# Paige Velasquez Budde

> Paige Velasquez Budde is co-founder and CEO of Zilker Media, an Austin-based public relations and brand strategy agency. A University of Texas at Austin alumna, former young musician, and TEDx speaker, she became CEO in July 2019 and wrote The Strategic Business Influencer: Building a Brand with a Small Budget, published in November 2025. Her work focuses on helping leaders earn trust through teaching, relationships, and a visible public presence.

- **Role:** Co-Founder and CEO at Zilker Media
- **Organizations:** Zilker Media, Entrepreneurs Organization, Women Presidents Organization, C12, Austin Business Journal BizWomen Leadership Council, Texas Tower
- **Education:** The University of Texas at Austin
- **Known for:** 2025 Austin Business Journal Best CEO, Micro Company category., 2025 Austin Business Journal Women in Business Award honoree., One of the Austin Chamber’s 2025 Austin Executive of the Year award recipients.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2016** — Worked at Shelton Interactive in book and content marketing; the agency was acquired in 2016.
- **Before 2017** — Led digital marketing for a Texas statewide official’s campaign.
- **2017** — Joined Zilker Media during its founding year.
- **2019** — Promoted from brand strategy director to CEO, effective July 1.
- **2023** — Delivered What Makes a Modern Education Influencer? at TEDxJesterCirED in March.
- **2025** — Launched The Strategic Business Influencer interview series in August; received Austin Business Journal and Austin Chamber leadership honors; published her book in November.
- **2026** — Continued interviewing business leaders and introduced Zilker Media’s AI Discoverability Ecosystem in a ninth-anniversary announcement.

## Achievements

- 2025 Austin Business Journal Best CEO, Micro Company category.
- 2025 Austin Business Journal Women in Business Award honoree.
- One of the Austin Chamber’s 2025 Austin Executive of the Year award recipients.
- Author of The Strategic Business Influencer: Building a Brand with a Small Budget, BenBella Books, November 2025.
- Delivered a TEDxJesterCirED talk in March 2023.
- Led campaigns for authors including Geoff Colvin and Sally Hogshead.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Published a LinkedIn conversation with Jason Glisczynski on building business value beyond revenue.
- **2026-07** — Published The Trust Multiplier, a conversation with Vidya Moorthy about relationships and influence.
- **2026-06** — Zilker Media announced its inclusion on Inc.’s 2026 Best Workplaces list.
- **2026-01** — Published a Fast Company article on five leadership shifts for building trust; co-authored Consumer Trust with Nichole Williamson in Texas Banking.

## Links

- Website: https://www.paigevelasquezbudde.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paigevelasquez/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/PaigeVelasquez
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paigevelasquez/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/paige-velasquez-budde
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-22