When Ashley Small arrived in Houston years ago, she didn’t just find a new home—she found a stage big enough for her boundless creativity and drive. Today, the Tulsa native stands tall as the founder and CEO of Medley, Inc., one of the city’s most respected public relations and digital marketing firms.
Small’s story is deeply rooted in resilience. Her great-aunt, Roanna McClure, was one of the last living survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. That same spirit of perseverance pulses through Small, who turned a career setback into a 16-year run of entrepreneurial excellence.
“It was around 2008 when Twitter and social media were kind of booming, and the newspaper industry declined by about 50%,” Small recalls. “My job at the Houston Chronicle was eliminated, and I kind of had no choice but to start looking for some options. I knew that it was a good opportunity for me to explore something entrepreneurial, and we birthed Medley.”
That “something entrepreneurial” has blossomed into an award-winning agency with a client list that reads like a corporate and community who’s who. And earlier this year, Medley brought home one of the industry’s highest honors: Mid-Size Agency of the Year, awarded by the Public Relations Society of America.
Crafting a Medley
Small always dreamed of a career that fused multiple worlds.
“I always wanted to be a multimedia professional,” she explains. “At Texas Southern University, I took broadcast classes, print classes, speech classes and some business classes. I knew I wanted to fuse all of those worlds to create a sustainable future, one world where no two days would ever be the same.
“Every day is full of creativity and a little bit of magic. And that’s how I shaped Medley.”
With that vision, Medley emerged as a nimble, forward-thinking firm at the forefront of the digital era. From day one, Small was intentional about creating an agency that not only delivered results but told stories with cultural competence, honoring the voices and lived experiences of Houston’s richly diverse communities.
Climbing against the odds
For all of her success, Small is candid about the hurdles she’s faced.
“As a first-generation entrepreneur and a first-generation college-educated person in my immediate family, it has been challenging. Especially with the disparities,” Small said. “Whether it’s investors, bank loans or access to equity in general, Black women face a number of barriers. Scaling has always been a challenge.”
But despite those barriers, Medley has flourished.
“We do have employees. We do offer a robust 401(k), and we offer a full suite of medical health insurance,” shared Small. “I do my best, but it doesn’t mean it’s not met with a number of challenges.”
Her willingness to acknowledge the struggle while celebrating the wins is part of what makes Small such a relatable and admired figure.
Big-time clients, bigger impact
Small’s professionalism and vision have landed Medley major contracts with Comcast, Major League Baseball, AT&T, Kroger, Midtown Houston and many more. Yet she finds equal joy in serving nonprofits and community organizations that change lives every day.
“We have been intentional about working with nonprofit organizations,” she says. “They’re literally providing free mammograms for women in need. To know that we had a small part in our clients who actually go out and change the world makes me feel excited and energized every single day.”
One of her most meaningful collaborations came through the Obama Foundation’s My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) initiative in her hometown of Tulsa.
“About two years ago, I got a call that the Obama Foundation was expanding its work in Tulsa,” Small shared. “We’ve had the pleasure of working with MBK Tulsa for the past two years, and it’s been incredibly rewarding and full circle being able to do this impactful work in my hometown, directly tied to improving outcomes for boys and young men of color.”
Colleagues agree her leadership is exceptional. Dee Brown, former TV news producer and creative director at Happy & Home Media, notes: “It’s been such a privilege to watch Medley grow and thrive over the years. What I’ve enjoyed most is seeing Ashley in her element, leading the agency with such grace, grit, consistency and drive.”
Standing on shoulders
Small is quick to credit those who helped her along the way. She speaks warmly of mentors like Kevin Hooks, a Tulsa native who rose to prominence at Weber Shandwick, one of the world’s top PR firms.
“When I was in college at TSU, I called him and I said, I need to get a PR internship. And I got to fly out to LA, live there for the summer and intern in the top agencies in the world because of someone I knew from Tulsa who believed in me,” Small recalls.
She also remembers the steady encouragement of TSU’s Dr. Vera Walker Hawkins.
“She really rooted for me and helped me get through when I had challenging times in college,” Small shares. “I worked full-time in college at a retail store, so my life was not like a lot of my peers. But she was committed to making sure I made it through, and with pride.”
Beyond the boardroom
For all the accolades, Small is still grounded in gratitude, family and joy. She makes time for rewatching classics like Sister Act 2 and Spike Lee’s Crooklyn, and she’s learning the art of slowing down—sometimes by simply planting her feet in the grass to recharge.
It’s that blend of ambition, cultural rootedness and down-to-earth humanity that makes Small more than a PR powerhouse. She’s a role model, a mentor and a living example of what resilience, vision and heart can create.
Houston may be her adopted home, but with Medley thriving and her impact growing, it’s clear that Ashley Small is shaping stories, elevating communities and building a legacy that stretches far beyond the city limits.
