Meet the founder: Alex Pollard, in his own words

This year we were proud to sponsor the Excellence in Performance category at the 2026 East Anglian Marketing Awards. As part of it, the team there sat down with our founder, Alex, for their Meet the Founder series.

It turned into a proper look under the bonnet of Pollard Media: how the agency started life as a name and a bit of freelance work back in 2019, why we'll only ever work with one client per sector per area, how saying no to work led us to build a referral network with other agencies rather than compete with them, and what we're building next.

We're republishing the full interview here. Over to Alex.

Behind every successful agency is a founder with a story to tell.

For Alex Pollard, that story has been shaped by a commitment to doing things differently - from building an agency that works exclusively with one client per sector per area, to championing collaboration through a trusted network of specialist referrer partners.

As the founder of Pollard Media and sponsor of the Excellence in Performance category at the 2026 East Anglian Marketing Awards, we sat down with Alex to talk about his journey, the values that drive his business, and why he's passionate about supporting the region's thriving marketing community.

Getting to know Alex:

For those who haven't come across Pollard Media before, tell us a little about yourself and what the agency does.

"Hello! I'm Alex, Managing Director at Pollard Media. We're a full-service marketing agency based in Norwich, covering everything from Google, Meta and Microsoft Ads to social media, content creation, strategy and consultancy, web builds and fractional marketing management. What really defines us isn't the service list; it's how we work. We get to know every client's business inside out - how it really ticks, where it's heading and what matters to them - and we treat it like it's our own. Less a supplier you brief, more a partner in your corner. Our promise is simple: your success is our business."

What's your background, and how did you end up in marketing?

Almost by accident, really. In January 2018, at 16 years old, my previous (and last!) employer took a chance on me because I was creative. Funnily enough, I actually turned down their first offer - a 'Digital Communications Specialist' role that didn't feel like the right fit at the time, but they invited me back 3 days later because they wanted to give me an opportunity, and I started as a Digital Assistant instead, which was my door in! I completed a Level 3 marketing apprenticeship at City College Norwich alongside it, and I've been hooked ever since. Leaving high school in 2017, I had no idea what I wanted to do, so I'm forever grateful and genuinely indebted to my manager at that employer for taking a chance on me. It changed everything.

Was there a particular moment when you realised you wanted to start your own agency?

I have to be honest, it wasn't ever a lightning-bolt moment; it more sparked from a question. I have always been very entrepreneurial throughout my youth, which is something that I had never really strayed from. I had been doing some freelance work on the side, and one of my clients, Sarah (yes, the same Sarah who now works for us!) asked me: "Why don't you do this full time?" My honest first answer was "nah, probably not." But it did stick with me. The more I thought about it, the more I realised I actually wanted to give it a proper go rather than it being my side project. So actually, Sarah planted the seed, and I've never looked back - she ended up joining the team the following year and is still with us today.

The origin story

Take us back to the early days of Pollard Media. What inspired you to start the business?

Pollard Media started life as a name back in 2019, a bit of freelance work alongside my 9-to-5 Marketing Assistant job. There's actually a reason it carries my name: I'd tried and failed a few times at something similar before, so this time I thought if I put my own name to it, I'd have no choice but to make it work. I worked with a handful of clients, and then I started helping Sarah and her fiancé with the marketing and web requirements for an ecommerce retail brand they were building. Sarah and I got on brilliantly, I got to know her work ethic, and we became good friends. She was the one who kept nudging me toward doing it full time. But part of what really pushed me was what I kept seeing out in the field: the more businesses I worked with, the more I noticed how many were being taken advantage of - paying massive national outfits a lot of money for 'marketing' with very little, or nothing, to show for it. So many had been stung before, or simply didn't know where to start. I knew there was a better, more honest way to do it. In December 2020 I went limited and committed to it properly. I never set out to build a big agency - I wanted to build one that genuinely cared, where we'd never work with a client's competitor and where I'd still be the one picking up the phone.

What were those first few months like?

Hard - but that’s the same for any new business. It was just me for a good while. I didn’t have the privilege of Lydia joining the team until the April after incorporation, and even then it was a very small 15-hour-a-week contract to start with. It was a lot of long days, wearing every hat and figuring things out as I went, but it was also exciting, because it was finally mine to build.

Looking back, is there anything you'd do differently if you were starting again?

