Director Miles Jay wanted to tell Gloria’s story, raising her kids in the Marcy Projects in the 1970’s. Gloria’s heart was torn between being a mother and embracing her sexual identity. Ultimately, she made a sacrifice to choose her family over her sexual preference to raise her children. Through this story we realize how Gloria’s struggle with her sexuality inadvertently showed Jay how to go through adversity with a smile.

Authenticity was everything in the project. After six weeks of negotiations, we were able to gain access to shoot in the apartment that Jay and Gloria lived in the 70’s. Through immense research from historical photographs and Gloria’s memory, we recreated their home in 1976 as well as brought the Marcy Projects to life in that time, which were in a much more positive light than today.

Everything came down to who would play Gloria Carter. After looking at everyone under the sun, we found a young woman who had been discovered by the Wire’s David Simon, Dominique Fishback. A force of raw talent, Dominique embodied the spirit of Gloria as an East New York native. Through Dominique’s performance, she is able to carry the weight of Gloria’s burden with authenticity and grace.

“Smile” has successfully reached a wide audience of eclectic backgrounds ranging from hip-hop/rap music lovers to LGBTQ communities, their supporters, and the crossovers that play in between.

After the film came out, Jay-Z and his mother were nominated for a GLAAD Media Award, an award aimed to “recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of the LGBTQ community.” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis issued a statement praising Gloria Carter's revelation. "By sharing her truth with the world, Gloria Carter is increasing visibility of lesbian women of color at a critical time and sending a powerful message of empowerment to the entire LGBTQ community that is perfectly timed with the end of Pride Month.”

"Smile" won the 2018 Webby award for Best Performance.