What if everything you thought you knew about PR was already outdated?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What if everything you thought you knew about PR was already outdated?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

Personal branding isn't about visibility, it's about legacy and leadership. This week on That Digital Take, host Torri Webster sits down with Taylor Buckley, founder of Golden Hour Collective, a social-first consultancy built to elevate female founders and entrepreneurs. With over a decade in social media, PR, and brand strategy, and appearances on Breakfast Television and Style Canada, Taylor breaks down where personal branding and the creator economy are actually headed next.

We get into why the internet stopped rewarding perfection and started rewarding authenticity and storytelling, whether audiences really trust creators less than they used to, and why founders are becoming the face of their companies. Taylor unpacks the real litmus test for "community," what happens to your audience if Instagram disappears tomorrow, what becomes impossible to automate as AI floods the internet with average content, and the creator-economy shifts almost nobody is talking about yet.

Plus: the metrics that matter more than follower count, what creators overestimate (and underestimate) when they launch products, the internet-safety line between authentic and overexposed, and a rapid-fire round on overrated platforms, underrated skills, and 2027 predictions.

In this episode:
• Why authenticity and storytelling replaced perfection
• Whether creator trust is actually declining
• Founders as influencers (and influencers as the new agencies)
• The real test for whether you have a "community"
• What AI can't automate in content and branding
• Better success metrics than followers
• Internet safety, overexposure, and what women may regret posting
• The next shift in personal branding nobody's discussing

Guest: Taylor Buckley, Founder of Golden Hour Collective
Topics: creator economy, personal branding, female founders, social media strategy, community building, AI content, digital marketing, entrepreneurship

🎧 Subscribe to That Digital Take for weekly conversations on digital culture, branding, and the creator economy.

Personal branding isn't about visibility, it's about legacy and leadership. This week on That Digital Take, host Torri Webster sits down with Taylor Buckley, founder of Golden Hour Collective, a social-first consultancy built to elevate female founders and entrepreneurs. With over a decade in social media, PR, and brand strategy, and appearances on Breakfast Television and Style Canada, Taylor breaks down where personal branding and the creator economy are actually headed next.
We get into why the internet stopped rewarding perfection and started rewarding authenticity and storytelling, whether audiences really trust creators less than they used to, and why founders are becoming the face of their companies. Taylor unpacks the real litmus test for "community," what happens to your audience if Instagram disappears tomorrow, what becomes impossible to automate as AI floods the internet with average content, and the creator-economy shifts almost nobody is talking about yet.
Plus: the metrics that matter more than follower count, what creators overestimate (and underestimate) when they launch products, the internet-safety line between authentic and overexposed, and a rapid-fire round on overrated platforms, underrated skills, and 2027 predictions.
In this episode: &bull; Why authenticity and storytelling replaced perfection &bull; Whether creator trust is actually declining &bull; Founders as influencers (and influencers as the new agencies) &bull; The real test for whether you have a "community" &bull; What AI can't automate in content and branding &bull; Better success metrics than followers &bull; Internet safety, overexposure, and what women may regret posting &bull; The next shift in personal branding nobody's discussing
Guest: Taylor Buckley, Founder of Golden Hour Collective Topics: creator economy, personal branding, female founders, social media strategy, community building, AI content, digital marketing, entrepreneurship
🎧 Subscribe to That Digital Take for weekly conversations on digital culture, branding, and the creator economy.

Personal branding isn't about visibility — it's about legacy. Taylor Buckley, founder of Golden Hour Collective, joins That Digital Take to break down where the creator economy is really headed: why authenticity beat perfection, the metrics that matter more than follower count, what AI can't automate, and whether your audience would follow you if Instagram vanished tomorrow. Plus the real litmus test for "community" and the branding shifts almost nobody's talking about yet.

Take #72 - Taylor Buckley on Personal Branding & What Wins Next: The Creator Economy Is About to Change  

PR insiders Megan Taylor (SVP, Faulhaber Communications) and Rob Loschiavo (Partner, Pomp & Circumstance) return for PR 101, Part 2: the no-hedging, behind-the-curtain conversation on where PR and the creator economy really stand in 2026.

This week they get into the stuff most brands won't say out loud — why your relationship with a brand matters more than your follower count, how "different levels of access" can be built on purpose without making anyone feel like a second-class guest, and what earned media actually means today. Megan and Rob also break down how to launch a creator career from a standing start with a test-and-learn mindset, and why management agencies can quietly inflate your costs (and where they genuinely earn their keep).

Plus: an inside look at the Footy Fade studio they built for FanDuel Canada during the World Cup, the ROI shift from awareness to performance, and the one thing AI still can't touch — the human element that keeps this whole industry running.

If you want the honest version of how brands, creators, and PR really work in 2026, this is it.

In this episode:
(09:05) Have a relationship with the brand — why specificity beats "can I come to the party?"
(14:04) What earned media actually means today
(17:12) Different levels of access, on purpose — without a second-class baseline
(21:12) Starting from zero: the test-and-learn playbook for new creators
(26:25) Inside the Footy Fade studio for FanDuel Canada
(35:05) Are management agencies worth it? Where they add value vs. inflate cost
(38:39) The one thing AI can't replace

New here? Start with PR 101, Part 1. Follow the show so you don't miss what's next, and share this one with a creator or brand marketer who needs the honest version.

