Get to know us

The seeds of motivation... 'to make the world a little brighter, by seeing from a divine point of view.'

/'im,pak(t) - Having a strong effect on something, or someone.

M-pACT Pictures is a sole proprietorship, founded by Maurice Smith-Ziegler, located in Ormond Beach, Florida. Although the business is new, our experience spans decades. This business is built on the foundation of a Bachelor of Fine Art degree (with a concentration in film), obtained from a University in California. I began my formal training in an era when photography was synonymous with film. A roll of 36 exposures would cost $15, and it could take days before you would see your finished pictures, unless you spent hours in a darkroom, bringing the magic to life. Fast forward to today. Now we take thousands of pictures, for next to nothing in comparison, with immediate gratification, but let me tell you what happened along the way?

I started my first production company, Spectrum Film and Video, in Atlanta, Ga. The company was a success. My commitment to hard work, and reliability led my peers to elect me as the president of The Atlanta Producer's Association. The atmosphere was electric. Atlanta, the proud host of the 1996 Olympic Games, was buzzing with energy. The WWE's popularity had just exploded, cable TV channels like CNN, TBS, HGTV, the Cartoon Network were on the rise, and the city's status as a hub for the majority of Fortune 500 companies spurred a boom in corporate and training video production. It was the convergence of monumental events, and I was in the middle of it all. Starting my career in Atlanta was truly amazing, but I needed to try something in a different direction.

The next stage was a foray into acting. I headed north and worked for two seasons as a regular on Dawson's Creek, produced at Screen gems Studios, in Wilmington, NC. I attended auditions and worked on productions throughout the southeast. Some of the movies included, The Memoirs of Sally Hemmings, The Sisterhood of Traveling Pants, The Muppets from Space, The Black Knight, Summer Catch, 28 Days, Domestic Disturbance, One Tree Hill, et al. The pinnacle of my acting career was achieved as a stuntperson on The Patriot, with Mel Gibson. I was truly living the movie life. For seven months straight we shot from sunrise to sunset. Every day started with wardrobe, hair, makeup and props. After twelve hours of shooting we relaxed around a campfire, slept and started all over again at three am sharp. From the pastures of Cowpens, to wrap in the city of Charleston, I had earned the elusive eligibility into the Screen Actors Guild for my dedication. This phase in life was elevated with annual visits to Park City, Utah, as a volunteer at the Sundance Film Festival. Sundance was an incredible opportunity to learn about film distribution, how movies are shopped and sold, all while rubbing elbows with Hollywood's elite. These years were a lot of fun and I had some amazing experiences, but it began to feel like all the hard work was funding an expensive hobby. Everything I earned went to travel and surviving the down time.

I decided to return behind the camera and that is what brought me to Florida. Falling back on my experience as a producer, I was offered a position with the Golf Channel, based in Orlando. It was at this point I was making plans in life and realized God was laughing. I had been experiencing headaches and nosebleeds for about six months. Finally, one Saturday afternoon I decided to go to the emergency room and the direction of my life slammed in reverse. I was immediately rushed into surgery with a brain bleed. Life gets kind of foggy after that. I was diagnosed with leukemia and have spent the past decade rebuilding from the ground up. My life had taken a turn that I wasn't sure I could ever come back from. I was bedridden for five years from debilitating headaches and chemotherapy. I've had more blood transfusions than I can count. At one point a nurse told me, ' I've never seen anyone, who was still living, with blood counts as low as yours.' Like they say, 'Time heals.' I taught myself, with the help of YouTube, to play guitar which helped restore my memory and retention. Years and years, of slow steady repair, have brought me to a place where I can finally see a future again.

The silver lining is that I've had ample 'me' time to learn about the digital age. We have transitioned from the costly celluloid era, which demanded a small army, massive machinery, extensive logistics, and millions of dollars, to the simplicity of a digital camera and a personal computer. It's truly amazing what we can accomplish with modern cameras, a laptop and editing software. The quality of the images and the sophistication of the effects are truly amazing. The process is a little less art and little more computer engineering, but the fusion of these two worlds has created something truly unique and special to offer you. You benefit from our analogue roots that have branched out on the vine into the digital future. M-pACT Pictures offers a deep understanding of the art and its modern application today. We are constantly evolving because your trust and confidence in M-pAct Pictures is not taken lightly. You deserve the peace of mind associated with a company that has survived the test of time and delivers the knowledge and experience, that spans the entire history of photography.

Take a minute to connect with us and let's see how our visions align.

Connect

Our mission

We're on a mission to create connections that will be forged in time. Whether its desire, for your product or service, or love for one another, M-pact Pictures is determined to make your impression memorable.