CNP Executive Advisory is a division of CNP LLC, founded by Christopher Michael Smith. It helps music creators, digital content creators, and entrepreneurs build stronger business structure behind their creative work, with advisory grounded in real enterprise experience, not theory.
Christopher Michael Smith
Founder & Principal Advisor · CNP Executive Advisory
Christopher M. Smith's path into business advisory started inside the entertainment industry itself, not outside looking in. He grew up inside the music business, raised around professional recording artists and working musicians long before he entered it himself. Professionally trained as a child actor, he began his career performing in commercials, short film, and print, and has carried that performing career forward through music as a SAG-AFTRA member. He also spent five years as a radio personality hosting his own weekly program, an early grounding in the content and broadcast side of media. He later founded a private creative production studio for songwriters, composers, and artists, producing music across genres for a wide range of affiliates including filmmakers, directors, and producers; independent and major record labels; publishing companies; independent and touring artists; television networks; churches; and schools.
He is also an ASCAP-registered songwriter and publisher, with a catalog published across major entertainment and media companies spanning film, television, and broadcast.
That foundation carried into enterprise operations. As Executive Director of Operations under Nortek Inc. — overseeing multiple brands across four continents — he led technical operations, product training, supply chain operations, and managed over 100 global distribution relationships.
He holds a Master of Business Administration in Entrepreneurship, completed with a 4.0 GPA, and a B.S. in Digital Arts Engineering — an individualized degree combining electrical engineering, film and media studies, and music composition. He is currently completing a doctorate in Organizational Leadership.
Christopher's academic journey was also shaped by resilience. After recovering from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, he completed his MBA in Entrepreneurship and continued into doctoral study in Organizational Leadership. That experience reinforced a commitment to building work that is purposeful, practical, and useful to others. CNP Executive Advisory reflects that commitment by helping clients organize what they are building, understand what needs attention, and move forward with greater clarity and confidence.
Advisory built on entertainment and enterprise experience, delivered with clarity.
Through CNP Executive Advisory, Christopher helps clients turn ideas, creative work, and early business activity into clearer plans, stronger structure, and practical next steps. Engagements may include business planning, offer and pricing clarity, launch preparation, operating structure, and ongoing advisory support based on the client’s stage and needs. The work is grounded in practical experience across entertainment, enterprise operations, entrepreneurship, and leadership.
“To serve and educate clients across communities by helping them understand the business side of their creative work — especially when access to the right tools, guidance, structure, or support has not always been available.”