PR insiders Megan Taylor (SVP, Faulhaber Communications) and Rob Loschiavo&nbsp;(Partner, Pomp &amp; Circumstance) return for PR 101, Part 2: the no-hedging, behind-the-curtain conversation on where PR and the creator economy really stand in 2026.
This week they get into the stuff most brands won't say out loud &mdash; why your relationship with a brand matters more than your follower count, how "different levels of access" can be built on purpose without making anyone feel like a second-class guest, and what earned media actually means today. Megan and Rob also break down how to launch a creator career from a standing start with a test-and-learn mindset, and why management agencies can quietly inflate your costs (and where they genuinely earn their keep).
Plus: an inside look at the Footy Fade studio they built for FanDuel Canada during the World Cup, the ROI shift from awareness to performance, and the one thing AI still can't touch &mdash; the human element that keeps this whole industry running.
If you want the honest version of how brands, creators, and PR really work in 2026, this is it.
In this episode:
<ul>
<li>(09:05) Have a relationship with the brand &mdash; why specificity beats "can I come to the party?"</li>
<li>(14:04) What earned media actually means today</li>
<li>(17:12) Different levels of access, on purpose &mdash; without a second-class baseline</li>
<li>(21:12) Starting from zero: the test-and-learn playbook for new creators</li>
<li>(26:25) Inside the Footy Fade studio for FanDuel Canada</li>
<li>(35:05) Are management agencies worth it? Where they add value vs. inflate cost</li>
<li>(38:39) The one thing AI can't replace</li>
</ul>
New here? Start with PR 101, Part 1. Follow the show so you don't miss what's next, and share this one with a creator or brand marketer who needs the honest version.

PR insiders Megan Taylor (SVP, Faulhaber Communications) and Rob Losciavo (Partner, Pomp & Circumstance) return for PR 101, Part 2 — the honest, behind-the-curtain take on PR and the creator economy in 2026.

Take #71 - PR 101, Part 2: Earned Media, Creator Careers & the Truth About the Guest List

Before "content creator" was a real job, Nitsan Raiter was already building online. A decade later, she's grown an audience of hundreds of thousands, partnered with some of the world's biggest brands, founded the creator-education business Mind Your Business, and become one of Canada's most respected voices in the creator economy.

In this episode, Nitsan opens up about what it actually takes to build a sustainable creator career—and why followers alone were never the goal. We rewind to the early blogging days and her come-up alongside creators like Emma Leger and Sophie Suchan, then trace her evolution from creator to CEO: launching courses, products, and a planner, and learning the unglamorous realities behind the "girl boss" era.

She also gets honest about the next chapter—marriage, sharing her life online, and stepping into motherhood—and how becoming a mom to Estelle reshaped what success, ambition, and boundaries look like for her. From navigating mom guilt and rediscovering her creative voice, to the philosophy that "what's meant for you will never pass by you," this is a candid look at building a career and a life that lasts.

Whether you're a full-time creator, a founder, or just curious about the business behind the content, this conversation is packed with insight.

In this episode:
• Why endless scrolling won't tell you what to create next
• Figuring out your content after becoming a mom
• "What's meant for you will never pass by you"
• The power of scarcity—why being too available lowers your value
• A simple rule for hard decisions: if you can't decide, the answer is no
• Navigating mom guilt and letting go of who you used to be
• Why you have to make your own opportunities

Chapters

21:20 — Scrolling Doesn't Help
21:50 — Being a Content Mommy
27:55 — What's For You Is For You
29:26 — Be Exclusive
29:51 — Can't Decide? Don't Do It
37:09 — Content as a Mom & Mom Guilt
39:52 — Make the Opportunities You Want

Before "content creator" was a real job, Nitsan Raiter was already building online. A decade later, she's grown an audience of hundreds of thousands, partnered with some of the world's biggest brands, founded the creator-education business Mind Your Business, and become one of Canada's most respected voices in the creator economy.
In this episode, Nitsan opens up about what it actually takes to build a sustainable creator career&mdash;and why followers alone were never the goal. We rewind to the early blogging days and her come-up alongside creators like Emma Leger and Sophie Suchan, then trace her evolution from creator to CEO: launching courses, products, and a planner, and learning the unglamorous realities behind the "girl boss" era.
She also gets honest about the next chapter&mdash;marriage, sharing her life online, and stepping into motherhood&mdash;and how becoming a mom to Estelle reshaped what success, ambition, and boundaries look like for her. From navigating mom guilt and rediscovering her creative voice, to the philosophy that "what's meant for you will never pass by you," this is a candid look at building a career and a life that lasts.
Whether you're a full-time creator, a founder, or just curious about the business behind the content, this conversation is packed with insight.
In this episode: &bull; Why endless scrolling won't tell you what to create next &bull; Figuring out your content after becoming a mom &bull; "What's meant for you will never pass by you" &bull; The power of scarcity&mdash;why being too available lowers your value &bull; A simple rule for hard decisions: if you can't decide, the answer is no &bull; Navigating mom guilt and letting go of who you used to be &bull; Why you have to make your own opportunities
Chapters
21:20 &mdash; Scrolling Doesn't Help 21:50 &mdash; Being a Content Mommy 27:55 &mdash; What's For You Is For You 29:26 &mdash; Be Exclusive 29:51 &mdash; Can't Decide? Don't Do It 37:09 &mdash; Content as a Mom &amp; Mom Guilt 39:52 &mdash; Make the Opportunities You Want

Creator and Mind Your Business founder Nitsan Raiter joins That Digital Take on building a sustainable creator career, going from creator to CEO, why followers aren't a business, and how motherhood reshaped her definition of success.

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

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