Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Mekky.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Michelle. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born on the North Side of Chicago, the daughter of immigrants and was first generation in my family to go to college. My dad was an electrician who worked very hard in a physical job to support myself and my two younger brothers.
I first discovered my love for journalism in high school. My parents moved to the north suburbs of Chicago while I was in elementary school and I attended Niles West High School, where I had an English teacher who recommended I join the school newspaper. After trying it out, I loved it and soon became Editor-In-Chief and had my own column. When I experienced the loss of my grandmother, I wrote about it and received an overwhelming amount of feedback from my readers and I was hooked. I knew journalism was for me. I set my sights on Northwestern University which I knew had one of the best journalism schools in the country. Even though my father quickly reminded me he had little savings for me to attend such an expensive school, I didn’t let that stop me. I managed to achieve my Northwestern degree through scholarships and student loans, and went through the undergraduate and graduate program of the Medill School of Journalism, with a focus on broadcast journalism.
After dipping my toe in PR upon graduation just to pay the bills, I eventually got a position as a freelance news writer at Fox in Chicago, after one of my Northwestern professors called me up and said he gave them my name and number. I was supposed to only occasionally be called in to work the overnight shift and write copy for the morning shows but they relied on me almost daily. I still had the daytime job in PR, so I was working double shifts and barely sleeping. But after eight months, Fox finally hired me full time and I built my journalism career at the station. I worked there over 12 years, as a writer, segment producer and eventually senior producer of the morning shows, overseeing all content and live guests. (Also managed to get married and have two kids during this time.)
During my career there, I came into contact with hundreds if not thousands of PR people who pitched me daily to book their clients. I quickly realized how many didn’t truly understand the right way to pitch television producers and I knew if I ever had the chance to transition into PR I would be great at it! And that is exactly what happened. I decided to leave Fox after 12 years and transition into a career in PR, starting at a small agency in Chicago which I helped grow. I eventually held senior management positions at three Chicago agencies, winning multiple awards for campaigns I led, traveling the world, emceeing events and leading global PR initiatives, before jumping off a cliff and starting my own firm!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has been a tough road to get where I am today. First off working double shifts, including a 1am-9am shift at Fox was something I never expected I would have to do with a Masters Degree from Northwestern. But, I certainly did and spent many nights eating Cheetos out of the vending machine in the dark newsroom. When I chose to work in PR it was an exciting career change, filled with amazing opportunities, international travel, and phenomenal clients. But the career is a high-stress one. I quickly adapted to agency life and was on pretty much 24-7. I was working about 80 hours a week at one point until I was hit with a terrifying cancer scare. After going in for a routine physical, a suspicious growth was found and I had to undergo a very invasive surgery to determine what I feared the most – I had ovarian cancer. This forced me to slow down and prioritize my health and family for sure. I was extremely lucky and was found to only be stage one but it still was a long recovery both physically and emotionally. Always known to have an insane worth ethic, I still jumped back into the agency world after my recovery and soon realized I had a bigger calling: to live a more authentic life and start my own company. I had worked for many smart, brave, and successful entrepreneurs but always wanted to bring my brand of PR to the market, and drive results using my methodologies and approach, and having flexibility at the same time. This is what I have proudly created for myself and my team.
Mekky Media Relations – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Mekky Media is a boutique PR agency that specializes in achieving powerful publicity for clients in a variety of industries and verticals. I stripped away all of the extras that many PR agencies offer to focus on what I feel is the biggest reason companies want PR – media relations. So our key services include PR Strategy and media relations, media training, event promotion and social media and influencer strategy. We are truly known for cutting through the clutter and landing great media coverage for our clients. Just take a look at our social media platforms and website where we proudly display the coverage we receive. I have attracted a team that comes from many different backgrounds and PR and journalism experiences. We are close and truly embody a culture of teamwork, passion, and authenticity. I am super proud of the results we have achieved and never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined it would have grown so fast in only two years and it started in my dining with me, my computer and a small loan from my mentor who gave me the wind beneath my wings to finally just do it.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
This is a tough question as the measure of success is different for everyone. But as I am building an organization culture is very important to me so I set core values for the company. If these are being lived, breathed and followed then I feel we are successful. Passion, authenticity, trust, creativity, teamwork, and commitment to excellence. If we bring passion to our jobs and our days and our clients, we feel rewarded and only good things come. If we are authentic in our lives and with each other and our clients then we live in truth and honesty. It is easy to see quickly who is not a fit when we recruit when we look at this barometer and same goes for the clients and people we partner with.
On a personal level, success is being able to support my family while enjoying time with them at the same time or taking care of myself without feeling guilty or that I am letting anyone down. I struggled with this in my career but now that I am working for myself I have realized I have a powerful opportunity to create the flexibility I wish to have as well as set a uniquely flexible environment for my team.
Contact Info:
- Address: Mekky Media
The Wrigley Building
410 N. Michigan Avenue Suite N700
Chicago, IL 60611 - Website: www.mekkymedia.com
- Phone: 312-414-1883
- Email: michelle@mekkymedia.com
- Instagram: @mekkymedia or @michelle.mekky
- Facebook: Mekky Media Relations
- Twitter: @mekkymedia
- Other: LinkedIn: Michelle Mekky
Image Credit:
Main photo: Kentaro Yamada “The Uplifted”
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