Our Story
Our Journey Started In 2019
Consider this our diary - as time goes by, we'll continue to add to our story.
May 2019
At 18 years old, working as an Apprentice Marketing Assistant for a multi-franchise main brand motor dealer, Alex embarked on a side hustle alongside his 9-5.
He started off by taking on some small freelance gigs, building his experience in the space alongside his apprenticeship to grow and develop into new and exciting areas of knowledge & capabilities. He continued to take on the occasional freelance gig, building his experience through 2019.
April 2020
In April 2020, Alex was approached by Sarah Keeley, a friend of a friend, who was helping her fiancé start an online sports retail business.
Alex worked closely with Sarah and her fiancé to build the brand from the ground up: developing the visual identity, designing the website and defining the marketing strategy.
The collaboration demanded late nights, long weekends and more than a few brainstorming sessions over coffee, but it was worth it. Not only did the project take shape, but Alex and Sarah also realised how well they worked together.
Toward the end of 2020, Sarah posed a question that would change everything:
“Why don’t you do this full time?”
It stuck. And it sparked the beginning of what would become Pollard Media.
December 2020
At 19, Alex has his mind set - he is determined to make Pollard Media more than just a side hustle.
And on 11th December 2020, Alex registers Pollard Media Ltd as a company at Companies House.
Through December, still alongside his daytime job, Alex worked in the evenings & weekends to build his brand & digital presence, ready to prospect businesses in the New Year.
January 2021
By January 2021, Pollard Media was no longer just an idea.
Alex made the decision to commit fully, reaching out to businesses he genuinely believed could benefit from better, more considered digital marketing.
Instead of taking a hard-sell approach, he focused on building real relationships and offering honest, practical advice.
It quickly became clear that many businesses hadn’t experienced marketing delivered in such a personal and transparent way and the response reflected that.
After plenty of persistence, late nights and more coffee than Alex would care to admit, Pollard Media secured its first client introduction meeting.
Despite heavy snow on the day, the meeting went ahead as planned.
Alex made the journey and successfully onboarded the business as Pollard Media’s first major client, leading to two web development projects supported by wider marketing strategy work.
It was a defining moment, marking the point where early belief turned into real momentum and confirming that there was a genuine appetite for the way Pollard Media worked.
April 2021
As client work increased, balancing the growing workload alongside Alex’s full-time role became increasingly challenging.
It became clear that Pollard Media needed additional support to maintain the standard of work and the level of care clients had come to expect.
Alex approached Lydia Finn, a long-time friend and a naturally creative individual who, until that point, hadn’t quite found the right career fit.
Recognising her talent and potential, Alex offered Lydia a part-time marketing assistant role, designed around her creative strengths.
On 12 April 2021, Lydia officially joined Pollard Media, marking the company’s first step from a one-person operation towards the close-knit team it is today.
June 2021
By June 2021, momentum continued to build.
During a visit to see Sarah, who was working within the NHS 111 service at the time, a light-hearted conversation quickly turned into something more serious.
What began as a joking “Have you got a job for me yet?” soon became a real opportunity.
Sarah joined Pollard Media as a freelance, part-time Client Success Manager, bringing with her extensive experience in communication and people-focused roles, including 17 years working within the Norfolk Constabulary Control Room, Norfolk County Council Operations and other public-facing environments.
Just three weeks later, Sarah made the leap to join Pollard Media as a permanent team member, marking another significant step in the growth of the business and strengthening its client-first approach.
July 2021
In July 2021, Pollard Media took another major step forward with the move into its first office at Herbert Smith House in Honingham.
The space was small, with a slanted roof and a single Velux window and could just about accommodate just a handful of people at a time.
But it was ours - a place to collaborate, focus and begin shaping Pollard Media as a team, not just a business.
Early 2022
Early 2022 marked a defining moment for Pollard Media. At 20 years old, Alex had to make the decision to step away from his full-time marketing assistant role and commit to the business entirely.
It was a clear, deliberate choice. With no fallback plan, Alex chose to go all in on Pollard Media, focusing his time, energy and attention on building something long term.
From that point on, Pollard Media was no longer something being developed alongside other commitments. It became the sole focus, setting the tone for the growth, values and way of working that still define the business today.
Mid 2022
By mid 2022, Pollard Media had outgrown its first office and made the move to a new premises in Taverham.
At three to four times the size of the original space in Honingham, it gave the team the room they needed to grow and work more collaboratively.
The move to Beech Avenue marked an important milestone, creating a dedicated studio space where clients could visit, meet the team and work alongside us.
We also welcomed a new team member, Katie!
2023
Throughout 2023, Pollard Media continued to evolve as the team refined its approach, expanded its capabilities and welcomed a growing number of new clients.
The year also marked another milestone for the business, achieving both Google Partner and Meta Business Partner status.
Towards the end of the year, we said a fond farewell to Katie, who moved on to continue developing her digital marketing career.
We’re grateful for her contribution during her time with Pollard Media and wish her every success for the future.
2024
2024 was a busy and positive year.
We continued to grow our client base, working with more businesses we genuinely enjoy partnering with and building long-term relationships along the way.
In July, we moved into our new office at Crafton House in Poringland. It gave us a new, collaborative space to work together, welcome clients in and keep doing what we do best - working closely, staying involved and delivering marketing that’s properly thought through.
2025
2025 has been another big year for Pollard Media.
We’ve welcomed new clients, grown the team with the addition of Megan as our Digital Strategist and continued to shape the way we work as the business evolves.
We also moved into a larger space within Crafton House, giving us more room to collaborate and create.
Alongside this, our client base has grown beyond Norfolk and Suffolk, with businesses across the UK now choosing to work with us.
To support that growth, we invested further in content creation equipment and services, allowing us to produce more high-quality work in-house and give our clients even more value.
