Christopher H. Smith is a clinical professor at USC Annenberg, where he also jointly runs the Media, Economics, and Entrepreneurship program.

M{2e} provides insight and conducts actionable discussion about evolving business models for communication and journalism. As co-director of the program, Smith has led departmentwide efforts to make economic literacy and entrepreneurial acumen a cornerstone of the USC Annenberg experience. During the course of his work with M{2e}, Smith also founded the Women’s Leadership Society, the first professional development organization of its kind at the school.

Smith teaches poststructuralist theory, cultural studies methods and media industry studies. His research uses the tools of critical theory and cultural studies to describe and analyze the relationship between economic forces and social formations. Among his areas of interest, research and expertise are financialization, neoliberalism and inequality; history of capitalism and capitalist philosophy; corporate communication and culture, especially in the finance industry; the impact of automation on the collection and dissemination of financial information and the formation of economic citizenship; and the representation of money and financial capitalism in popular culture.

Smith’s scholarship and commentary have been published in peer-reviewed journals including Social Text and the International Journal of Communication. He has been a featured commentator for large media outlets including FOX’s American Idol, MSNBC, NBC Nightly News, Today, Bloomberg Businessweek, KTLA-TV, NPR, the BBC, CBC-Radio Canada, Reuters, Yle Uutiset (Finland), and TV4 Sweden. He has written feature stories on the business of entertainment for mainstream publications and digital outlets such as The Washington Post, AOL, Elle, Interview, and BlackEnterprise.com. He has consulted on market selection and execution for both start-ups and multinational entertainment groups.

Smith previously served as the director of Primary Research for Ruder Finn Public Relations in New York City. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.