Melissa Lushbaugh is the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of South Made Marketing, a full-service digital marketing agency headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. With more than 22 years of experience in marketing, content strategy, photography, and brand development, Melissa has helped lead South Made’s growth into one of the Southeast’s most established independent agencies, serving more than 1,000 brands across 45 states and five countries. She serves on the 2026-2027 Board of Directors for AAF Knoxville and was named to VIP Knoxville Magazine’s inaugural 50 Under 50 class in September 2025.
Her career began in fine dining marketing and event planning in Boca Raton, Florida, followed by nearly a decade as a high school English teacher and coach before she transitioned full time into South Made.
Her photography and creative direction have contributed to work featured in Whisky Advocate, Southern Living, Food Network, Fatherly, Maxim, the television series Food Paradise, and Florida Cocktails, published by Cider Mill Press. Her photography for Whisky Advocate’s Knoxville feature was credited directly to Melissa Bolt Lushbaugh and South Made Marketing.
Melissa’s approach to marketing is rooted in creativity first. She finds inspiration everywhere, from travel and vintage magazine spreads to hospitality, design, and emerging digital culture, then turns those ideas into executable campaigns for her clients. Her expertise spans social media strategy, content creation, photography, brand identity, SEO, and integrated digital marketing, but her greatest strength is understanding how to give a brand a distinctive visual identity and a voice people remember.
She has led campaigns for hospitality groups, luxury brands, medical practices, restaurants, real estate companies, and regional businesses. She did not set out to own an agency. She set out to do great work, and the agency followed.
Today, Melissa leads South Made’s creative team and personally oversees strategy for many of the agency’s most complex client engagements. She is based in Knoxville, Tennessee, and is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University.
A new kind of venue is coming to downtown Knoxville. We’re not saying it’s a honky tonk but it will have incredible live music, dancing and cocktails. Giddy up cowgirl.
Follow @countryroadknox opening late fall 2026
We are excited to announce a very special design event. Introducing @knoxvilledesignsummit
The inaugural Knoxville Design Summit will take place November 13–14 @rtlodge
Created by Brittney Barb, Natalie Clayman and Courtney Martin. Together they are brining local architects, interior designers, builders, industry professionals, and homeowners together for a curated event featuring networking opportunities, panel discussions, and collaborative conversations.
Learn more on their recently launched website. 😉 Website Design & graphics by South Made Marketing
Girls who compete. Girls who lead. Girls who show up for each other. 💪🏼🏐
South Made is proud to sponsor the Lady Blazers CBA Girls Volleyball Team, because we’re all about backing young women who are putting in the work.
Strong female leaders are built through developing confidence, teamwork, discipline, failure and grit. Show up, show out and lock in!!
Let’s get after it, Lady Blazers. 🔥🏐 Good luck in your tournament.
⚡️SOUTH MADE COLLABS is officially here. We are starting to schedule our first collabs with our creative collective!
If you joined- be on the lookout for our intro email.
And if you didn’t sign up- there is still time! We have some truly amazing opportunities on the horizon.
Current Collab Markets: Knoxville, Chattanooga, Nashville, Lexington, Marco Island, Atlanta, Asheville, Raleigh, Charlotte, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Bahamas, Naples, Philadelphia, Austin, Clarksville…
Love creating content and new experiences? Sign up & learn more on our website.
We’re excited to announce that Melissa Lushbaugh has been nominated and elected to the 2026 Board of Directors for the Knoxville branch of the American Advertising Federation (@knoxaaf).
During her time on the board, Melissa will serve on several committees, including the Programs & Public Service Team and Communications Team, while also leading the Scholarship Team, which awards an advertising scholarship to deserving students pursuing a future in the industry.
This opportunity is a reflection of her commitment to the advertising and marketing industry, her continued investment in her craft, and her belief in giving back to the next generation of creative professionals.
We’re incredibly proud to see her take on this role and bring her experience, perspective and passion for the industry to AAF Knoxville.
