Smith and Kraus.
A family of Publishers.

CEO

Peter has always had a keen interest in stories and was hooked on books ever since his mother, Marisa, read him Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and stayed awake....having fallen asleep night after night while Marisa read The Hobbit to him--was that her intent? He has worked for S&K most of his adult life while also working various hospitality jobs in and around southern California. Before coming on full time as CEO Peter worked as a certified sommelier at Spago Beverly Hills Restaurant. When he's not enjoying the world of literature he can be found donning many hats for his private hospitality company Nosh With Pete or on the beach with his dog Prince.

CFO

Raised in New Hampshire in a family of entrepreneurs, Luke Kraus intimately understands small businesses. His first job was applying stamps on envelopes for Smith and Kraus. Today, he is a lawyer and runs a title company--that embraces technology over child labor. He also serves as S&K’s in-house counsel and CFO. Luke has been dragged to the theater since he could walk; one time his Mother was severely admonished by an elderly Boston matron in the ladies’ room of the Lyric Stag for taking him to a Neil Simon play when he was only seven years old. Outside work, Luke spends his time with his wife Caroline and their kids exploring the scenic terrains of New Hampshire and hitting the ski slopes during winter. Benjamin (5) Annelise (3) and Teddy, their dog (13) are about to be joined by a baby brother in 2024.

Co-Founder

Smith and Kraus Publishers was born when Marisa Smith and Eric Kraus realized that there was a demand for more monologue books; that the available material was not enough to satisfy the insatiable need that actors have for a good monologue to use in class or at auditions. At the time, Marisa was an actor and a producer and was familiar with the struggles an actor faces. Since those first monologue books were published in 1990, S and K has published over 700 titles. Also during that time, Marisa gave birth to Luke and Pete who now run the company while she acts as a consultant and pursues her second career as a playwright. She hopes that someday her grandkids, Benjamin and Annelise, and soon-to-arrive baby boy Kraus (and any other grandkids that may appear!) may take the reins at S & K and carry on the family tradition.

Co-founder

Eric Kraus is the original Kraus and co-founder of Smith and Kraus Publishers. Initially, Smith and Kraus was a book packing company and their first book, The Actors Book of Movie Monologues ( Viking/Penguin, 1986) is still in print. When Eric and Marisa decided to become publishers, Eric enjoyed his time both at his computer and in his garage picking and packing the books. Soon, S and K outgrew the garage and is now the leader in theater books for the trade. Eric is thrilled that his boys have stepped up to the plate and will continue to support his vision.