Meet Michelle Bast of Pulley Media

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Bast.

Michelle, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started my journey in sunny, bustling Miami— a city known for its culture and hustle. I was always a person who thrived when my creative juices were allowed to flow, and your typical Type A child. My lists had sub-lists.

Fast forward a few years (and a few career pivots), I found myself deep in the digital marketing world—turns out, all that creative energy and strategy-building was the perfect recipe for running my own agency. So, I took a leap, left the corporate world, and launched Pulley Media to help businesses grow through paid ads and killer creative. At first, it was just me in yoga pants at the kitchen table—but today, we’re a global Google Premier Partner agency with clients all over the world. (Yes, there may still be yoga pants involved.)

Now I’m busier than ever—but in the best way. I’m constantly balancing mom life, agency life, and community involvement. It’s chaos, it’s beautiful, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
At first I really struggled with the sales process. People assume that marketers will be naturally great sales people, but we’re usually the opposite. We don’t like to be client-facing, or have to convince people to buy into us – we like to think about strategy and stay behind our screens. Overcoming my social anxiety has been difficult. Then of course, the pandemic was also a challenge as far as the uncertainty that came with it. Would I even have clients a few months from now? What is going to happen next? I think that time was confusing and scary for most of us.

We’ve been impressed with Pulley Media, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Pulley Media is my pride and joy—right behind my kids, of course. We’re a boutique digital marketing agency that punches way above its weight. We specialize in paid advertising—think Google, Meta, YouTube, and all the places your customers scroll a little too much. Our sweet spot? Helping small to mid-sized businesses scale with smart, data-driven ads and scroll-stopping creative.

What sets us apart? We’re not some giant, faceless agency where your business gets lost in the shuffle. We build real relationships with our clients, and we actually care—like “wake up thinking about your campaign” care. Because when you win, we win. And we love winning.

We’re a Google Premier Partner (that’s like the digital marketing equivalent of having a blue checkmark before it was for sale), and we’ve built an international team of incredible humans who are as obsessed with performance as they are with aesthetics.

Brand-wise, I’m most proud of our consistency. Our clients know we show up, we don’t ghost them, and we bring ideas to the table—whether it’s campaign strategy or helping them word that awkward email. We’re not just here to run ads; we’re here to build something lasting.

So if you want a team that blends high-level strategy with heart, hustle, and a little bit of sparkle—Pulley Media’s your crew.

How do you think about luck?
I believe luck shows up when you’re doing the work—showing up every day, saying yes when it counts, and trusting yourself even when you’re terrified. That said, I’ve absolutely had some beautiful lucky breaks. From the beginning, our biggest wins came from word-of-mouth—clients who had a great experience and told someone else, who told someone else… and suddenly, we had a steady stream of referrals before we ever ran our own ads. That kind of momentum? You can’t buy it, and I’ll forever be grateful for it.

Of course, it hasn’t all been sunshine and smooth sailing. There have been moments when luck felt more like a prank—like the time a client let me go because I had just had a baby and they didn’t believe that I would be able to focus on their account (brutal). But every challenge forced me to adapt, grow, and build better systems. Those hard moments turned out to be blessings in disguise.

At the end of the day, I think luck gave me a few open doors—but it was the hustle, the relationships, and the heart behind Pulley Media that helped me walk through them. And I don’t take a second of it for granted.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://pulleymedia.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pulleymedia
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PulleyMedia/