About
When Mary Jo Smith-Obolensky founded Dynamic Doingness, Inc. in October of 1995, she had a goal of one day establishing a company that specialized in other media such as video and voice-over projects, using her previous experience in the film and TV commercial industries to further fulfill her client’s needs. In 2014, Mary Jo set up Smith-Obolensky Media. Then in 2017, Smith-Obolensky Media expanded into a publishing company to launch Ivan’s award-winning first novel, Eye of the Moon in 2018. The Latin American Spanish literary translation of the novel, El ojo de la luna, followed in 2020, with Book 2, Shadow of the Son in 2021 and its literary translation A la sombra del hijo in 2022. In 2023, the audiobook of Eye of the Moon released, followed by Book 3 Dark of the Earth (2024).
Smith-Obolensky Media is a member of IBPA (Independent Book Publishers Association), NAIBA (New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association), and SIBA (Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance).
Ivan Obolensky
Vice President
Ivan was offered the best of education, but he did not actually like studying (and describes himself as an awful student). It wasn’t until he explored subjects independently as an adult, by taking college courses and wrestling with subjects he had once hated, that he changed his mind about them.
Ivan’s work experience also added to his education, as he held jobs in finance, executive management, customer service, sales, business consulting and team building.
During conversations around the dinner table, Ivan would connect different topics, and Mary Jo recognized his unique talent for combining knowledge from many fields into an unusual way of storytelling.
Joanna Cook
Executive Assistant
Joanna has worked in the publishing industry as an author, reviewer, editor, and proofreader for a total of 22 years, and she loves learning new aspects of this ever-changing field.
She started working at Dynamic Doingness, Inc. as an intern in May 2002 and slowly made her way up to Senior Project Manager and Executive Assistant. She enjoys the multifaceted landscape of working in a family business.
Mary Jo, Ivan, and Joanna share an enthusiasm for education. Visit the Smith-Obolensky Media Interviews page to discover different perspectives on different aspects of the publishing industry from authors, reviewers, translators, editors, and leaders in the community.