What if everything you thought you knew about PR was already outdated?

Ashley Orfus, founder of ALAB Group, left a high-profile career in luxury fashion and entertainment to build a communications firm designed for the way modern audiences actually discover and trust ideas. Over 13 years, she has helped category-defining brands across tech, food, hospitality, and culture do more than earn press, she helps them shape how their ideas are understood, adopted, and believed.

In this episode of The Digital Take, Ashley breaks down why traditional PR models are failing founders, what "performance-driven communication" actually looks like in practice, and how brands can cut through the noise in a world drowning in content.

In this episode, we cover:
Why press hits and impressions are the wrong metrics to chase
How to introduce a product or idea people don't have a reference point for yet
Why influencers should be treated as co-creators, not distribution channels
The danger of over-indexing on founder-led content (and when to create distance)
How AI is making communications more human, not less
What to do when you have no budget and everything to prove

Whether you're a founder shaping your first narrative, a marketer rethinking your PR strategy, or a brand trying to build genuine trust online — this episode will change how you think about communications.

Connect with Ashley Orfus: [ALAB Group]

What if everything you thought you knew about PR was already outdated?
Ashley Orfus, founder of ALAB Group, left a high-profile career in luxury fashion and entertainment to build a communications firm designed for the way modern audiences actually discover and trust ideas. Over 13 years, she has helped category-defining brands across tech, food, hospitality, and culture do more than earn press, she helps them shape how their ideas are understood, adopted, and believed.
In this episode of The Digital Take, Ashley breaks down why traditional PR models are failing founders, what "performance-driven communication" actually looks like in practice, and how brands can cut through the noise in a world drowning in content.
In this episode, we cover:
<ul>
<li>Why press hits and impressions are the wrong metrics to chase</li>
<li>How to introduce a product or idea people don't have a reference point for yet</li>
<li>Why influencers should be treated as co-creators, not distribution channels</li>
<li>The danger of over-indexing on founder-led content (and when to create distance)</li>
<li>How AI is making communications more human, not less</li>
<li>What to do when you have no budget and everything to prove</li>
</ul>
Whether you're a founder shaping your first narrative, a marketer rethinking your PR strategy, or a brand trying to build genuine trust online &mdash; this episode will change how you think about communications.
Connect with Ashley Orfus: [ALAB Group]

That Digital Take uncovers the ever-evolving world of influencers—challenging the industry, harnessing its power, and exploring how it connects us all. Through the lens of pop culture and entertainment,Torri blends: Insider interviews with industry leaders, viral influencers/ creators, actors, and rising stars. Behind-the-scenes  storytelling from her own experience navigating the digital space. Actionable takeaways for listeners curious about how digital culture shapes careers, business, and society.

That Digital Take uncovers the ever-evolving world of influencers&mdash;challenging the industry, harnessing its power, and exploring how it connects us all. Through the lens of pop culture and entertainment,Torri blends: Insider interviews with industry leaders, viral influencers/ creators, actors, and rising stars. Behind-the-scenes &nbsp;storytelling from her own experience navigating the digital space. Actionable takeaways for listeners curious about how digital culture shapes careers, business, and society.

That Digital Take with Torri Webster

Ashley Orfus, founder of ALAB Group, built one of the most forward-thinking communications firms in the industry by rejecting traditional PR from day one. In this episode, she breaks down what performance-driven communication actually looks like, why most brands are measuring the wrong things, and how founders can shape narratives that earn real trust — not just press. From influencers as co-creators to AI as a creative accelerator, Ashley shares the frameworks she has refined over 13 years working with category-defining brands across tech, food, hospitality, and culture.

Take #64 - Why Your PR Strategy Is Broken (And What Actually Works Now) | Ashley Orfus, ALAB Group

Follower count vs. craft. The three things she looks for before hiring a creator. The contract and rights mistakes she sees over and over. And why brands will keep paying humans as AI-generated travel footage gets better.

Every travel brand is now expected to publish authentic creator content everywhere — social, paid, web, email, booking platforms, partner channels. Almost nobody built a content operation designed for that volume. CrowdRiff calls it the creator content supply chain problem.

