Senior IT Operations, Cybersecurity, Acting CISO

Senior IT Operations & Cybersecurity Leader

I'm the Senior IT Operations Manager and Acting CISO for The Chosen, the most-watched independent series in history with more than 700 million episode views. I run the entire IT and security function on my own.

  • Acting CISO responsible for security governance, the cybersecurity roadmap, and a zero trust model mapped to NIST, GDPR, and SEC frameworks.
  • Cut operational costs by $25,000+ through SaaS consolidation, automation, and vendor renegotiation.
  • Sole owner of 125+ SaaS applications, the full UniFi/UISP network, and a $2M+ technology budget.
  • Run C-suite tabletop exercises, incident response, and vendor security assessments for a globally distributed team.
Current Focus

Senior IT, cybersecurity, and operational leadership for remote, hybrid, and Colorado-based organizations.

Core Strength

Removing complexity, tightening security, lowering costs, and giving leadership clear visibility into technology risk.

Best Fit

Director of IT, IT Operations Manager, Security Operations, cybersecurity leadership, and business systems roles.

Leadership Profile

One person, the whole stack.

I'm the entire IT and security function at a globally distributed media company, from the network closet to the boardroom. I own the budget, set the security posture, and answer for the results. There is no team to delegate to and no ticket queue to hide behind, so the systems I build have to work the first time.

Stephen Smith leadership portrait
01

IT Operations

Stable infrastructure and repeatable processes, so the team spends less time firefighting.

02

Cybersecurity

Security built around real risk and sized to the business, so it protects without getting in the way.

03

Infrastructure & Cloud

AWS, CDN, DNS, and full SaaS lifecycle management, designed to handle growth and traffic spikes.

04

Business Process Optimization

Cleaner environments and clearer reporting, so leadership can see what is happening and where the risk sits.

Core Impact

Results

From startup growth to studio operations, my work has focused on making technology more secure, more reliable, and more useful to leadership.

Operations

Operational Transformation

Rebuilt internal workflows with automation and AI-assisted tooling, increasing throughput while cutting manual work and support load.

Security

Risk-Based Security

Built security programs that map to recognized frameworks while keeping the business able to move. Decisions get made on actual risk rather than box-checking.

Cost Control

Cost Optimization

Found waste across SaaS, vendors, and infrastructure and removed it, saving $25,000+ without losing capability.

Infrastructure

Scalable Infrastructure

Architected systems that hold up under traffic spikes, production demands, and global access without downtime.

Experience

Experience

2024 to Present

5&2 Studios / The Chosen

Senior IT Operations Manager & Cybersecurity Lead / Acting CISO

Own IT operations, cybersecurity governance, SaaS lifecycle, identity, vendor security, production technology, cloud/DNS/CDN oversight, and executive reporting across a globally distributed media organization.

  • Lead cybersecurity governance, policy, roadmap planning, and a zero trust model mapped to NIST, GDPR, and SEC cybersecurity expectations.
  • Cut operational costs by $25,000+ through SaaS consolidation, automation, and vendor renegotiation.
  • Own the lifecycle for 125+ SaaS applications, including access control, renewals, SSO, shadow IT discovery, and license optimization.
  • Govern AWS infrastructure, DNS, CDN edge services, GuardDuty, and related cloud security operations.
  • Architected and led a Zoho CMS rollout across 25+ countries with international training, coordination, and adoption support.
  • Led phishing incident response from initial detection through remediation, documentation, and closure using Prophet Security.
  • Design and facilitate C-suite tabletop exercises for ransomware, deepfake, business continuity, and social media takeover scenarios.
  • Manage a $2M+ technology budget tied to risk reduction, operational scale, vendor accountability, and business continuity.
2010 to 2023

Madwire / Marketing 360

IT Manager • Multimedia Specialist • Project Manager

Supported a high-growth environment that scaled from startup size to hundreds of employees, including infrastructure, access control, help desk leadership, network security, remote work enablement, and business systems support.

  • Managed Windows, Mac, Linux, server, network, and cloud environments.
  • Supported Cisco Meraki, Windows Server, Hyper-V, access control, and enterprise support workflows.
  • Helped teams modernize processes while maintaining uptime and operational continuity.
Founder Experience

Arsenal Media Co. • Concrete Curb Design • Consulting

Founder, Owner, Builder

Founded and operated businesses spanning media production, drone cinematography, web development, operational consulting, and contracting. This founder experience shapes how I approach IT. Own the problem, simplify the process, and deliver outcomes.

  • Built businesses from scratch through direct sales, service delivery, client management, and operational discipline.
  • Combine technical leadership with creative production, project management, customer service, and business ownership.

Extended Capabilities

Beyond infrastructure

My work covers the systems, vendors, processes, and facilities technology that keep operations moving.

01

UniFi / UISP Network Management

Full-stack network deployment and management across switching, wireless, routing, monitoring, segmentation, and site visibility.

02

Cybersecurity & Physical Security

Endpoint protection, network controls, access management, Brivo card access, and Eagle Eye camera systems across studio facilities.

03

Global CMS Rollout

Zoho CMS deployment across 25+ countries, including rollout planning, training, adoption support, and international team coordination.

04

SaaS & Identity Ownership

SSO, IAM, lifecycle management, access reviews, vendor renewals, and SaaS governance across 125+ business applications.

05

Executive Tabletop Exercises

C-suite exercises for ransomware, deepfake attacks, breach response, business continuity, and social media takeover scenarios.

06

Production & Facilities Technology

Hardware lifecycle, production support, building systems, cameras, card access, backups, and operational technology used on-site.

Technical Environment

Hands-on across the systems that keep a business running.

Security & Governance

CrowdStrikeArctic WolfProphet SecurityAWS GuardDutyZero TrustIncident ResponseVendor RiskNIST CSFGDPR / DPASEC Cybersecurity

Infrastructure & Cloud

AWSRoute 53Fastly CDNCloudflareCisco MerakiUniFi / UISPDNS ArchitectureWindows ServerHyper-VSynology / LTO

SaaS, Identity & Endpoint

Google WorkspaceJamfSlack EnterpriseZoomAsanaMonday.comNetSuiteZohoBrivoEagle Eye NetworksSSO / IAM

Credentials

Certifications and active development

CompTIA Security+ CE ISC² CC CISSP Track, In Progress FAA Part 107

How I work

I start with the business outcome and work backward to the technology. I've built three companies from nothing, a media production studio, a concrete contracting business, and a consulting practice, while holding senior IT roles the whole time. That background shows up in how I work. I take ownership, move fast, and care more about whether something gets done than how it looks on a dashboard.

  1. Start with outcomes. Technology serves the business, not the reverse.
  2. Simplify before adding. Complexity is what kills execution.
  3. Automate the repetitive work. Manual processes do not scale and they create risk.
  4. Keep security usable. A control people work around is not protecting anything.
  5. Put risk in business terms. Leadership needs a decision, not a dashboard.
Stephen Smith professional website portrait

Let's Talk

Let's talk

If you need someone who can stabilize an environment, tighten security, and scale it without slowing the business down, let's have a conversation.