Talent Overview
Television, festivals, social media — there are so many platforms to share your message and build your personal brand. Chefs, writers, spirits experts, lifestyle influencers, race car drivers and musicians alike turn to Estes Public Relations to promote not just their businesses, but themselves. From positioning you as an expert to negotiating contracts, we’re here to help.
Services
- Bio writing and editing.
- Pitching and applying for television shows.
- Application and negotiation for festivals.
- Contract negotiation for appearances, commercials, etc.
- Awards and event submissions.
- Media relations with targeted local, regional, national and trade outlets.
- Media training for interviews and presentations.
- Press releases, media alerts and press kits.
- Social media development and management
Experience
Jamie Estes and her team of PR specialists have experience working with a variety of clients across the country. We’ve helped chefs secure spots on shows like Top Chef, Guy’s Grocery Games, Chopped, Tournament of Champions and others. From Bourbon & Beyond, Kentucky Bourbon Festival to Charleston Food & Wine, we have extensive experience applying for festivals across the U.S. and negotiating contracts. We also work to generate interest that can lead to awards. We’ve worked in the music sector to develop personal brands, secure festival placement, garner media attention and create engaging social media.
Clients Past + Present
Nokee Bucayu
Annie Pettry
Becky Harris
Bobby Benjamin
Clayton Rollison
Dustin Herring
Jackie Joseph
David Dominé
It’s Bourbon Night
James Rigato
Joe Heron
Kwame Onwuachi
Ming Pu
Peggy Noe Stevens
Sara Bradley
Tory Pratt
Rachel Horn
The Bourbon Life
Colby & Megan Garrelts
Bryce Applegate Motorsports
Whiskey Ring Productions
Sara
Bradley
Sara Bradley (she/her) learned to cook from her mother and grandmother, and credits them — and their Appalachian upbringing and Jewish heritage — with heavily influencing her food philosophy. She’s cooked professionally for 20 years including for Michelin-starred chefs in New York and Chicago before returning home to Western Kentucky to open her own restaurant, freight house, in 2015.
The James Beard Awards named Sara a finalist for Best Chef: Southeast in 2025, she participated in James Beard Foundation’s Bootcamp for Policy and Change, cooked at the James Beard House in 2018 and was a featured chef at the James Beard Foundation’s Taste America Louisville event in 2019. Sara is a two-time Top Chef runner-up, having been a finalist on both Top Chef: Season 16 Kentucky (2019) and Top Chef: Season 20 World All Stars (2023). In August 2024, Sara won the first Food Network Chopped Legends tournament; in August 2023 she won the Chopped: All-American Showdown, advancing as the South regional champion and winning the grand finale. In spring 2025, she finished runner-up on Food Network’s Tournament of Champions VI.
EPR’s multi-pronged approach includes robust media outreach that led to recent placements including a multi-page feature in Southern Living’s holiday issue, The Wall Street Journal’s Slow Food Fast, a New York Times cocktail trends mention, a feature in Plate magazine and numerous other mentions for Sara and her restaurant. Meanwhile, EPR secured the keynote speaker role for Sara at the annual IFEC conference in 2023, plus additional opportunities with Farm Credit America, Louisville Tourism, Murray State University and Bourbon & Beyond.
Dustin Herring
Dustin Herring is a rising singer-songwriter based in Nashville. Known for his traditional vocal style and honest storytelling, Dustin’s classic country sound is authentic and genuine. Hailing from south Alabama, Dustin incorporates his real-life experiences and struggles into every song he creates. He’s no stranger to hard work, spending the early days of his career working on a research farm and saving up for the big move to Nashville. Since arriving in the Music City in 2014, he’s opened for dozens of well-known performers including Jamey Johnson, Ashley McBryde, Mark Chesnutt, Doug Stone and many more. Dustin has released multiple singles and EPs and continues to be hard at work in the studio writing and recording new music.
Estes Public Relations worked with Dustin to define his personal brand, maximize his social media channels, promote shows and events and garner attention for his new music. EPR developed branding recommendations and social media plans as well as strategic plans for album and EP release dates. EPR also created a talent sheet for Dustin to use with promoters, collaborators, partners and potential representation. From 2020-2022, EPR secured more than 50 media mentions for Dustin, with a total UVM of 1.5 billion. Placements included Taste of Country, Wide Open Country, Saving Country Music, Nashville Music Guide, and in Auburn University’s alumni publication.