Jesse Knutson

Background

About Jesse Knutson

Jesse joined the Academy of Country Music in January of 2022 as Manager, Publicity & Media Relations, was promoted to Sr. Manager, Publicity & Media Relations in 2023, and was promoted to Director, Publicity & Media Relations in 2024. In his role, Jesse leads the publicity and media team at the Academy and has led publicity efforts for events and initiatives including the 57th ACM Awards (which streamed live on Prime Video from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the first major awards show to livestream exclusively), the 58th ACM Awards (also on Prime Video, but with a new location in Frisco, TX at Ford Center at The Star, World Headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys), the 59th ACM Awards (also on Prime Video on May 16), the 15th and 16th ACM Honors (both of which aired on FOX), ACM Lifting Lives events, the new ACM Headquarters grand opening, and numerous campaigns throughout the year. Jesse handles drafting and distributing press releases, working with publicists and artist teams, communicating and pitching the media, and coming up with strategic media plans for the Academy. A former journalist, Jesse has brought his unique experience and point of view to help the Academy, Country Music artists, industry professionals, and fans have the best, most enjoyable experience possible. Jesse spent more than a decade as a TV journalist working for NBC and CBS stations across the country, most recently serving as the Entertainment Reporter at NewsChannel 5 in Nashville. Jesse also covered stories on the development in the city of Nashville, as well as breaking news. During his time at Channel 5, Jesse won three Emmy Awards.