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Jessica Walden Highlight
So many times we think we have to go to the big city to get the big job, but sometimes it’s our small towns that need us the most.
About Jessica
- Born and raised in Macon, Georgia—both her father and uncle are Georgia Music Hall of Fame inductees, well-known for working with artists like Otis Redding, Al Green, and The Allman Brothers Band.
- Moved to Atlanta to attend Georgia State University as a journalism major with dreams of writing for popular magazines—but began to rethink her decision after a disastrous internship.
- While still in school, she got a part-time job working for her uncle’s record label, answering phones and working in the publicity department helping to promote artists.
- She loved the public relations work she was doing, but with the rise of Napster and the digital music age, her uncle’s label started failing, and she realized her job wouldn’t last long.
- Saw an add in the paper for a public relations position at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in Macon—she applied, got the job, and left her new life in Atlanta to return to her hometown.
- With the dream of still becoming a reporter, she turned down a promotion at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in order to become an editor at a small independent newspaper.
- Helped launch Georgia Music Magazine, which was instrumental in helping to revitalize downtown Macon.
- When the Georgia Music Hall of Fame closed, she and her husband decided to open Rock Candy Tours—they recognized that the musical soul of Macon wasn’t contained solely within a museum.