Congratulations, Melissa! We can’t wait to see all you accomplish in this next chapter.
Did you know pizza is the most instagrammed food?
Speaking of pizza! We recently launched the website for @redchimneypizza
Cozy comfort food in Tellico Plains. 🍕 Wood fired pizzas made fresh with local ingredients and plenty of heart. Pair your meal with a craft cocktail or beer from the bar and finish it off with hand-dipped ice cream and the laid-back taste of small-town Tennessee charm.
Stop by, say hi, grab a slice.
Welcome Tressa!!! Tressa started with South Made as an intern her senior year at the University of Tennessee. After graduating she returned to California. She brings a unique perspective from her work in the hospitality and wine industry, where she spent two years creating personalized brand experiences at Field Recordings and The Fableist Wine Company in California’s Central Coast wine country. That background in experiential brand connection, meeting people where they are and making them feel confident and welcomed, translates directly into the social media work she does for South Made’s clients.
We’re so excited to have Tressa back in the volunteer state and on the South Made social media team!
Let’s raise a glass and welcome @tressa.domingos 🍷
Social Media Agency | Knoxville Tennessee SouthMadeMarketing ⚡️
OUR 2026 RECRUITMENT VIDEO IS HERE!!! ⚡️🌊🌺
Rush Week may be over, but recruitment is just getting started. This video can only capture a glimpse of what it’s like to be part of South Made, and we’re so excited to find the next creative people who will join us this fall for internships.
Intern applications are open on our website through August 20. Skip the traditional resume and show us what you can do. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!
⚡️Rush ΣM 2026
ΣM BID DAY 2026 🥥🌴🌺🏄🏼♀️🐬
Our team had way too much fun reliving college for the day and wrapping up Rush Week together. This recruitment campaign has been such a fun way to share more of our team and start looking for who might join us next.
And because this whole campaign is really about finding great people, we made one of the bids official...💌 Chloe is joining South Made full time, and getting to surprise her during Bid Day made the celebration even sweeter!
Fall internship applications are open through August 20, so head to our website and send us something creative. Maybe your bid is next. ⚡️
Knoxville is home base, but our team comes from all over📍
Swipe through to see where everyone calls home.
Fall internship applications are open. Learn more and apply through the link in our bio.
⚡Rush ΣM, day four
Day 3 called for a change of scenery 🌺
We took a little inspiration from our Marco Island office, put on our best tropical fits, and traded the office for an afternoon on the boat with our friends at @nauticalboatclubknoxville
Ready to rush ΣM? Fall internship applications are OPEN. Learn more and apply at the link in our bio.
*Internship applications are open now — August 20th.
Rush ΣM 2026, day three ⚡️
We want YOU as a new recruit 💗
Fall internship applications are officially open, and this is not your average recruitment process…
Skip submitting just the standard resume. We’d much rather see your creativity in action. Submit something that shows who you are, what you can do and why you would fit right in at South Made. Full details on our internship page.
Rush is open through August 20th. Apply at the link in our bio.
⚡️Rush ΣM 2026, day two
Rush is officially in session, and we’re dreaming of the next class of interns to find their spot at South Made! 💭
Our dream intern:
☁️ natural creative
☁️ speaks fluent social
☁️ notices the details
☁️ stays organized
Sound like you? Stay tuned. More fall internship details are coming soon.
Sweet dreams from ΣM.
⚡️Rush ΣM 2026, day one
We figured our next class of creatives deserve a proper recruitment season.
Fall 2026 internship info coming soon. ⚡️
Ready to create cool sh⚡️t?
We are hiring! We’re looking for two creatives to join our social media team in our Knoxville office. Although Knoxville is our headquarters we work everywhere.
Ideal candidates:
Love to be social, travel, read, research, create content. It’s even better if you’re a foodie, enjoy cocktail culture, real estate, photography and events.
Learn more and apply on our website. No remote positions available. This is an in-person opportunity.
South Made Marketing | Knoxville Social Media and Marketing Agency ⚡️
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