Conditions on Access
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Conditions on Use and Reproduction
Preferred Citation
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Processing Information
UCLA Catalog Record ID
Biography/History
Scope and Content
Organization and Arrangement
Related Material
Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Title: Nick Smirnoff papers
Creator:
Smirnoff, Nick
Identifier/Call Number: LSC.2247
Physical Description:
16.4 Linear Feet
(30 boxes, 3 record cartons, 1 shoe box, 3 flat boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1970-2009
Abstract: Nick Smirnoff was a production manager, assistant director, producer and photographer who has worked primarily between the
1970's-2000's in Los Angeles. His work includes numerous projects in the television industry, in addition to motion pictures
and commercials. His most notable projects include
Felicity,
The Toolbox Murders, and
Miami Vice. The collection is comprised of production and industry materials such as scripts, production reports, crew and cast contact
lists, and publications containing industry guidelines and procedures.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
Conditions on Access
Open for research. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located
on this page.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
CONTAINS DIGITAL MATERIALS: This collection contains processed digital materials. All requests to access digital materials
must be made in advance using the request button located on this page.
Conditions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the objects belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. All other rights, including copyright, are retained
by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue
the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Nick Smirnoff Papers (Collection 2247). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research
Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Gift, 2016. Donated by Nick and Catherine Smirnoff.
Processing Information
Collections are processed to a variety of levels depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived user
interest and research value, availability of staff and resources, and competing priorities. Library Special Collections provides
a standard level of preservation and access for all collections and, when time and resources permit, conducts more intensive
processing. These materials have been arranged and described according to national and local standards and best practices.
We are committed to providing ethical, inclusive, and anti-racist description of the materials we steward, and to remediating
existing description of our materials that contains language
that may be offensive or cause harm. We invite you to submit feedback about how our collections are described, and how they
could be described more accurately, by filling out the form
located on our website:
Report Potentially Offensive Description in Library Special
Collections.
UCLA Catalog Record ID
Biography/History
Nick R. Smirnoff was a production manager, producer and assistant director who has worked primarily in the television industry.
Smirnoff was born in Santa Cruz, California in 1944 and was raised in the San Fernando Valley. He entered the film industry
working as a gofer by way of his brother, David Smirnoff, who was a cameraman for FilmFair productions. Smirnoff earned an
AA in theater arts and film from Valley College before serving three tours in Vietnam as a photographer in the Marines. Upon
his return, Smirnoff went on to be a union craftsperson for FilmFair, working his way up to assistant director. From 1982-2009
Smirnoff worked as a Production Manager on projects such as
T.J. Hooker, Coach, and
Reasonable Doubts. Smirnoff has also worked as an assistant director on projects such as
Miami Vice, Vega$, and
ChiPS. From 1994-2000 Smirnoff was a co-producer on the television shows
Felicity, and
Silk Stalkings. Smirnoff has also worked as a still photographer, and exhibits his personal photographic work. He currently has a website,
www.glasseyephotos.net , in which he displays his fine art, photojournalism and commercial work. Smirnoff retired in 2009 and currently lives with
his wife Catherine in Tehachapi, California. His son, Chris Smirnoff, is an Emmy-award winning producer for the television
show
Modern Family.
Scope and Content
Containing materials between the 1970's and 2000's, this collection is comprised of production and industry materials, as
well as ephemera from Nick Smirnoff's career as a production manager, assistant director, producer, location manager, and
still photographer. The collection contains material that documents the tasks involved within these roles, giving an insight
into the behind the scenes work of the film industry. Within the collection are production files from television and motion
picture works that document many phases of production such as scheduling, equipment budgets, reports, location scouting, vendor
correspondence, promotion, and crew management. This collection also contains a breadth of publications by Los Angeles based
film industry associations and unions such as the Directors Guild of America, The Screen Actors Guild, The International Cinematographers
Guild, The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, and various local unions. These publications document a span
of industry guidelines and procedures such as safety protocols, labor practices, union rules, insurance, and U.S. and international
visas.
Organization and Arrangement
This collection has been arranged in the following series:
- Series 1: Projects, 1975-2009
- Series 2: Industry Material, 1970-2009
- Series 3: Industry Ephemera, 1980-2009
Related Material
Related materials providing documentation of production manager and assistant director duties may be found in the following
collections in this repository:
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Television producers and directors -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archives.
Motion picture producers and directors -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archives.
Smirnoff, Nick -- Archives