A lot! I'd wish for more experience - the kind that helps you make better-informed decisions early on. I've since learned first-hand, very early on, that growth isn't just about a bigger headcount; it's about growing sustainably. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. But the one thing I'll never regret is taking Sarah and Lydia on in that first year. They're both still here today, and I genuinely couldn't have done it without them.

A different approach

Pollard Media only works with one client per sector per area at any one time. Where did that philosophy come from?

It came from wanting to be genuinely trusted. If you're going to be as invested in a business as they are, you can't be doing the same for their direct competitor down the road - it just doesn't sit right. We decided we'd never work with a client's competitor, so our clients know that everything we learn, every idea, every ounce of effort, is theirs alone. It's a promise that we're truly and completely in their corner, always.

Have you ever had to turn down exciting opportunities because they conflicted with that promise?

Yes, and it's never easy. There have been opportunities I'd have loved to take on, but they'd have put us in direct conflict with an existing client, so naturally we said no. It can be a tough commercial call in the moment, but it's the whole point of the promise. If we broke it the second something shiny came along, it wouldn't mean anything.

What do clients gain from that approach that they might not get elsewhere?

Total confidence that we're 100% on their side. There's no divided loyalty or worrying that their strategy might end up informing a rival's. They always get our full focus, real specialism in their space, and ultimately a partner who's as committed to their growth as they are. It's the difference between a supplier and someone who feels like part of your team.

Collaboration over competition

Rather than just turning those clients away, you've built relationships with other specialist agencies and regularly refer work between each other. Tell us more about that network.

It actually ties straight back to our one-client-per-sector-per-area promise. When we can't take a client on because we're already working with someone in their sector, we don't just turn them away and leave them stuck, we point them toward a trusted partner we know will do a really good job for them instead. Over time that's grown into a network of agencies we know, rate and happily refer work between. It means the client always ends up in good hands, even when those hands aren't ours, and it keeps the whole thing built on trust rather than competition.

Why is collaboration so important to you?

Because it keeps the client's interests first, which is the whole point. Our sector promise means we sometimes have to say no to work and collaboration is what lets us do that without leaving someone stranded; we can hand them to a specialist we trust instead. Beyond that, no single agency is the best at absolutely everything, and pretending otherwise doesn't serve anyone. I'd far rather build genuine relationships with good people and know there's always somewhere brilliant to send a client than treat every other agency as a threat. It makes for a healthier industry, and honestly it's just a nicer way to work.

Do you think the agency world is becoming more collaborative than competitive?

I think the best parts of it are, yes - and I really hope it keeps heading that way. There's a growing recognition that referring work to the right specialist beats clinging to something you can't do justice, and that everyone wins when the client gets the best fit rather than just whoever got there first. There'll always be an element of competition, and that's healthy, but the agencies I respect most are the ones secure enough to collaborate together and build relationships with local competition.

Building a team

Pollard Media has grown significantly over the years. How has your role changed as the team has expanded?

In the early days, as most agencies start out, I did everything. As the team has grown, my role has shifted more toward leading on strategy and growth, and making sure we bring on the right clients for the right reasons. That said, I still make a point of being hands-on and staying close to the work. I never wanted to become the founder who disappears into a back office - being the one who picks up the phone and collaborates first-hand with our clients still matters to me enormously.

What do you look for when bringing new people into the business?

Vibes. Personality. Someone who's great fun to be around and genuinely loves their craft. Work ethic and attitude come first; skills can be taught, but caring about the work can't. When I first worked with Sarah, it was her work ethic that stood out, and that's still the bar. I look for people who take real pride in what they do, who'll treat a client's business as if it were their own, and who fit the kind of close-knit, no-egos team we're building. Get the person right and everything else follows.

What's the culture you're trying to build at Pollard Media?

One where people genuinely care - about the work, about each other and about our clients. I want it to be the kind of place that's great fun to be part of, where everyone takes real pride in their craft and feels a genuine sense of ownership over what we do. We operate like part of our clients' businesses rather than at arm's length, and I want the team to feel that same investment internally. Long-term relationships over five-minute flings - in how we work with clients and how we look after our own people. The fact that Sarah and Lydia have been with me since that very first year probably tells you everything I'm going for. Ultimately, a place that our team loves to work at and a place that our clients love working with.

