Jennie Smythe

Jennie Smythe is a groundbreaker in the digital marketing field and the founder and CEO of Girlilla Marketing, an award-winning firm renowned for its work with world-famous entertainers, including Willie Nelson, Dead & Company, Darius Rucker, Blondie, Brooke Shields, Iliza Shlesinger, Terry Crews, Kristin Chenoweth, Vince Gill, and more. A Nashville-based industry leader, Smythe also serves as 2025 Chairperson of the Country Music Association Board of Directors and is on the boards of the CMA Foundation and Music Health Alliance.

With more than two decades of experience, she’s been recognized by Forbes, Billboard, Fast Company, The Tennessean, and People for her inspiring personal story and innovative approach to digital strategy. Smythe is a multi-year recipient of Nashville Business Journal’s Women in Music City Awards and a MusicRow magazine Rising Women on the Row honoree. Her upcoming memoir, Becoming Girlilla, shares her unique journey through career highs and lows, personal challenges, and her recent breast cancer battle, inspiring readers to create meaningful connections online and offline.

Smythe lives in Nashville with her husband, fellow entrepreneur Shannon Houchins, and their two children.