45FEST SCHEDULE
Two days of carefully curated chaos in Louisville, KY.
SEPTEMBER 17 - 18, 2025
Two days of carefully curated chaos in Louisville, KY.
LOCATION:
PORTAL
1535 Lytle St Louisville, KY 40203
45FEST is a high-energy, high-impact, no bullshit gathering of the people who make things happen. Where industries collide, deals get done, and the future gets built in the heart of the Midwest.
Stir your coffee and the pot with movers and shakers from around our region.
Kevin Gibson, lead organizer of 45Fest, will get the day started.
Kevin Gibson
Lead Organizer, 45Fest
Maggie Harlow, CEO of Signarama Louisville Downtown, KY, and Executive Director of The Jack Harlow Foundation, will deliver an inspirational keynote. How can you follow your courageous heart? What's it look like to move without permission to get things done? Maggie will drop gems on attendees.
Maggie Harlow
CEO, Signarama Louisville Downtown & Executive Director, The Jack Harlow Foundation
Dive deep with us to peel back the secret of getting your film funded. We'll jump into topics like private investment, state incentives, grants, brand deals, presales, and equity funding.
B.D. Gunnell
Founder, Empowered Entertainment
Amanda Dare
Founder, Woman-Owned Wallet
Nelson Quinones
Assistant Director (DGA) Commercials, Film/TV
Heather Bouvier
Founder, The B Scene
What's the impact of cannabis legalization on jobs, taxes, tourism, and business growth? We'll bring out folks who can tell you based on firsthand experience from cities and states that have legalized.
Jeremy Jacobs
Founder, UnDesked
Victoria Williams
CEO, ACC of Illinois
Lauren Bratcher
Deputy Director, Kentucky NORML
Eyes on you Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee. What can citizens do to advance legislation in their state? We're sharing insights from the folks who get it done in the world of cannabis.
Victoria Williams
CEO, ACC of Illinois
We're breaking through the abstract and discussing concrete ways state and city governments can support startup capital. We'll tackle everything from innovation funds to public-private partnerships and everything in between.
Monique Quarterman
Founder, Quartz Smith Strategies
Malcolm Muhammad, PhD
Assistant Professor, Georgia State University J. Mack Robinson College of Business
Chris Redd
Co-Founder, Network N' Chill
The trades produce economic mobility, but the brand has suffered over the years. We're bringing together boots on the ground folks to talk about how to make skilled labor cool again.
A.J. Patton
Founder & CEO, 548 Enterprise
Chrissy Marsey
Executive Director, Central Ohio Women in the Trades
Luke Humphrey
CEO, Train For The Crane
Cristina Barillas-McEntee
Director, Chicago Women In Trades
Swap venues with us after programming and join us at Story Louisville for an evening of getting to know folks from your community and beyond.
We'll be announcing speakers, locations, programming, and landed moonshots soon. Keep up with us. If you can.
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