Katie Hunt, 40 Under 40 Honoree
We have exciting news!
Our very own Katie Hunt, Founder of Proof to Product (formerly known as Tradeshow Bootcamp), has been selected as one the first-ever Gift + Stationery 40 Under 40 honorees.
Katie, along with the other 39 honorees, were selected based on leadership qualities, creativity, innovative thinking and commitment to the industry by representatives of Gift Shop, Stationery Trends, Museums & More, the Gift & Home Trade Association (GHTA) and GHTA’s Young Gift Executives Program (YGE).
Katie is honored to be chosen as one of the stationery industry’s top 40 professionals under the age of 40, and would like to extend Congratulations to all the Paper Camp alums, speakers and friends that also made the list!
Below is the full list of honorees that were chosen as well as a snippet of Katie’s amazing accomplishments. Congrats Katie!
Caitlin Abshier, Owner & Founder, Cait & Company
Joanna Alberti, Founder & Owner, philoSophies
Lisa Ball Ponder, Fourth Generation Owner, Henry B Ball West
Steven Broukhim, President, Brouk and Company
Chad Corzine, Owner, The Urban Agriculture Company
Paul Cosaro, Managing Partner, Picnic Time Family of Brands
Jessica Dean, Guest Experience Manager, Oklahoma City Zoo & Botanical Garden
Leslie Dickinson, Territory Sales Manager, Mud Pie Sales Division, OneCoast
Christa Dyer, Director of Operations, The DoSeum: San Antonio’s Museum for Kids
Courtney Fogarty, Account Manager, Incipio
Lauren Gryniewski, Owner & Creative Director, Old Tom Foolery / Modern Lore / Greater Goods
Molly Hatch, Designer & Potter, Molly Hatch Designs
Lindsay Henry, Founder & Creative Director, Inklings Paperie
Katie Hunt, Founder, Tradeshow Bootcamp
Kyle Johnson Smith, Design Manager, Coton Colors
Davidson Lewis, CEO, Eco Brands Group, Makers of Alchemy Goods
Inger McDowell-Hartye, Chief Curator, With Love from PDX
Lauren Miller Brekke, Vice President of Merchandising, Mud Pie
Carina Murray, Principal Sales Rep, Crow & Canary
Esther Ossei-Anto, Marketing Manager, Las Vegas Market
Elizabeth Olwen, Contributing Artist, Madison Park Group
Gina Peterson, Owner, Graphic Designer, Ginger P. Designs
Sarah Reed, Owner & Designer, Dodeline Design
Bridgette Reed, Owner, Olivia Sophia Stationery
Leanne Scanlon, Owner, Hardscrabble Gifts
Dylan Schauben, Vice President, J.Grob Associates
Serenity Shanklin, Store Operations Manager, Mill City Museum
Beth Snyder, Owner/Creative Director, 1canoe2
Kate Strzok, President, Broadway Paper
Virginia Thomas, President & CEO, Ann Page
Sarah Walsh & Erin Miller, Co-Owners, Haute Papier
Megan & Cedar Watson, Co-Owners & Operators, Paper Goat Post
Jessica Werner, Gift Shop Manager, Marketing & Event Coordinator, Long Island Science Center
Jacqueline White, Owner & General Manager, African American Art & More
Kristin Wilson, Designer, Grace and Serendipity
Kelly Wilson, Visitor Experience Assistant Manager, Mingei International Museum/The Collectors’ Gallery Museum Store
Christopher Wornom, Director of Business Development & Acquisitions, Evergreen Enterprises
Charlene Wright, Sales Manager, Emily McDowell Studio
Lawrence Yeh, CEO, Paper Pop Cards
Alaina Young, Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Q Squared
Katie founded Tradeshow Bootcamp in 2011 after growing her own stationery line through trial & error. She craved community and realized that other stationery designers were in need of resources to help them scale and grow their stationery and product based businesses.
Katie earned a dual MBA in marketing and finance from Loyola Marymount University and has spent the last 17 years coaching large corporations and solo entrepreneurs on marketing and business development strategies. Katie is a firm believer in professional development, surrounding yourself with strong mentors / community and pushing ‘go’ even when you might not feel ready.
Katie has taught classes for CreativeLive, presented at Unique CAMP, Savvy Experience, Be Sage Conference, Seanwes conference, Nearly Impossible and written articles for UpperCase Magazine and Etsy Wholesale. Through Tradeshow Bootcamp, Katie has hosted more than 200 live webinars, 12 conferences and spent hundreds of hours providing 1-1 coaching to independent artists and small businesses.
Katie also recently launched her podcast, Proof To Product, which debuted at #19 in iTunes in the Arts category and #2 in the Design category. Proof to Product takes listeners behind the scenes of growing a product-based business. Guests share their successes, struggles and how they’ve made difficult but important transitions in their business to continue growing.
Katie’s strengths lie in connecting people and bringing ideas to life – brainstorming, making a plan and executing. She’s a bit type-A, overly organized and has an affinity for calendars, checklists and a love for notebooks that only stationers will understand.
She often describes Proof to Product as the perfect merging of her two worlds; her happy place where she can share her business expertise and knowledge with an industry and clients that she loves.
Katie has a passion for creating, a mind for business and a strong desire to help others succeed. When she’s not cheering on Paper Camp alums or dreaming up new workshops, you can find her spending time with her husband and four young children in Los Angeles.
Connect with Katie Hunt
Katie Hunt is a business strategist, podcaster, mentor and mama to four. She helps product based businesses build profitable, sustainable companies through her conferences, courses and coaching programs.
Website: prooftoproduct.com | Instagram: @prooftoproduct
