Jesse Knutson

Experience

• 

  California Lutheran University

  May 2008 - Apr 2009

  ASCLU Programs Board Director/Student Body Vice President

  Allocated and monitored use of $70,000 of student generated fees for weekly campus events for the student body of 2,000+. Facilitated weekly meetings for a team of 20 student leaders.Completed contracts and budget paperwork. Served as a liaison between students, faculty, and staff.Coordinated marketing and publicity for events.

• 

  Sherwood Country Club

  May 2009 - Aug 2010

  Tennis Teaching Professional

  Served as a tennis pro at one of the premier country clubs in the United States, giving lessons and hitting with members and their children in both summer camps, group lessons, and private lessons.

• 

  NBC Universal

  Jan 2010 - Dec 2010

  Logged and edited sports clips to be used for nightly newscasts and throughout the week.Worked closely with the sports anchors and producers to assist in editing and writing for newscasts.Gained on-camera experience interviewing athletes and assisting both in studio and for live shots. Worked closely with reporters, news anchors, and producers.Authored stories for daily newscasts to be used on air.Assisted in producing the news, including preproduction, production, and postproduction.Wrote stories for NBCLA.com.Gained on-camera experience reporting for NBC Los Angeles.

  • Sports Intern - NBC Washington

    Sept 2010 - Dec 2010

  • Intern - NBC Los Angeles

    Jan 2010 - Aug 2010
• 

  NBCLA

  Feb 2011 - Feb 2012

  Editorial Assistant - NBC Los Angeles

  Worked at the assignment desk to direct calls, find news, and assist producers, managers, and reporters.Gathered, compiled, and edited video clips for the news.Printed and organized scripts for the news.Worked closely with managers, producers, reporters and anchors in production of the news.

• 

  CBS 21 News

  Feb 2012 - Mar 2015

  Reporter/MMJ & Executive Producer - WHP-TV

  · Served as executive producer writing, copyediting, and helping others improve their writing skills. · Worked with photographers and as a one-man operation to shoot, write, edit, produce and report stories live on-air.

• 

  KING 5 Media Group

  Apr 2015 - Sept 2015

  General Assignment Reporter - KING 5 News

  · Reported compelling and personable stories alongside photojournalists for daily newscasts at the #1 news station in Seattle. · Immersed myself in the community to find and pitch unique stories that viewers truly cared about that were unique to KING newscasts.

• 

  NewsChannel 5 Network

  Nov 2015 - Mar 2020

  General Assignment/Entertainment Reporter

  · Reported on stories in the music/entertainment realm, downtown development, and local business at the #1 station in Nashville. · Interviewed artists and industry professionals about the latest trends in the music industry, as well as at major events, including ACM Honors, ASCAP Awards, BMI Awards, CMA Awards, SESAC Awards, and Country Music Hall of Fame events. · Built strong relationships with city leaders, top business leaders, and executives in the music industry.Jesse won three Emmy Awards for his work in Nashville. Show less

• 

  CMS Nashville

  Aug 2020 - Mar 2021

  Senior Manager of Brand Partnerships

  · Steered major brands towards authentic partnerships in Country Music that delivered strong ROIs. · Developed marketing proposals and campaigns, and helped brands work with artists and their teams to execute those campaigns. Clients included: Drizly, KONG Box, The Elf on the Shelf, and A Pup Above.

• 

  Academy of Country Music

  Jan 2022 - now

  · Leads PR and communications efforts for the Academy through unique and innovative multi-platform PR campaigns. · Helped navigate the Academy through a time of tremendous evolution, experimentation, and innovation, including historic partnerships with Amazon’s Prime Video (making the ACM Awards the first awards show to stream exclusively to a worldwide audience), FOX (bringing the ACM Honors show back to TV and to FOX for the first time), and Merit Street (helping the new network launch their first music programming). · Led the messaging for the organizational relocation from California to Nashville and took lead on the headquarters grand opening. · Plays a strategic role with the Executive Team in planning and executing the future of the Academy, including the landmark 60th ACM Awards, and the long-term outlook of the Academy. · Drafts and distributes press releases, pitches stories to trade, regional, and national media outlets, secures executive spotlights and placement on industry lists, and works closely with the Executive Team on brand identity and development. · Leads media strategies and red carpet execution for the ACM Awards, ACM Honors, and ACM Lifting Lives events.· Maintains and expands strong relationships with media outlets and journalists and manages a database of key contacts. · Develops press schedules and interviews for ACM talent and events, drafting talking points, quote sheets, and electronic press kits. · Collaborates with the content creation, social media, marketing, artist relations, and events teams on a daily basis. · Coordinates communication and fosters relationships with publicity teams and artist teams surrounding Academy campaigns and events.· Produces and presents routine press reports for Academy campaigns and events.· Manages direct reports in the PR/Communications department, as well as overseeing budgets and negotiating and supervising vendor payment. Show less

  • Director, Publicity & Media Relations

    Feb 2024 - now

  • Senior Manager, Publicity & Media Relations

    Feb 2023 - Feb 2024

  • Manager, Publicity & Media Relations

    Jan 2022 - Feb 2023