Michelle S. Leyva
A rising tide lifts all boats.
Michelle S. Leyva is the founder of Michelle Sanders Communications. Early on, Michelle made her mark handling regional pr, promotions, and marketing in the Pacific Northwest for major movie studios including Columbia Pictures, Focus Features, Fox Searchlight, Twentieth Century Fox, and others. In this role, she handled personal appearance tours and media days, in addition to the regional publicity for dozens of individual films ensuring their successful roll-out in primarily the Seattle and Portland markets.
With time spent living and working in the greater Los Angeles-area, work in New York City, and now headquartered in Seattle, Michelle has developed well-rounded skills that have led her to successfully represent a variety of business types and sizes. She has built an extensive media and community contact list that has resulted in placements for emerging and established brands in Real Simple Magazine, CBS This Morning, “Nightline,” The New York Times, USA Today, E!, Parenting, Family Circle magazine, Time Out New York, Sunset magazine, Good Day LA, Food + Wine magazine, and many more.
Michelle earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Seattle University. She is an avid equestrian and lives in West Seattle with her husband, two daughters, and two dogs.
Stopped by client Pure Food Fish Market for a light dinner.
Running a photo shoot with Village Theatre - definite jack of all trades on this day!
KING 5 segment with Natasha Ryan on behalf of client Northwest Folklife
Supporting client Enchant Christmas in their business development work in Washington, DC with the Washington Nationals. This was a very special day!
MSC TEAM
SHANE REGAN
PR & MARKETING MANAGER
Shane is an accomplished professional who has devoted over two decades in the Seattle performing arts community as an arts administrator, marketer, and actor.
This is why I do it.
Being recognized by colleagues for my never-ending pursuit to share the stories of these clients and to shed light on their incredible work make the victories even sweeter. Thank you!
“Michelle is a powerful and effective marketing expert with a great understanding of media, people and practical business execution. She has played a critical role in our expansion across the country, developing effective strategies and executing across all marketing disciplines. Michelle puts her heart and soul into her work and puts her client’s success ahead of her own. Consider yourself fortunate if she has the time to take you on. ”
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Michelle for over 5 years. Her industry knowledge, business network, and creativity greatly contributed to the successful launch of my company, Eat Seattle. She is genuine, positive and we have had a lot of fun working together. I highly recommend MSC’s services!”
“Michelle is one of the most resourceful, passionate, diligent, and extraordinary publicists I have had the pleasure to work with in my over fifteen years of working in the entertainment industry. Michelle came on a few years ago and helped us unearth untapped press sources, story angles and media platforms that allowed us to reach new audiences and ultimately set the table for record-breaking ticket sales last year.
More importantly though, Michelle brings her whole heart to the table when she works with her clients and clearly has a deep personal investment in our company. As such she is not just a vendor in our eyes, but a trusted and invaluable part of our team. ”
“We would highly recommend working with MSC. Michelle’s passion and professionalism are incredibly valued by Enchant. Not only does she understand the voice of the customer, but her experience helps to bring results that lead to a better guest experience. Her team is aligned with the goals of her clients and it has been an absolute pleasure working with her for the past few years. ”
“You’ve done a mind-blowingly good job, and really went above and beyond on everything Tentwood. I’m so lucky to have your support right from the very beginning. Sunset Magazine? The Knot? Evening? I mean it’s just crazy how much coverage we got! Thanks again.”
“Michelle has been absolutely brilliant to work with and has become an integral role in our daily operations. She not only goes beyond the call of duty, but her attention to detail, industry know-how and ability to get results is second to none. Under her guidance, our business profile has flourished, our audiences have grown and the general public receives a clear and consistent message that they can rely on. Our only gripe (and it’s a big one) is that we can’t have her to ourselves.”
“I just wanted to say thank you for doing such an amazing job this year. You killed it and definitely pushed the event further than anything we have been able to achieve in the past. I would love to have you back next year.”
“Michelle is an incredibly inspirational and accomplished woman. She handles every task with professionalism, efficiency, enthusiasm, class, and grace.”
“Michelle’s creative use of resources is a true gift to me, as she uncovers areas of connection I never knew existed.”
“Michelle is smart, creative, and well-connected. She understands how media works, and how to get coverage. Plus–and this is critical when deadlines and stress are in the picture–she’s open, direct, and has a positive outlook that makes her wonderful to work with.”
“Our events have achieved a new level of attendance and success due to Michelle’s leadership. Our team at ParentMap would all agree that beyond Michelle’s great professional skills, she is delightful and charming making her a pleasure to work with.”
MSC PARTNER VENDORS
There are so many talented people in the world! PR, Marketing, and Social Media are just three of the powerful tools in the business growth tool belt. As a boutique agency, I am constantly searching for some of the best and brightest to refer and collaborate with on various projects. Here are some of those fine partners of mine.
Egan Kolb
Videographer
Born to an artist mother and an environmental planning father in Austin, Texas, Egan Kolb is a versatile videographer, editor, and sound-arts professional. He employs a synergy between video, audio, and social interaction to feed his undying curiosity for travel, culture, and storytelling. A passionate love for music began with a hand-me-down guitar at age 15, which led to a secondary education immersed with professional audio and visual media in the San Francisco Bay Area. Now, Egan lives in the greater Seattle area and pursues all aspects of filmmaking. Egan’s tenacious search for story and character will continue to inspire his visual and audio work for decades to come.
GREGORY JOHN SMITH
VISUAL DESIGNER
Gregory John Smith is a full-time freelance designer with 10+ years in branding, print, & user experience design. His strong character and fun personality lend to a punchy, impactful, and well-versed aesthetic. His creativity is fueled by an appetite for king crab, a passion for music, and a history in the fine arts. Greg loves print and thinking big.
His clients include: KEXP, Herbivore Botanicals, Starbucks, The Stranger, Mo POP, Hard Rock Cafe, The Showbox, Macklemore, Sub Pop Records, Sasquatch! Music Festival, The Derschang Group, Fernet-Branca, + more.