Alumni Spotlight: Kristen Taber, Founder of Tabletop Media Group

Kristen Taber ‘10 ‘12 started her undergraduate journey as a nutrition sciences major, but it wasn’t the right fit. “I wanted to teach people about healthy living and agriculture, and stumbled upon the extension education major”, she says. “It was a PERFECT fit and allowed me to learn even more about agriculture!” Taber grew up in Charlotte and didn’t have a lot of previous experience with the agriculture industry, so loved how the extension education program allowed her to visit farms, take an animal science class, and more. She was also president of the Agri-Life Council as an undergraduate student, and it was at a club meeting that she met Ray Starling of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS). “He was looking for an intern, and walked up to me and asked, point blank, if I would be interested!”, says Taber. “Of course, I said ‘YES!’”

After graduating with a B.S. in extension education with a focus on nutrition in 2010, Taber stayed at NC State to pursue her M.S., also in extension education, but with a focus on agricultural leadership. Jackie Bruce served as her committee chair – and as an influential mentor and friend. “She is a total gem of a human being!”, says Taber. “We spent many late nights editing pages from my thesis and eating homemade pasta at her house. She truly took me in as one of her kiddos and I’m forever grateful for her mentorship and friendship”. 

Taber joined the NCDA&CS as an events and outreach coordinator after graduating with her M.S. But her entrepreneurial spirit was calling. “I found it hard to sit still and my mind was always wandering, thinking of what I could build”, she says. “After my time at the NCDA, my career propelled forward into the media space and finally led me to launch my company. Once I took that jump, I’ve never looked back”. In 2016, she founded Tabletop Media Group, a full-service media agency specializing in food, beverage, agriculture, and lifestyle clients. 

Today, Tabletop Media Group boasts a twelve-person team, and offers services including social media management, videography, photography, graphic design, public relations and marketing to help clients become known for their craft or area of expertise. Taber knows that by working to promote clients and build strong communication channels, Tabletop Media Group is helping local food and agriculture businesses grow and thrive. At the beginning, Taber led all client projects, including photo and video shoots, website building, and more. These days, she’s happily taken on a primarily business-building role, focused on public relations and growing the company.

“It feels really good to have an amazing team and a company that runs smoothly with awesome leaders!”, she notes. In her work with Tabletop Media Group, so much has come full circle for Taber: she’s now involved in organizing the same sorts of farm tours that made her fall in love with agriculture as a student and works regularly with farmers and other members of the agriculture and food spaces. Best of all, she’s gotten to work with Bruce, creating websites, graphics, and video projects for the Oaks Leadership Scholars program, and others. 

Taber is excited to lead the growth and expansion of TableTop Media Group in the coming years, as well as explore her many other interests, including yoga. “One of my current passions is teaching yoga!”, she says. “I’d love to open up a yoga studio in my small town of Warrenton, NC.” She’s also planning to dive more fully into real estate and other investments, noting, “I have a lot of interests and I’m very entrepreneurial, if you can’t tell!” In all her future endeavors, Taber says she’ll take inspiration from her grandfather, whose saying, ‘the sky is the limit’, comes to mind often for her when she takes on a challenge. “I can truly do anything if I put my mind to it”.