Rusty Shelton

Rusty Shelton is a successful entrepreneur, bestselling author, and marketing strategist based in Austin, Texas. He is the Founder & Chairman of Zilker Media, an award-winning boutique agency that provides brand-building services for executives, thought leaders, and companies.12

Career Highlights

Rusty first gained recognition when he spoke at Harvard on the changing world of PR and marketing at the age of 23.1 Since then, he has:

• Founded and sold two businesses before the age of 351
• Served as CEO of Zilker Media from April 2017 to June 20192
• Became Senior Marketing Strategist at Advantage Media Group after his first company, Shelton Interactive, was acquired in 20162
• Led marketing strategies for more than 30 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers4

Authorship and Speaking

Rusty is a bestselling co-author of multiple books on marketing and thought leadership:

• "The Authority Advantage: Building Thought Leadership Focused on Impact, Not Ego" (2023)
• "Authority Marketing: How to Leverage 7 Pillars of Thought Leadership to Make Competition Irrelevant" (2018)
• "Mastering the New Media Landscape: Embrace the Micromedia Mindset" (2016)3

He is also an active keynote speaker, having shared the stage with notable figures like Steve Forbes and Alan Mulally. Rusty has spoken at events for organizations such as YPO, EO, SXSW Interactive, and numerous Fortune 1000 companies.3

Personal Life

Rusty lives in the Lake Travis area near Austin with his wife and three children. He is an avid Texas Longhorns fan and enjoys coaching his kids' sports teams and fishing.14 He is also a member of Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) in Austin, where he serves on the board.3