A hint of "Scandal"

Roanoke Regional Forum speaker Judy A. Smith discusses details of managing lives at times of crisis.

The public knows Judy A. Smith, the crisis management virtuoso who inspired ABC's hit television series "Scandal," for the household names that have sought her guidance in times of trouble.

White House intern Monica Lewinsky, NFL quarterback Michael Vick, U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, NBA Champion Kobe Bryant, actor Wesley Snipes.

Actually, about 95 percent of clientele at her crisis management firm, Smith & Company, "are on the corporate side," lesser-known perhaps, but equally as mired in mess, she told a standing-room only crowd at the College-sponsored Roanoke Regional Forum on Sept. 15.

"I can talk about crisis management for hours," Smith said. "It's my passion."

As her notoriety soared, so bubbled up the idea of a Shonda Rhimes-produced political thriller series based on Smith and the work of her firm. "Scandal" is a drama-enhanced, made-for-TV version of Smith's life and work, with central character Olivia Pope surrounded by a small team of employees (known to fans as "gladiators"). It is there that fact veers into fiction.

For the most part. Fans are familiar with Olivia Pope's penchant for relaxing with a glass of wine while lounging on the sofa in casual but comfortably chic clothing, a bowl of popcorn nearby. True to life, Smith said, maybe minus the chic loungewear. And Pope's trademark white coat? That is all Smith.

The truth is that Smith is a devout believer in the truth, and in helping people in times of crisis with truth-telling at the center of righting the wrongdoing in the public's eye.

When called upon to assist, the first thing Smith said she asks is "Can we help? Can we move the needle?" To do so, "we need the truth and we need the facts - not some of them but all of them," she said.

"The truth is helpful. We all make mistakes; we're all human. It's just that [my clients'] stuff is a little more public."

- Leslie Taylor