Paul Jankowski is a recognized brand builder, speaker, and thought leader on marketing and creating culturally relevant messaging in the New Heartland. He is the founder of Nashville-based New Heartland Group and has extensive experience in global brand development, having previously served as CMO at Elvis Presley Enterprises, VP/Media Marketing at SFX Entertainment (Live Nation), Director of Global Entertainment Relations at Gibson Guitar Corp., and in Pop/Rock Promotion/Marketing at MCA Records and SBK Records.
As the first to identify the New Heartland as an underserved cultural segment, Jankowski’s work has been widely featured in media outlets including Ad Age, Forbes, MSNBC, Adweek, Billboard, Business Insider, and Fox Business. In addition to brand clients ranging from PepsiCo to VISA, he has deep experience helping companies connect with values-driven consumers across the region. Jankowski also created New Heartland Speaks, an AI-powered cultural intelligence platform that helps brands understand and engage with this influential audience. He has published three books and two white papers on brand building in the New Heartland.
He co-founded and served as volunteer Executive Director of the Nashville chapter of the TJ Martell Foundation, one of the music industry’s biggest charities for Leukemia, AIDS, and cancer research. He currently serves as Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Franklin Theatre and is an Executive Board Member for the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County. Paul is a member of the Country Music Association and was a certified NFL agent. He received his B.S. degree in Communications/Advertising from the University of Tennessee.