Karesse Clemons

Karesse Clemons is an American producer, journalist, broadcaster, author, and advocate whose career sits squarely at the crossroads of live entertainment, media, and social impact. A Hopkinsville, Kentucky native, he discovered an early love for performance and storytelling that would shape every chapter of his professional life. Karesse earned his Bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from Tennessee State University and went on to study at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., grounding his creative work in both technical craft and a deep sense of purpose. He has spent the last decade producing live entertainment at the highest level — running production for Live Nation tours alongside artists including Chris Brown, Common, Ledisi, Maxwell, and Dave Matthews, and serving as road manager on Jewel's Freewheelin' Woman Tour. His production résumé spans tour management, festival operations, stage management, broadcast engineering, AV systems, lighting and sound, budget oversight, vendor and talent coordination, and FCC compliance. He has led teams of 150+, grown audiences from 25 to 600+ through targeted communication strategies, and built virtual event experiences when the industry was forced to reinvent itself overnight during COVID-19. Beyond the road, Karesse is a working journalist and broadcaster with on-air and newsroom experience at Region 8 News (KAIT) in Jonesboro, Arkansas, where he led daily newscasts and tackled complex stories with integrity. He is the founding president of the Intercultural Media Alliance and the creator of MetroWave Media Group and Black National Honors — platforms built to elevate diverse voices and challenge the industry's status quo. As a creative producer, his work spans television, radio, podcasts, short films, and documentaries. Karesse formerly served as a Public Affairs Mass Communications Specialist with the U.S. Army, where he sharpened his skills in media production, broadcast operations, and high-stakes strategic communication. A passionate advocate for mental health awareness and LGBTQIA+ visibility, Karesse uses his platforms to normalize honest conversations about wellness, identity, and belonging. In both the audiences he reaches and the crews he leads, Karesse believes the people who build live experiences deserve the same care as the people who watch them, and that representation behind the scenes matters as much as representation on stage. Whether it's a 50-city arena tour, a multi-day festival, a branded live experience, or a broadcast on deadline, Karesse brings the technical expertise, operational discipline, and creative instinct to deliver. He lives by a simple guiding principle: things may not always happen when you want, but if you keep moving forward, all things are possible.