Join us for our March Fireside Chat with JK McKnight. JK will share how he is leveraging lessons learned over the past 20 years as the founder of the legendary Forecastle Festival and Art of Impact to scale his new startup - Brandjam.

We look forward to seeing you at TEN20 Craft Brewery on Wednesday, March 20th at 5:30 PM!

Tickets are FREE, compliments of our sponsors.

Meet JK

JK McKnight is an entrepreneur, creator and experiential stager.

He is best known as the founder of The Forecastle Festival in Louisville, KY, one of the nation's premier outdoor festivals that draws 75,000 fans for a weekend celebration of music, art and activism® . He is also the founder of The Forecastle Foundation, Art of Impact and Brandjam.

He graduated from St. Xavier High School and attended the College of Charleston, Bellarmine University, and the University of Louisville.

In 2017, JK was named “Southern of the Year” by Southern Living.

​​The Forecastle Festival was created in 2002 as a small community gathering in Louisville, KY, and has grown into a major, international attraction, with over 70,000 attendees from 2,192 cities, 49 states and 6 countries. Outside Magazine hailed it as one of the “Top 10 Festivals in the Country” while Rolling Stone deemed it one of the “Coolest Festivals in America”. Additional accolades have followed from The New York Times, LA Weekly, SPIN, Garden & Gun, Outside Magazine, Southern Living and more. It annually posts an economic impact of over $15 million on the City of Louisville.

Website: http://forecastlefest.com

The Forecastle Foundation is an international environmental 501(c)(3), dedicated to protecting and connecting the world’s natural awesome. It works by partnering with grassroots organizations to conserve the richest reservoirs of life left on the planet. These biodiversity zones, known as “hot spots”, cover just 2.3% of the Earth’s surface, yet account for 77 percent of all vertebrae species and 50 percent of all plant life. They play a vital role in regulating world temperatures and are highly threatened due to a variety of factors, including development, deforestation, pollution, poaching, and unsustainable agricultural practices.

Website: http://forecastlefoundation.org

Art of Impact is an experiential agency in Louisville, KY. It specializes in festival consulting and experiential marketing, helping clients “reach unreachables” - Gen Z, Millennials - through experiences that attract new customers, improve lives and elevate communities.

Website: http://artofimpact.com

Brandjam is a technology company connecting Beverage Alcohol brands to their end consumer, delivering a profitable solution to an expensive problem.

Website: http://brandjam.com

Accolades.

"Global Visionary"

World Affairs Council

“Southerner of the Year”

Southern Living

"Irish Person of the Year"

Ancient Order of Hibernians

"Fleur-de-Lis Winner"

Louisville Chamber of Commerce

"New Face of Philanthropy"

Louisville Magazine

"Top 50 City Connector"

Leadership Louisville

"Cultural Ambassador"

Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau

Testimonials

"Innovative, catalytic creative”

Greg Fischer | Louisville Mayor

"Elite leader, community builder"

Dan Jones | CEO and Founder, Parklands

"A major league entrepreneur"

Roger Eaton | Former President, KFC

"Sharp intellect, strong vision"

Morgan McGarvey | KY Senator

"Forward-thinking, hardworking visionary"

Pat Hallahan | My Morning Jacket