Abby Yew, Head of Growth for Creators at CrowdRiff, joins That Digital Take to explain how they solved it: a network of more than 900 creators across Canada, the U.S., Australia and New Zealand who have completed over 12,000 creator-led shoots, built on ongoing relationships, fair pay, and perpetual usage rights included from day one. Creators aren't chasing invoices. Brands aren't re-licensing every time they reuse a shoot.

Drawing on more than twenty years in marketing, community and content, including leading marketing at Wattpad and YONDER, Abby breaks down the shift from being paid for your audience to being paid for your work — and what that means for anyone building a content operation right now.

In this episode:
Why content creation stopped being a creative function and became an operational one
The shift from paying for audience to paying for work
Whether follower count still matters
The three things Abby looks for before hiring a creator
The contract and usage rights mistakes brands make repeatedly
Why human creators hold their value as AI footage improves

Guest: Abby Yew, Head of Growth for Creators, CrowdRiff
LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/abby-yew
CrowdRiff Creators: https://crowdriff.com/creators/

Follower count vs. craft. The three things she looks for before hiring a creator. The contract and rights mistakes she sees over and over. And why brands will keep paying humans as AI-generated travel footage gets better.
Every travel brand is now expected to publish authentic creator content everywhere &mdash; social, paid, web, email, booking platforms, partner channels. Almost nobody built a content operation designed for that volume. CrowdRiff calls it the creator content supply chain problem.
Abby Yew, Head of Growth for Creators at CrowdRiff, joins That Digital Take to explain how they solved it: a network of more than 900 creators across Canada, the U.S., Australia and New Zealand who have completed over 12,000 creator-led shoots, built on ongoing relationships, fair pay, and perpetual usage rights included from day one. Creators aren't chasing invoices. Brands aren't re-licensing every time they reuse a shoot.
Drawing on more than twenty years in marketing, community and content, including leading marketing at Wattpad and YONDER, Abby breaks down the shift from being paid for your audience to being paid for your work &mdash; and what that means for anyone building a content operation right now.
In this episode:
<ul dir="ltr">
<li>Why content creation stopped being a creative function and became an operational one</li>
<li>The shift from paying for audience to paying for work</li>
<li>Whether follower count still matters</li>
<li>The three things Abby looks for before hiring a creator</li>
<li>The contract and usage rights mistakes brands make repeatedly</li>
<li>Why human creators hold their value as AI footage improves</li>
</ul>
Guest: Abby Yew, Head of Growth for Creators, CrowdRiff LinkedIn: <a href="https://ca.linkedin.com/in/abby-yew">https://ca.linkedin.com/in/abby-yew</a> CrowdRiff Creators: <a href="https://crowdriff.com/creators/">https://crowdriff.com/creators/</a>

Take #77 - Get Paid for Your Work, Not Your Audience: Abby Yew, CrowdRiff

Torri Webster goes inside the Ted Lasso Season 4 world premiere in Los Angeles with exclusive carpet interviews, plus a behind-the-scenes look at what covering a Hollywood premiere is really like.

This week on That Digital Take, Torri travels to LA with Apple TV+ for the world premiere of Ted Lasso Season 4, and this one's a hybrid episode.

First, exclusive conversations from the carpet with Hannah Waddingham (Rebecca Welton), Jeremy Swift (Higgins), and Juno Temple (Keeley Jones) about returning to the world of Ted Lasso, what fans can expect from the new season, and why the show keeps resonating around the globe. Torri also sits down with Canadian soccer icon Christine Sinclair to talk about her legendary career, the legacy she's built for the sport in Canada, and why Ted Lasso became such a cultural touchstone for soccer fans.

Then it's the solo half. Torri breaks down what covering a Hollywood premiere actually looks like from the inside: the 6 a.m. press day, the evening premiere, the after-party, the pressure of writing thoughtful questions when a celebrity has already answered hundreds that day, and a few Jason Sudeikis moments that never made it to social. Plus a catch-up on Osheaga, wedding planning, and that premiere look.

Ted Lasso Season 4 is now streaming on Apple TV+.

Follow That Digital Take with Torri Webster for weekly entertainment interviews, premiere coverage, and honest conversations about creator life.

