Mark Smeby

BRAND NEW BOOK: Losing Control: Finding Freedom by Letting Go

Mark Smeby has been an in-demand writer in the Christian music and publishing industry for nearly 25 years, honing his craft with a wide range of assignments from in-depth feature stories, co- authoring celebrity tomes, humorous essays, album reviews, book publicity materials, award show scripts, corporate speeches, liner notes, and ad copy—all the while pursuing his own dreams of being a recording artist. In addition, Smeby spent much of the same 25 years going inside a Nashville prison on a weekly basis to lead a “Life Group”—mentoring men through relationship and study, impacting his own views on justice and worthiness. As he began recording music and touring throughout

BRAND NEW BOOK: Losing Control: Finding Freedom by Letting Go

Mark Smeby has been an in-demand writer in the Christian music and publishing industry for nearly 25 years, honing his craft with a wide range of assignments from in-depth feature stories, co- authoring celebrity tomes, humorous essays, album reviews, book publicity materials, award show scripts, corporate speeches, liner notes, and ad copy—all the while pursuing his own dreams of being a recording artist. In addition, Smeby spent much of the same 25 years going inside a Nashville prison on a weekly basis to lead a “Life Group”—mentoring men through relationship and study, impacting his own views on justice and worthiness. As he began recording music and touring throughout the U.S., Smeby also nabbed co- starring appearances in two episodes of television’s hit series “Nashville,” as well as multiple roles in faith-based films.

Smeby’s creative efforts are focused on the concept of hope, communicated through his books, nine music projects, live events, social media, and his daily radio feature, the “Live Hope Minute.” This inspiring feature is currently heard in 250 markets around the U.S. and Canada and is also available as a hardcover one-year devotional and a free mobile app.

1) My version of “Mary, Did You Know” (from Christmas) was the MOST downloaded holiday song on amazon.com in 2014, 2015, and 2016.

2) I had a blast being on national television when I co-starred in an episode of ABC TV’s hit series “Nashville,” playing the booker of bands at the hip East Nashville music venue, The 5 Spot. I will appear in the first episode of Season 6 of "Nashville" now on CMT. I'm so proud to have been in "Because of Grácia" - I hope you get to see it. I also played the romantic lead in “1 Message,” an inspirational motion picture about the ravages of breast cancer, serving as a “saintly mentor” to the lead character.

3) I’ve completed nine successful years of my Hope of Christmas Tour, bringing light to the true meaning of the season across the country. This is in addition to various tours throughout the US sharing songs in concert; from New Hampshire to Washington, from Minnesota to Florida.

4) I also appeared in the Christmas-themed “The Perfect Gift” motion picture as the film’s antagonist, Blaine Pollett. The film also featured my compassionate holiday song “Emmanuel (You Are With Me)“— receiving emails of gratitude from people around the world, including South Africa, Portugal, and Egypt, to name a few. The music video for this song has also been seen on UP television network, and captured nearly 50,000 views on YouTube.

5) My signature song (if you will) “Pilgrim Man” received airplay on over 100 radio stations around the country, reaching #3 on the CRW Global AC &