Mekky Media celebrates nine years in business, with continued agency growth

Founder and president Michelle Mekky says the agency is building on nine-year milestone
by welcoming exciting new clients and expanding services to adapt to client needs

CHICAGO – Mekky Media Relations is marking nine years in business this summer, celebrating long-term, steady growth and the recent addition of several high-profile clients. Founder and president Michelle Mekky says she is proud of the award-winning agency’s expansion and staying power during a tumultuous time for small businesses.

“As we celebrate the milestone of nine years in business, we are celebrating many recent successes, and we are focused on staying strong by maintaining our positive workplace culture, building on our solid client delivery and looking for new opportunities to grow the agency,” Mekky says.

The public relations and journalism veteran has come a long way since launching her agency from her dining room table in 2016. She started with just one client but managed to quickly expand the roster and begin hiring a staff, marking the beginning of a successful trajectory and period of rapid growth. A diverse blend of business and nonprofit clients in Chicago and beyond signed on to benefit from the agency’s personal attention and extensive expertise in PR strategy, media relations, media training, event promotion, social media strategy and influencer outreach.

Today, Mekky Media delivers powerful publicity, media training and more for national and international businesses and brands, as well as high-profile individuals. Leading up to its ninth anniversary, the agency has been proud to sign a series of new clients that are leaders in their industries, including Mike Nellis and Authentic, national franchise Slick City Action Park, international fast food restaurant Guzman Y Gomez, Kellymoss Motorsports, Tali Kogan & MALKARI jewelry, Cook County School District 130, Brazilian Lymph Spa and PedzSTAR. In addition, the agency continues to represent long-term partners such as the American Library Association, Abt Electronics, Stefani Restaurant Group, ABOC (also known as Amalgamated Bank of Chicago), Impact XM, Craig Bolanos of VestGen Wealth Partners, Giordano’s, Westfield Old Orchard, Start Early and Meet Chicago Northwest.

“Over these nine years, we have achieved results in almost every vertical, thanks to the diverse roster of clients that have trusted us to tell their stories and help grow their businesses,” Mekky says. “I am proud of my team’s hard work and perseverance, which have enabled us to bring exciting new partners into the Mekky Media family.”

Mekky says that as the agency has increased its client base, she has been happy to expand the responsibilities of deserving team members and hire new staff. This includes the promotion of Charisse Barnachea to senior PR and communications lead, Allison DuBois to account manager and Hallie Long to senior account executive. New hires include Camila Rivero, account coordinator, and Maribel Castro, agency coordinator. Mekky Media has solid retention, with agency leaders recently celebrating anniversaries of five, six and eight years. Mekky attributes this, in part, to the positive culture she has worked to build, through developmental opportunities and team events and trips.

“As we have grown and developed our core team over nine years, our core values have been a key pillar in forming the business. Looking into the next phase of the company and where we are moving, the team is working to refresh and emphasize the values that truly embody who we are as a diverse team providing strategic storytelling with impact,” she says, “These principles are now our top priority as we prepare to take the agency to a whole new level.”

Mekky Media has received more than 30 industry and business awards over the past nine years. In April, Mekky was recognized as one of the 2025 100 Women to KNOW in America by KNOW Women, a global media company and network for ambitious businesswomen. She was inducted at an Arizona summit that celebrated exceptional female leaders for their professional success, community contributions and commitment to fostering opportunities for the next generation of women. Mekky also recently began serving on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Council and has advocated in Washington, D.C. on behalf of small businesses. In addition, she has taken a leadership role on the International Public Relations Network (IPRN), serving as an executive board member and regional chair for North America. She says these are all valuable learning and networking opportunities that will help facilitate growth for Mekky Media.

“Throughout our nine years – but especially now – I truly believe our team’s storytelling skills, strategic approach and insider media knowledge and contacts are the best in the business,” Mekky says. “I think our clients agree. That’s why so many of them continue to partner with us year after year, as they experience the business benefits of the exposure we are able to achieve for them.”

About Mekky Media Relations, Inc.

Mekky Media Relations, Inc. is a boutique public relations agency dedicated to delivering powerful publicity for a diverse roster of business and nonprofit clients in Chicago and beyond. Michelle Mekky, a veteran, award-winning broadcast journalist and PR executive, launched the agency in 2016, to provide clients with PR strategy, media relations, media training, event promotion, social media strategy and influencer outreach. To meet demand, the agency has added integrated digital and PR programs, personal branding and internal communications, and has increased its media training capabilities. The agency emphasizes personal attention and creative storytelling and has been widely recognized for its tremendous growth and success in its first nine years. In April 2025, Mekky was recognized as one of the 2025 100 Women to KNOW in America by KNOW Women. In 2024, Mekky Media earned a Golden Trumpet Award and a PRSA Chicago Skyline Award for Hyde Park Summer Fest 2023. In 2022, the agency received Publicity Club of Chicago Golden Trumpet Awards for client work for Adalina and Abt, as well as a Bronze Stevie Award for Media Relations PR Campaign of the Year for Abt. Honors in 2021 included Gold and Silver Stevie’s for PR Agency of the Year and PR Campaign of the Year, as well as Ragan’s Workplace Wellness Award. In addition, Michelle Mekky was named PRSA Chicago Skyline Awards 2023 Professional of the Year, Niles West High School’s 2022 Distinguished Alumni, a 2020 PR News Top Women in PR Honoree and a 2019 Crain’s Chicago Business Notable Entrepreneur, and she won the 2023 Daily Herald Entrepreneurial Excellence Award along with a 2018 Bronze Stevie Award for Women in Business, in the Entrepreneur of the Year category. Mekky Media is a member of the Forbes Agency Council, Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and International PR Network (IPRN). Based in Chicago, the agency has a team of nearly 20 PR professionals who come from top firms and leading media outlets. To learn more, visit www.mekkymedia.com.