About
Unlocking the Power of the Internet
Narratent is revolutionizing how consumers and brands interact over the internet. Today, customers will choose your brand through web, social media, search, and email. We help turn that attention into revenue with digital strategy and content that unlocks the power of the internet — not just as a channel for attention or distribution, but as an engine for growth.
Narratent is the agency behind category-defining work for Fortune 500 retailers and consumer brands, national media companies, and institutions navigating moments of scale, transition, and growth.
Marketers
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Founded
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Brands Served
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Chicago
HEADQUARTERED
OUR STORY
From a $400 side hustle to a studio in the South Loop.
Narratent is led by Co-Founders Desmon Walker and Allen C. Shelton. Together, they built the agency using a formula combining intellectual capital, technology, and talent.
Timeline
2012-2016
Southern Illinois University
Desmon and Allen meet at college orientation. Both become student leaders, with roles as resident assistants, in Alpha Phi Alpha, on SIU’s Board of Trustees, in Student Programming Council, and Undergraduate Student Government.
2016-2018
Corporate America
Both start careers in Corporate America. Allen moves to Washington, D.C., to work in luxury real estate content marketing. Returning to his hometown, Desmon lands a role selling TV and digital advertising for Comcast Advertising.
2019-2020
Side hustling through COVID
The pair launches Narratent with less than $400. The company remains a side hustle for two years. Pursuing a Content Manager role at Groupon, Desmon moves to Chicago. Groupon then cuts staff as the COVID pandemic emerges. Desmon is recruited to agencies NP Digital and G&S Business Communications. Allen starts his career at Apple.
2021-2022
First campaigns and projects
Desmon and Allen resign from their full-time roles and hire the agency’s first team members. Narratent builds a Shopify website for Lil Baby’s Back Outside tour and a social media campaign for RUSH University Medical Center, resulting in 10,000 new COVID tests among Chicago’s Black residents. The agency later helps NBC Sports launch its first NIL marketplace and Pronghorn break ground in the spirits industry leveraging social.
2023-2024
Breaking into major events
WayMaker Media hires Narratent as AOR for marketing and creative, growing its annual men’s summit from 700 to 4,000. Narratent opens a downtown Chicago office and starts a summer internship program. BET hires Narratent to consult on BET Awards advertising.
2025-2026
New Territory
Narratent leads the first rebrand for Skills for Chicago. Moving its summit to Los Angeles, WayMaker Media assigns Narratent to sponsor storytelling strategy for Dove, Gillette, Bevel, and other brands. Narratent expands with Narratent Studios, moving its office to the South Loop.
Timeline
2012-2016
Southern Illinois University
Desmon and Allen meet at college orientation. Both become student leaders, with roles as resident assistants, in Alpha Phi Alpha, on SIU’s Board of Trustees, in Student Programming Council, and Undergraduate Student Government.
2016 – 2018
Corporate America
Both start careers in Corporate America. Allen moves to Washington, D.C., to work in luxury real estate content marketing. Returning to his hometown, Desmon lands a role selling TV and digital advertising for Comcast Advertising.
2019 – 2020
Side hustling through COVID
The pair launches Narratent with less than $400. The company remains a side hustle for two years. Pursuing a Content Manager role at Groupon, Desmon moves to Chicago. Groupon then cuts staff as the COVID pandemic emerges. Desmon is recruited to agencies NP Digital and G&S Business Communications. Allen starts his career at Apple.
2021- 2021
First campaigns and projects
Desmon and Allen resign from their full-time roles and hire the agency’s first team members. Narratent builds a Shopify website for Lil Baby’s Back Outside tour and a social media campaign for RUSH University Medical Center, resulting in 10,000 new COVID tests among Chicago’s Black residents. The agency later helps NBC Sports launch its first NIL marketplace and Pronghorn break ground in the spirits industry leveraging social.
2023- 2024
Breaking into major events
WayMaker Media hires Narratent as AOR for marketing and creative, growing its annual men’s summit from 700 to 4,000. Narratent opens a downtown Chicago office and starts a summer internship program. BET hires Narratent to consult on BET Awards advertising.
2025 – 2026
New Territory
Narratent leads the first rebrand for Skills for Chicago. Moving its summit to Los Angeles, WayMaker Media assigns Narratent to sponsor storytelling strategy for Dove, Gillette, Bevel, and other brands. Narratent expands with Narratent Studios, moving its office to the South Loop.
LEADERSHIP
The minds behind the method.
Desmon Walker
Co-Founder, CEO
Allen C. Shelton
Co-Founder, CCO
The Team
The people who make it happen.
Dante Leveritte
Sr. Designer
Karae Carthans
Digital Coordinator
Trent Owens
Producer
“Creativity is the ability to take your mind and lived experiences, put it down on a piece of paper, and get someone else to believe in it.”
Allen C. Shelton
CCO/ Co-Founder
“What are the possibilities and outcomes when the brands that we all cherish, truly take time to get to know us as well as we know them?”
Desmon Walker
CEO / Co-Founder
“Creativity is the ability to take your mind and lived experiences, put it down on a piece of paper, and get someone else to believe in it.”
Allen C. Shelton
CCO/ Co-Founder
“What are the possibilities and outcomes when the brands that we all cherish, truly take time to get to know us as well as we know them?”
Desmon Walker
CEO / Co-Founder
COMMUNITY IMPACT
Beyond the brand — into the community.
We believe the best marketing doesn’t just sell — it serves. From classrooms to keynote stages, we invest our creative energy where it matters most.
Community Outreach
Watch Video
Narratent in Schools
Working with students across Chicago to bring digital literacy and creative storytelling into the classroom.
TedX Talk
Watch Video
Desmon’s TEDx Talk
Exploring how brands can build authentic relationships with the communities they serve.
Keynote Address
Watch Video
SIU Keynote
A keynote address on creativity, lived experience, and the future of brand storytelling.
Let’s Create
Ready to write the next chapter?
Let’s build something worth talking about — together.