Marketing in East Anglia

You're based in East Anglia. What makes the marketing community here special?

Firstly, there’s a lot of us here! There's a real warmth and community feel to it. It's big enough to have genuine ambition and talent, but small enough that relationships still matter - people know each other, support each other and are happy to collaborate. Being based in Norwich, I've always felt there's less of the cut-throat edge you might find elsewhere and more of a genuine willingness to champion one another.

Have you noticed the region's marketing scene evolve over the last few years?

Definitely. The ambition has stepped up - there are more genuinely strong agencies, in-house teams and incredibly talented freelancers doing work that stands up against anywhere in the country, and businesses here are taking marketing far more seriously as a driver of growth rather than an afterthought.

Why do you think it's important to celebrate marketers and agencies through awards like the East Anglian Marketing Awards?

Because great marketing often goes unseen - without sounding too much like corporate b.s, it's the engine behind other businesses' success, so it rarely gets the spotlight itself. Awards like these shine a light on the talent in the region, give teams something to be proud of, and raise the bar for everyone. It's also a brilliant way to bring the community together, which is exactly why we were proud to sponsor the Excellence in Performance category this year.

Looking ahead

What excites you most about the future of marketing?

The pace of change, it has never stood still and never will. Every year brings new platforms, new tools and new ways to reach people, and I love that you can never get complacent. AI is of course the obvious one right now, and used well, it frees us up to spend more time on strategy and creativity and less on the grind. But what excites me most is how much the playing field is levelling out. The innovations that used to be locked behind massive corporate entities are now within reach of smaller, sharper teams, so it's less about who has the biggest budget and more about who genuinely understands the client and does the best work. Add to that the fact that good marketing is getting harder to fake, audiences can spot it a mile off now, and it means authenticity, creativity and actually caring about results matter more than ever. For an agency built the way we are, I feel that it’s a brilliant direction to be heading in.

Are there any trends or changes you think marketers should be paying closer attention to?

It would be naive not to say AI, and being transparent I'm firmly anti-AI when it comes to creativity. It has its place for speed, admin and laborious tasks, but real creativity comes from people, not prompts, and audiences can absolutely tell the difference. The brands that win will be the ones who keep genuine human ideas and craft at the heart of what they do rather than churning out generic, AI-made content. Beyond that, I'd keep a close eye on how search is changing - people are increasingly getting answers directly from AI tools rather than clicking through, so how you show up is shifting fast. And the ongoing move toward privacy and first-party data means you can't just rely on borrowed audiences forever; building your own is becoming essential. Underneath all of it, the same thing holds true: trust and authenticity win.

What's next for Pollard Media?

More of the same, done even better. We're looking to scale up with a new team member, and we've got some new and exciting things in the pipeline - we want to keep innovating and developing what we offer. Beyond that, I want to keep building the team with the right people, keep strengthening our partner network so no client ever gets left stuck, and stay as hands-on and invested as we've always been, even as we grow. The goal was never to be the biggest agency in the region, it's to be the one clients wouldn't dream of leaving.

Quick Fire

Tea or coffee? Always coffee. Black with one sugar, please.

LinkedIn or Instagram? LinkedIn. Instagram encourages my doomscroll.

One marketing campaign you wish you'd created?

Honda "The Cog." Just car parts rolling into each other for two minutes, no music-video nonsense, no hard sell. Took them forever to get it right and you can tell.

Simple and brilliant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z57kGB-mI54&t=3s

What's one app you couldn't work without?

Apple Music.

What's one piece of advice you'd give someone starting an agency today?

Grow sustainably, not just bigger. Say no to the wrong clients, look after the right people, and never underestimate the power of doing great work that gets people talking.

Describe Pollard Media in three words.

Invested. Honest. Different.

Finally, if someone reads this interview and only remembers one thing about Pollard Media, what would you like it to be?

That your success really is our business - we mean it, it's not just a line on the website. We're a dependable, close-knit team who genuinely care about the work and the people we do it for, and there's nothing we love more than meeting new people and building real, long-term relationships. We're not here for the quick win or the five-minute fling; we're here to properly care, do great work, and be as invested in your growth as you are. Get that bit right and everything else takes care of itself.

Thanks to the East Anglian Marketing Awards team for the conversation.

If any of the above sounds like the kind of agency you'd want in your corner, we'd love to hear from you.