Chad Eric Smith

Chad Eric Smith joined the Executive Team at Mural Arts in January 2023 as Senior Director of Communications and Brand Management. Smith is an award-winning filmmaker, actor, and musician with non-profit experience in higher education advocacy, gender-based violence prevention, and restorative justice. He oversees Mural Arts’ internal and external communications, content creation and marketing, public events, social media presence, digital asset management, public relations, merchandising, and tours. He is also the Executive Team Liaison to the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee. Smith joined Mural Arts in January 2020, serving over a year in several administrative roles within the organization’s Restorative Justice department before taking on the Director of Communications and Brand Management role in April 2021.

In 2017, Smith established MisterDuke Productions, a film production company that produces genre-bending, thought-provoking dramas and comedies across film and digital platforms. The company’s work has gained recognition on platforms like Amazon Prime and kweliTV. Notably, in 2019, the Office of Cable Television, Film, Music, and Entertainment in Washington, DC, honored Smith as the October Filmmaker of the Month, largely in recognition of his critically acclaimed short vampire comedy, Dark Therapy, and short sci-fi drama, Rumination; the latter was an official selection at over 30 worldwide film festivals, including the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival, the Boston SciFi Film Fest, the DC Black Film Festival, and the Indie Night Film Festival, and won over 20 awards.

In 2021, MisterDuke Productions also made significant strides in the political sphere, producing campaign-winning advertisements for Nicholas Kamau and George Twardy, both of whom were subsequently elected as judges to the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas and Philadelphia Municipal Court, respectively. In 2022, the company expanded its repertoire by producing “Into The Afroverse,” a weekly show on Radio One, and creating the show’s original theme music.

Smith is dedicated to community engagement and serves on multiple boards (Theatre Horizon, Live Work Philadelphia, and the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg Alumni Association) and an advisory group (University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology). He is also a graduate of the Core Class of 2023 for LEADERSHIP Philadelphia, a prestigious leadership development program.

Smith is a native of Washington, DC, and holds a BS in Psychology from The University of Pittsburgh.