Francesca Marie Smith, PhD

SENIOR FELLOW

Dr. Smith brings over 30 years’ experience in the entertainment industry and higher education to her work on narrative, media and experience design. From worldbuilding and scriptwriting to consultancies for UX and product development, her focus is surprisingly consistent: creating meaningful experiences, empathetic to the audience, imbued with both art and ethics, across a palette of mediums. 

She received her PhD from USC Annenberg studying rhetoric and transmedia storyworlds; while there, she was also a Research Fellow with the Annenberg Innovation Lab, contributing to their workshops, publications and other initiatives alongside major industry partners. 

Prior to her time at USC, Francesca earned degrees at Stanford University (in linguistics) and Pepperdine University (in communication). An award-winning forensics competitor, she has continued her involvement with public speaking, debate and presentation skills as a coach and consultant. She has taught courses for USC and Pepperdine and spoken at dozens of conferences and events, including SXSW, San Diego Comic-Con and New York Comic Con. 

Outside of academia, her list of credits ranges from tech companies (including school safety and autonomous vehicles) to high-profile IPs in mobile gaming and animation.

In addition to her research as a senior fellow of the Norman Lear Center, she is co-instructor with Lear Center director Marty Kaplan in JOUR 599 – Change the Narrative, Change the World – in spring semester 2024.

You can reach Francesca here.