Producing Ninjas
Arthur Smith has created the shows you love to watch

Producer Arthur Smith will be quick to tell you it’s always good to reach for what you want – no matter how difficult that reach may be. In fact, that’s the message of his new book, “Reach: Hard Lessons and Learned Truths from a Lifetime in Television.” The creator/producer of “Hell’s Kitchen” and “American Ninja Warrior,” Smith now runs his production company out of L.A. He sat down with SJ Mag’s Marianne Aleardi at Katz JCC’s Festival of Arts, Books and Culture to talk about the many times he took remarkable risks that often turned out incredibly well. And some of that reaching and risk-taking began before he even graduated college.

 Q: What made you think – when you were in your 20s – that you could do great things?
You know the expression “Ignorance is bliss”? Well, I grew up in Canada, and in my last year of university, I decided I wanted to work at CBC Sports [Canadian Broadcasting Corp.]. A gentleman who worked there had gone to my university about 25 years earlier, so I went to the CBC office, and I waited for five or six hours for this gentleman. Eventually he comes out and I say, “Can I have 10 minutes of your time?” He goes, “Who are you?” And I told him he went to my university. He tells me, “Five minutes.” I went into his office, and 90 minutes later…

During the meeting, I told him I wanted to be a producer, and he said that was a good life goal, and it would take about 5 years – and that was on the fast track. I told him 5 years wouldn’t work for me, and off I went. 

 

“Funny thing is Fox held off airing ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ for six months because they didn’t think it would work. They said, ‘Ramsay swears too much. It’s too crazy.’”

 

 Q: What happened next?
Weeks later, the head of CBC Sports called me in for a meeting. When I got there, it was with all the executive producers I looked up to. About an hour into the meeting, I started handing out these papers I had written about all they needed to change. They had to be thinking, “What is wrong with this person?” A few weeks later, they call me – I’m still in university. I had, like, two months before I was graduating – and they said they wanted to offer me a job. I said, “As what?” They said, “Producer.” And that’s how it all started.

 Q: How did you decide to start your own production company?
When I decided I wanted to start a production company, I had one year left in a five-year deal with Fox Sports. I told them what I wanted to do, and they reminded me I had a contract. I said I wasn’t going to a competitor, I just wanted my own company. They asked me to stay for six months, which is long, but I did it because I believe in leaving on good terms. At the end of the six months, they called me in, and I thought, “Oh no, they’re going to ask me to stay longer.” But they told me they wanted to order my first show. They ordered 60 episodes of a show I created called “You Gotta See This.” We went on to do 200 episodes.

 Q: What role did your potential income play in the decisions you made throughout your career?
I’ve never chased money. When I left Fox, I was married and had two young daughters. I was leaving this great job for, you know, no income in sight. I just hoped I could make half of what I was making at Fox Sports. Turns out I did a lot better. I’m just passionate about producing. That’s my lane.

Q: How did you get the idea for “Hell’s Kitchen?”
I’m out for dinner with my wife, and you know when someone’s talking to you but you don’t hear one word they’re saying… The restaurant had an open kitchen, and I’m watching what’s going on. I’m really intent, really focused. The chefs were working as a team. They were under pressure. The head chef is yelling at them like a coach, and it’s kind of like a competition. I told Fox the idea, said we would build a restaurant with a red kitchen and a blue kitchen. We would have 82 cameras. And Chef Gordon Ramsay will come from the UK for the next great American show. They said ok, and we did it. 

Funny thing is Fox held off airing “Hell’s Kitchen” for six months because they didn’t think it would work. They said, “Ramsay swears too much. It’s too crazy.” We just shot our 24th season.

 Q: So what is Gordon Ramsay like in person?
Gordon is amazing. He’s actually a lovely person, very charming. It’s just when he gets in the kitchen…

 Q: Do you consider “American Ninja Warrior” a sports show?
Ninja Warrior is a sports obstacle show and a human-interest show. There is no logical reason why an obstacle course show should be in prime time on NBC. But I always say, the more you try, the luckier you get. Ninja, for me, is such a joy, and it’s beyond the fact that we have all these great seasons. We created a sport. Ninja is being considered for the 2028 Olympics. But this is also content that makes you feel something – there is something about the celebration of the intent that the competitors are willing to put themselves out there. This obstacle course is like a metaphor for life.

 Q: How did you get Dwayne Johnson to star in “The Titan Games”?
When I started to develop The Titan Games, I wanted to make everyday people into superheroes. I had made a deal with NBC, and I made the mistake of saying, “You know who would be good for this – the Rock.” They said, “You can get the Rock?!” I had no idea, but I had set the bar and all they could think about was the Rock. I eventually met with his manager, who is his ex-wife. When you work in the entertainment ecosystem and you’re a kid from Montreal who’s living his dream, meeting all these well-known people, you continually get disappointed because some of the people aren’t how you hope they will be. Dwayne Johnson is better than what I thought. He’s a wonderful, wonderful human who appreciates everything he has.

 Q: What holds most people back from reaching for more in their careers?
I think people have a tendency to think about step after step after step, when you should only think about your next step. Big reaches are made up by little reaches.

 Q: Your advice for someone starting their career?
Get going. When I ended up in a place where I wasn’t happy, I learned from that. Every time I failed, it was just a redirect. Every time I got a job, I thought that’s where I was going to be, until I realized it was time to move on. 

 

February 2025
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