Torri Webster goes inside the Ted Lasso Season 4 world premiere in Los Angeles with exclusive carpet interviews, plus a behind-the-scenes look at what covering a Hollywood premiere is really like.
This week on That Digital Take, Torri travels to LA with Apple TV+ for the world premiere of Ted Lasso Season 4, and this one's a hybrid episode.
First, exclusive conversations from the carpet with Hannah Waddingham (Rebecca Welton), Jeremy Swift (Higgins), and Juno Temple (Keeley Jones) about returning to the world of Ted Lasso, what fans can expect from the new season, and why the show keeps resonating around the globe. Torri also sits down with Canadian soccer icon Christine Sinclair to talk about her legendary career, the legacy she's built for the sport in Canada, and why Ted Lasso became such a cultural touchstone for soccer fans.
Then it's the solo half. Torri breaks down what covering a Hollywood premiere actually looks like from the inside: the 6 a.m. press day, the evening premiere, the after-party, the pressure of writing thoughtful questions when a celebrity has already answered hundreds that day, and a few Jason Sudeikis moments that never made it to social. Plus a catch-up on Osheaga, wedding planning, and that premiere look.
Ted Lasso Season 4 is now streaming on Apple TV+.
Follow That Digital Take with Torri Webster for weekly entertainment interviews, premiere coverage, and honest conversations about creator life.

Torri Webster heads to Los Angeles for the Ted Lasso Season 4 world premiere with exclusive carpet interviews with Hannah Waddingham, Jeremy Swift, and Juno Temple, plus a sit-down with Canadian soccer icon Christine Sinclair. Then Torri goes solo on what covering a Hollywood premiere is really like. Season 4 is streaming now on Apple TV+.

Take #76 - Ted Lasso S4 Premiere: Cast Interviews + Christine Sinclair

This week, psychiatrist Dr. Lesley Kirkpatrick joins That Digital Take to unpack why our brains won't switch off, and whether the same technology that helped create the problem can be part of the solution.

Dr. Lesley specializes in OCD, burnout, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and is the founder of mindcomb, a psychiatry-led, audio-first wellness app built to support people between therapy appointments. She shares the story of building it, from spotting the gap in care to figuring out how a doctor becomes a tech founder, and where she draws the ethical line on what an app should never try to replace.

Then we get into the real stuff: how to tell actual burnout from a genuinely exhausting season, why anxiety gets louder the moment your head hits the pillow, why your brain insists on replaying a conversation from three days ago, and what OCD actually looks like versus the version people joke about online. Plus, a candid look at wellness culture, the pressure to journal, meditate, cold plunge and optimize your way to being "regulated," and whether we've turned healing into just another performance metric.

We close with a rapid-fire round covering AI as a therapist, the habit people swear helps anxiety but usually doesn't, and the free, unglamorous practice Dr. Lesley wishes more people would try.

This week, psychiatrist Dr. Lesley Kirkpatrick joins That Digital Take to unpack why our brains won't switch off, and whether the same technology that helped create the problem can be part of the solution.
Dr. Lesley specializes in OCD, burnout, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and is the founder of mindcomb, a psychiatry-led, audio-first wellness app built to support people between therapy appointments. She shares the story of building it, from spotting the gap in care to figuring out how a doctor becomes a tech founder, and where she draws the ethical line on what an app should never try to replace.
Then we get into the real stuff: how to tell actual burnout from a genuinely exhausting season, why anxiety gets louder the moment your head hits the pillow, why your brain insists on replaying a conversation from three days ago, and what OCD actually looks like versus the version people joke about online. Plus, a candid look at wellness culture, the pressure to journal, meditate, cold plunge and optimize your way to being "regulated," and whether we've turned healing into just another performance metric.
We close with a rapid-fire round covering AI as a therapist, the habit people swear helps anxiety but usually doesn't, and the free, unglamorous practice Dr. Lesley wishes more people would try.

Psychiatrist and mindcomb founder Dr. Lesley Kirkpatrick on burnout, night-time anxiety, rumination, what OCD really is, and whether mental health apps and AI can genuinely help.

Take #64 - Why Your PR Strategy Is Broken (And What Actually Works Now) | Ashley Orfus, ALAB Group

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