Ron Small

Ron Small began his television career in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1980 in a most non-traditional way. Though bitten with a bug for the creative industry while a pre-med major at Tulane University in New Orleans, a carcinogenic chemical was accidentally spilled into the city's water supply and residents were warned "don't drink the water." Ron immediately "rolled up his sleeves" to develop and market jars of actual river water under the label "Authentic N'awlins Mississippi River Water" for sale in area gift shops. Fate found his face (and jar) on the Associated Press newswire resulting in front page coverage throughout the U.S. This publicity epiphany prompted a drastic career change. Beginning with commercials, (Ron eventually produced and directed (and voiced) nearly 1,000 local, regional and national spots) his career transitioned into longer-form programming of documentaries and entertainment specials, including two critically-acclaimed pilots: America's Bargain Variety Show, and Not For Broadcast sponsored by Barq's Root Beer and both produced, co-written and co-hosted by Ron. In 1983, Ron opened the Faux Pas Comedy Club in New Orleans as a showcase for rising talent to appear in a locally-produced series for cable television. One of the early stars of the club was a then unknown Ellen DeGeneres. In 1984, Los Angeles beckoned and it was there that Ron honed his knowledge of the domestic television and video business and began branching into low-budget film making and special interest programming in a variety of genres. After 4 years in Los Angeles, Ron was lured back to New Orleans to become the morning-drive host of all-talk radio station WSMB. During this two-year stint, he continued to produce programs for corporate clients, as well as the award-winning Official Kid's Safety Quiz for the National Safe Kids Campaign in Washington, D.C., chaired by then President Ronald Reagan. And, you may not believe it but he gave celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse "BAM!" Be sure and ask him to tell you that story...and show you the accompanying video. The radio job transitioned into co-host and segment producer/editor of Real New Orleans, a very popular and highly sarcastic weekly magazine show airing twice weekly on Tribune Broadcasting affiliate, WGNO-TV. Two years and 18 episodes later, Ron was recruited to Dallas to co-venture with an organization producing more global programming. Soon he was traveling regularly to Australia, New Zealand, Canada and across the U.S. directing and producing business and entertainment programs. Within a year, he was offered an opportunity to move to London for the same company where he opened an office servicing European clients through private satellite networks and home video distribution. Returning to the U.S., Ron moved to Orlando to capitalize on the growth in entertainment and business programming coming from that area. Nine National infomercials later (for best-selling author and financial guru Charles Givens), Ron decided to focus on entertainment and corporate video. In 1997, Ron relocated to Charleston, South Carolina (for strictly quality of life purposes) where he produced the award-winning short film, My Man Done Me Wrong, represented by the William Morris Agency in Hollywood; an award-winning children's documentary entitled This Fragile Planet (shot in the South Carolina Aquarium) for Discovery Kids Network; Tales From the Land of Gullah, a national PBS (and home entertainment distributed program); The Medals of World War II (also on PBS); and 4 National award-winning 35mm commercials for From Darkness to Light, a Charleston, SC-based organization founded by Anne Lee to create an awareness of the epidemic of sexual abuse of children. Further, this period fostered a series of long-term relationships producing proprietary multimedia, print and collateral campaigns for Cameron & Barkley, Hagemeyer North America, Medals of America, Empire Financial Group, Heritage Community Services, North Georgia College and State University, Gainesville State College, Charleston Southern University, Sealoflex Waterproofing Systems, Texas Roadhouse Restaurants, Harrison Contracting Company, J.W. Richards Brokerage and Anchor Sign, Inc. Ron stays involved with The College Options Foundation, a Tyrone, Georgia-based 501c3 founded by Terry Wilfong, to distribute the interactive program he produced and voiced entitled The Complete Guide to College Financing and Admissions, as well as The Guide to SAT Prep, and The Complete Guide to College Athletics, geared heavily toward active military and their children through the National JROTC. From 2013 to today, Ron produced and directed exercise videos; Platinum Fitness for Seniors, Stronger Longer Volume 1 and Stronger Longer Volume 2 starring Tracie Long, former celebrity fitness video trainer from The Firm series, as well as another senior-oriented training program for protecting your nest egg entitled Investing for Retirees, a series of promotional videos for Mason Preparatory School, Porter Gaud School and First Baptist School, a pilot for National television entitled Passion or Obsession - Inside the World of Extreme Collecting, the critically-acclaimed musical documentary Circle Unbroken - A Gullah Journey from Africa to America airing on PBS and featuring an introduction by Mayor of Charleston, John Tecklenburg and Mayor of Beaufort Billy Keyserling, a promotional piece for Charleston-based Engaging Creative Minds, and in March of 2017, Ron completed an auto racing documentary Ashton Harrison - The Road to 24 a one-hour program which he Produced, Directed and Co-Wrote for GB Racing and Mazda Motorsports. In October 2017, Ron Produced, Directed and Co-Wrote To Auschwitz and Back - The Joe Engel Story and was so moved by the experience he founded The Holocaust Education Film Foundation for the sole purpose of producing documentaries featuring stories from actual Holocaust Survivors. Following "...The Joe Engel Story was Surviving Birkenau - The Dr. Susan Spatz Story in 2019 and From the Holocaust to Hollywood - The Robert Clary Story in 2020. Under the banner of Integrity Broadcasting Network Ron produced Traditional Wild America; a pilot episode surrounding duck hunting in the Santee Delta of South Carolina and has recently Produced and Directed I Danced for the Angel of Death - The Dr. Edith Eva Eger Story for his Holocaust Education Film Foundation and picked up for National television broadcast through American Public Television, which premiered April 2021 on 265 stations; 86% of the PBS network. Ron was awarded an Emmy for Best Director on December 11, 2021. Through Ron's existing strategic alliances his library of documentaries and special interest programs can be found on domestic U.S. broadcast television; International television and in virtually all digital platforms, major retailers, national catalogs and print media venues throughout the world. Ron and his wife Vicki live on James Island and are the proud parents of Ella and Elizabeth, the smartest and most beautiful girls anyone could ask for. Thankfully they look like their mother.