Meet Arjay & Brittany Smith | Co-Authors of the Wes & Morris series

We had the good fortune of connecting with Arjay & Brittany Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Arjay & Brittany, what’s the most important thing you’ve done for your children?
As parents, the most important thing we’ve done is let our kids see collaboration up close. They see us disagree. They see us rewrite. They see us scrap ideas and start over. They see us respect each other’s strengths. And they see that building something meaningful takes teamwork.

We’ve also been intentional about turning everyday conversations into lessons. Wes & Morris started because we were talking to our kids about money and realized how abstract and intimidating those conversations can feel. Instead of lecturing, we created characters. We made it playful. We made it imaginative.

Our children have watched us turn a conversation into a book…and then into a business. That’s powerful.

We want them to understand three things:
That creativity is a real path.
That money isn’t something to fear, it’s something to understand.
And that partnership, whether in marriage or in work, is about building together, not competing.

If they grow up believing they can create, collaborate, and communicate openly, then we’ve done our job.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
At its core, our business is about turning conversations into characters … and characters into impact.

What sets us apart is that we don’t just create stories, we build ecosystems around them. We think beyond the book. Beyond the script. Beyond the moment.

“Wes & Morris” started with a simple conversation at our kitchen table about how to teach our kids about money in a way that didn’t feel intimidating or boring. That conversation became Mr. Buck. Then it became a book. Then it became a brand. Now it’s a growing universe focused on financial literacy and global citizenship for kids.

We approach storytelling like world-builders and producers at the same time. We’re not waiting for permission to create. We write it. We package it. We produce it. We own it.

Business-wise, it hasn’t been easy. There were projects that stalled. Meetings that went nowhere. Pitches that didn’t land. Moments where the safer choice would have been to just stay in our lanes.

Instead, we leaned into what we could control. We built our own IP. We bet on ourselves. We used the skills we developed directing, producing, and writing for others and applied them to our own ideas.

One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned is that longevity beats hype. Sustainable growth beats overnight success. And ownership matters.

We’re most proud of the fact that our children can watch us create something from scratch and see that ideas have value. That imagination can become infrastructure.

What we want the world to know about our brand is this: we believe storytelling can shift how families talk about money, ambition, and possibility. We believe collaboration is powerful. And we believe you don’t have to shrink your vision to fit someone else’s box.

We’re not just building books. We’re building legacy.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
One of our favorite summer nights in LA starts close to home.

We’d grab a quick drink at the bar inside Amarano Burbank. It’s relaxed, stylish, and feels tucked away from the noise of the city. The kind of place where you can actually talk before the night begins.

Then we’d head over the hill to the Hollywood Bowl for an outdoor show.

There’s something timeless about the Bowl in the summer. Packing a little picnic, sitting under the stars, music floating through the canyon air. It’s one of those LA experiences that never gets old. It feels cinematic without trying too hard.

That’s the kind of night we love sharing with friends. Effortless, beautiful, and rooted in what makes this city special.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We both want to give our shoutout to our parents.

They showed us the true definition of collaboration and perseverance long before we ever called ourselves a writing team.

We grew up watching adults figure it out in real time. We saw hard work up close. We saw sacrifice. We saw people commit to their craft, their families, and their responsibilities even when things weren’t easy.

More importantly, we saw partnership modeled in a real way. Not perfect. Not always glamorous. But steady. Respectful. Resilient.

That foundation shaped how we work together now. When we hit creative roadblocks, when a project stalls, when something doesn’t sell, we don’t panic. We’ve seen what perseverance looks like over decades. We understand that longevity matters more than quick wins.

Our parents taught us that collaboration isn’t about ego. It’s about building something that lasts. And that lesson shows up in our marriage, our writing, and the way we’re raising our own children.

They deserve a lot of credit for that.

Website: https://wesandmorris.com

Instagram: wesandmorris