Our Story

In today’s media landscape, success isn’t determined by tenure, size or even marketing budget – it’s achieved through people-driven marketing.

Zilker Media is an award-winning boutique agency providing end-to-end brand building for some of the world’s top executives, thought leaders and companies. 

Drawing on decades of experience working with high-profile and respected companies, executives, industry experts and best-selling authors, Zilker Media was built to cultivate community – for our team, our clients and our home. Named Best Places to Work by Austin Business Journal and listed on Austin Inno’s Coolest Companies, our team prides itself not only on great results, but on our Good Vibes.

We believe meaningful communities are built through storytelling, a unique mission and strategic value, and we work alongside our clients to build magnetic brands that make a significant impact.

We are the agency of record for Chicken Soup for the Soul, the fastest growing regional bank in Texas, Keystone Bank, and many of the world’s most well-known thought leaders.

Zilker Media’s roots are in the award-winning, Austin-based agency Shelton Interactive, which was built by the current leadership team at Zilker Media. Shelton Interactive managed the launches of more than 35 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers, including The One Thing, by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan, The Confidence Code, by Claire Shipman and Katty Kay, How The World Sees You, by Sally Hogshead, Eat Move Sleep, by Tom Rath and One Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp,and was named one of the top 10 marketing agencies in the country in 2015 and 2016 by research firm Clutch. 

After the firm was acquired in 2016, our leadership team was eager to take the model we built at Shelton Interactive and apply it to thought leaders of all kinds, including those with and without books. 

We founded Zilker Media in 2017 and immediately began working with influential executives, entrepreneurs, authors, healthcare professionals, speakers and companies who have invaluable messages to share.

What do our clients like most about working with Zilker Media? We get results – from growing Facebook pages with under 3,000 likes to more than 1.8 million likes, to securing hits in top media outlets such as The New York Times, Fast Company, Forbes and many others. Our clients will tell you though they love us as much for our great results as our good vibes.

Behind the Name

Our namesake, Zilker Park, was founded in 1917 in Austin after local businessman and politician Andrew Zilker donated more than 350 acres of land to Austin’s school district, which then sold it to the city to be used as a park. Zilker Park remains the life-blood and gathering point of our vibrant city, hosting iconic Austin events such as Austin City Limits, Blues on the Green, Zilker Kite Festival and Trail of Lights, and is the home of the famous Barton Springs. Our team grew up at Zilker Park and we continue to be inspired by the creativity and community the park inspires in Austin and beyond.

“Barton Springs is a sacred spot …it would be a wrongful thing for this spot to be owned by any individual, and that it ought to belong to all the people of Austin.”
– Andrew Zilker, Austin American-Statesman, (via zilker100.org)