Jillian Barnhart: Oral History Interview

This interview is with Jillian Barnhart of Lux Nova Creative. In this interview, Jillian shares her many experiences as a photographer, marketer, and the many hobbies she has collected along the way. She believes these experiences give her a unique set of skills that benefit her clients.Jillian talks about how she began in photography by moving to Los Angeles to work in the music industry and fell in love with metal music. She photographed many famous names during concerts and even photographed album covers. After working in photography, Jillian began working in LA restaurants.Jillian discusses her introduction into the industry as wine reps would come into the restaurants she worked at and have her taste wines. She discovered she had a good palate and that wine was like nothing else. From there, she got multiple wine certifications and started working as a rep in Oregon after moving from LA with her husband in 2016. Soon after, she started working as a director of marketing for Brooks Wine.Later in the interview, Jillian talks about why she started her own company and how she runs it. She has worked in every side of the industry and offers a broad range of skills. She creates all of the content for her clients herself and believes wine is supposed to be fun. Jillian also gives advice on how the wine industry can appeal to younger generations.This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Jillian’s home in Salem on June 3, 2026.