • Early adopter of technology
    • African American in technology
    • Overcoming adversity in the tech space

Ed Smith Videos

  • Celebrating Ed Smith
  • The Imagination Machine with Ed Smith - The Retro Hour EP229 ...

Ed Smith Books

  • Imagine That!
    Imagine That!

Speaker Lists Featuring Ed Smith

FAQs on booking Ed Smith

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  • What topics does Ed Smith speak about?

    Ed Smith is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Computer Science, DEI, Diversity & Inclusion, Gaming, Innovation, Overcoming Adversity, Technology.
  • Where does Ed Smith travel from?

    Ed Smith generally travels from Orlando, FL, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.
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Ed Smith is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as. The estimated speaking fee range to book Ed Smith for your event is $10,000 - $20,000. Ed Smith generally travels from Orlando, FL, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Brenda Louise Romero, Lisette Titre-Montgomery, Howard Scott Warshaw, Dominick Evans and John Romero. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Ed Smith for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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