Unscripted Sports.
Unfiltered Stories.
A full-service creative studio
crafting raw, unscripted sports stories
with cinematic edge.
Who We Are
Road Heaters is a producer-led company specializing in unscripted sports. We develop original concepts, secure access and rights, and deliver full-scale physical production. From athlete-driven stories to institutional partnerships, we operate at the intersection of access, creativity, and execution.
Meet the team
Casey-James Smith is the owner and operator of a premium sports media company actively operating across the sports landscape. He’s developed campaigns for global brands, built media strategies around leading sports agencies, and launched NIL divisions for top PR and marketing firms.
His work spans creative development, campaign execution, and rights packaging—bridging studios and athletes to bring premium sports content to life.
Christopher Backus is an American actor was most recently opposite Eva Green in MARTIN CAMPBELL action thriller DIRTY ANGELS as well as in the critically acclaimed indie, DAFT STATE.
Christopher shined portraying “Tex Watson” on MINDHUNTER for Netflix and David Fincher. Previously, he was a series regular on the Cinemax series JETT as well as Apple TV+ award winning drama BLACKBIRD and season 2 of TRUTH BE TOLD. Chris also recurred on the second season of BIG LITTLE LIES for HBO. He is both a leading man and accomplished character actor. Hehas had memorable recurring roles on Cameron Crowe’s ROADIES for Showtime, the Amazon crime series BOSCH and WGN’s period drama UNDERGROUND from John Legend.
Christopher also sits on the board with MLB greats Ryan Braun, Christian Yelich and Mike Moustakas for CALIFORNIA STRONG, a charity providing financial assistance to those who suffer national disasters in California.
Christopher is also the father of a division 1 baseball player at the University of Michigan.
Ben Scharffbillig is a veteran cinematographer, producer, and co-owner of a full-service physical production house specializing in cinematic sports storytelling. With over 20 years behind the camera—including work with NFL Films and top college programs—Ben brings the eye, gear, and on-the-ground execution that power Road Heaters’ bold visual identity.
His production arsenal includes custom-built camera packages and mobile rigs built for speed, precision, and cinematic punch