Communications | Marketing | Event Production | Musician
Kelsi Walker is a relationship-driven marketing and go-to-market strategist working at the intersection of startups, creative industries, and community-driven growth. With over five years of experience, she has led campaigns and built systems that help early-stage companies grow their audiences and turn attention into meaningful engagement. As Communications Director at the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center, she supports over 500 founders annually through strategic marketing, programming, and go-to-market advising, consistently driving strong participation and sold-out events. Through her freelance practice, she partners with founders and small businesses to shape positioning, implement CRM and segmentation systems, and execute multi-channel campaigns that contribute to measurable revenue growth. Her background in event production and talent buying adds a strong foundation in experiential marketing and brand engagement, and she also contributes to the venture ecosystem as a VC Collaborator with Soundboard Venture Fund. She is known for her calm, solutions-oriented approach and her ability to turn ambiguity into clear strategies that drive results. Outside of work, she is a musician who enjoys spending time with her partner and their two dogs, bringing the same sense of creativity and presence to her personal life as she does to her work.
Projects and Achievements
2026 Freelancing Marketing and Consulting
Client: Real Good Kitchen and Magpies
Kelsi leads marketing and systems strategy for Real Good Kitchen and Magpies Bakery, driving audience growth, campaign performance, and revenue through email, SMS, and digital campaigns. She manages weekly promotions, seasonal launches, and pre-order strategies that consistently increase engagement and online sales, supporting $210K+ in bakery revenue, including $20K+ directly attributed to email and SMS campaigns from q1. In addition to marketing, she has streamlined operations across Square and CRM tools to improve reporting, customer insights, and decision-making. Her work blends brand storytelling with data-driven strategy, contributing to a catering program that has generated $475K+ in revenue for local food businesses while supporting both day-to-day execution and long-term growth.
Client: Dogwood Arts
Kelsi supported Dogwood Arts as a talent buyer and event producer, managing artist booking, contract coordination, and event logistics for large-scale, community-focused programming. She worked closely with artists, vendors, and internal teams to ensure smooth execution and strong audience experiences. Her role required balancing creative vision with operational detail, contributing to well-organized, high-impact events that reflect Dogwood Arts’ commitment to accessible arts and culture.
Client: Ricky’s Bar
Kelsi designed and launched the website for Ricky’s Bar, creating a clear and accessible digital presence that reflects the brand and supports customer engagement. Her work focused on translating the bar’s identity into a functional, user-friendly site that makes it easy for customers to find information and connect with the space.
Dogwood Arts Festival: Talent Curator, Stage Manager, Artist Liaison
Established in 1961, the Dogwood Arts Festival is one of the most celebrated cultural events in Knoxville! The festival is held on the beautifully redesigned Performance Lawn at World’s Fair Park and features over 100 fine art vendors, live music, entertainment, children's activities, food & beverage vendors, and more.
Voted #3 Best Art Festival in the Country according to USA Today's 2024 Reader's Poll
Listening Space Concert Series: Founder, Executive Producer, Curator, Host
Listening Space was a six-part live music and arts series in Knoxville, produced by Kelsi Walker, that paired touring musicians with local artists to foster connection and creative exchange beyond regional borders. Emerging in the period immediately following COVID-19, the series intentionally created a safe, intimate environment for artists and audiences to relearn how to listen—interweaving musicians, poets, makers, and theatre artists to encourage presence, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and deeper connection in an increasingly noisy world.
Chris McCreary’s Hot Nostalgia: Producer, Music Director, and Marketing Lead
Blending comedy and drama, in this solo show Chris dives into the deeper meaning behind pizza, happiness, and what happens when the planet explodes. Recorded live, Chris brought his solo show back to Knoxville, where it all began at a Free Women Waltzing Club Listening Space. You can watch the full-length, sold out show HERE.
'“Hot Nostalgia is a warm and engaging show that is both deeply reflective and hilariously irreverent, representing the best of Knoxville’s local arts scene and the community efforts and spaces that make it happen.” - Arts Knoxville Review
The Maker City Summit 2024-26, Marketing and Branding Strategist
Sold Out Conference: 300+ Attendees
Award: Brand Journey Award at the Marketing and Sales Innovation Conference
The Maker City Summit 2023 + 2024: Communications Director, Summit Planning Committee Member, Tech Coordinator
The Maker City Summit brings together local entrepreneurs, makers, and creatives to celebrate creativity, collaboration, and community. Through expert-led workshops, engaging discussions, and networking opportunities, attendees leave empowered to grow their ventures and contribute to a thriving maker ecosystem.
Young Professionals of Knoxville Impact Awards 2023: Connection Award Winner
For over 10 years, Young Professionals of Knoxville has honored local organizations and individuals who are impacting young professionals at work or in our community. The Connect Award is given to an individual, organization, or business that works to welcome and unite the community through an event, action, or space. This award is focused on the opportunity for personal connection and growth that comes with human interaction.
SouthKnoxville Pride Festival 2024: Talent Curator, Stage Manager, Artist Liaison
SoKno Pride began in 2021 on Sevier Avenue as a simple drag show brunch. From there it quickly expanded into our South Knoxville neighborhood coming together to support our LGBTQIA+ community. The festival welcomes over 7,000 people to their event where they host live music on 6 stages, support over 100 local vendors, and promote several Drag Shows.
Rhinestone Festival 2023: Talent Curator, Stage Manager, Artist Liaison
Rhinestone Fest celebrates the East Tennessean hero, Dolly Parton in all things Dolly-themed art, music, and community. Welcoming 9 different diverse musicians to their main stage, in specifically 2023, Rhinestone Fest was a champion of local art. Having since deciding to regurgitate the same old, same old white men playing instruments that make them feel like unlawful kings instead of disrespectful, mediocre wash-ups, Rhinestone Fest will be remembered as that thing no one actually went to, and as the festival who promised to make room in the budget for the talent curator “next year.”