Danielle D. Smith has striven for years to give her all in every aspect of her life while enduring the pain of abuse— physical and mental—as well as rejection from her parents and family. At first, all of this gave her a reason for a pity party, but later, it became her strength and her reason "why." She used God's help to prove the doubters wrong and is now excelling as the mother of a beautiful daughter, a community leader, and a writing and publishing consultant to many who have stories and messages to share. Danielle is now taking on the task of using her role as an author beyond her book, Yesterday’s Tomorrow, which was released in December 2016 under the pen name Danielle Seck.

One day, while teaching at Ohio Media School, Danielle found herself in an in-depth conversation with a student about their future in media. This gave Danielle the initial idea to form the Columbus Film, Author & Photography Festivals. She spoke with business strategist, Lucinda Cross, and began to envision the possibilities for igniting the passion that our youth have for media. She was emboldened by the idea of showing them how to work in excellence as well as how to strive for their dreams. This turned into the creation of the Columbus F.A.P. Festival, which is built to showcase local, national, and international artists, while also highlighting the work of our youth.