That Digital Take with Torri Webster

iHeartRadio

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.

  1. 3d ago

    Take #68 - How Pushpek Sidhu Built a Viral Content Creator Business

    This week on That Digital Take, Torri kicks things off with a Summer Favourites segment covering the return of Love Island UK Season 13. From first impressions of the Islanders to early villa predictions, she shares why the reality series continues to dominate internet culture every summer. Then, Torri sits down with viral food creator and creator economy expert Pushpek Sidhu. Known for his viral food rankings, internet debates, and highly recognizable content style, Pushpek shares how he built one of Canada's most recognizable creator brands and turned content creation into a thriving business. Together, they discuss: • How Pushpek grew his audience across social media • Building a personal brand that stands out online • Creator burnout and maintaining consistency • Sponsorships, brand partnerships, and monetization strategies • Content formats that drive engagement and retention • What brands still get wrong about influencer marketing • The future of the creator economy and creator-led businesses Pushpek also reflects on his journey from Sweden to Brampton, his background working in marketing, and the lessons that helped him transition from behind-the-scenes strategist to full-time creator. If you're interested in content creation, influencer marketing, social media strategy, entrepreneurship, personal branding, audience growth, or the future of the creator economy, this episode is for you.

    49 min
  2. Jun 8

    Take #67 - Jennifer Leigh: From Invisible to Iconic (Building a Personal Brand That Sells)

    What actually separates an iconic personal brand from one that just goes viral? This week on That Digital Take, host Torri Webster sits down with Jennifer Leigh, founder and CEO of Becoming Iconic, Editor-in-Chief of Iconic Magazine, business coach, and the brand strategist behind nine figures in sales. Jennifer has helped countless women go from invisible online to completely undeniable, and in this episode she breaks down exactly how she did it. We get into defining what "iconic" really means in the creator economy, why she doubled down on launching a digital magazine while the rest of the industry pivoted away from media, and the #1 mistake she sees women make when building a personal brand online. We also dig into the line between authentic self-expression and strategic brand building, how to stand out in a saturated coaching and creator niche, rewiring your relationship with money and pricing your worth, and her honest day-one advice for anyone starting with zero following and zero budget. Plus a rapid-fire round, Instagram vs. LinkedIn, overrated business advice, best investment in her own brand and a custom "Iconic or Not Iconic" lightning round you'll want to hear. If you're a founder, creator, coach, or marketer building a brand online, this one's a masterclass in visibility, personal branding, and turning attention into actual business growth. 🎙️ That Digital Take with Torri Webster, now on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. New episodes every Monday. Topics covered: personal branding · building a brand online · creator economy · women entrepreneurs · digital magazine · business coaching · personal brand strategy · visibility · pricing your worth · Instagram vs LinkedIn · founder mindset · content strategy

    53 min
  3. May 25

    Take #65 - Adam Rivietz on $50M in Creator Payouts, The Future of Influencer Marketing & What Brands Still Get Wrong

    The Creator Economy's Quiet Architect: Adam "Riv" Rivietz on Building #paid, $50M in Creator Payouts, and What Brands Still Get Wrong What does it actually take to build the infrastructure behind the creator economy, not just talk about it? This week, I sit down with Adam "Riv" Rivietz, co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of #paid, one of North America's leading creator marketplaces, and a Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree. Riv has spent over a decade turning creator marketing from a "free product" side deal into a legitimate profession, with real payment terms, USD payouts, and tools built from the ground up. #paid has now paid over $50 million to creators, and Riv has been evangelizing the space globally since before most brands knew what an "influencer" was. In this episode, we get into all of it: the difference between influencers and creators (and why it matters), the Virgin Voyages x TikTok creator cruise that generated 108 million views, the Creator Calendar and why brands are now "upfronting" life milestones like weddings and pregnancies, what the 2026 Creator Signals Report reveals about shifting content trends, and how AI is reshaping every layer of the industry. We also talk about what it's like to be a founder who's not the CEO, why Riv is also an ordained minister and children's book author, and what he'd whisper to any founder entering this space today. Topics covered: Creator economy infrastructure · Brand education · Creator-first payment models · Forbes 30 Under 30 · Creator Calendar · Swan Beauty viral moment · AI and synthetic influencers · First-party creator data · Founder life post-Series B · The future of #paid Connect with Riv: [#paid / LinkedIn / Instagram @hashtagpaid]

    1 hr
  4. May 18

    Take #64 - Why Your PR Strategy Is Broken (And What Actually Works Now) | 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: 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]

    49 min
  5. May 11

    Take #63 - How to Get Brand Deals: What Talent Managers Actually Want From Creators

    What does a talent manager actually do, and what are creators completely getting wrong about the role? This week on That Digital Take, host welcomes Kristen MacLellan, founder of Yesterday Agency, a Toronto-based talent and digital management firm she built from the ground up in 2021. Kristen has worked closely with creators, negotiated directly with brands, and built a sustainable business doing it which means she understands all three sides of the creator economy better than almost anyone. In this episode, Kristen pulls back the curtain on the creator-manager relationship: what managers do behind the scenes, how brand deals actually get made, and the very real ways creators are leaving money on the table right now. She also gets honest about what makes a creator genuinely bookable in 2025 — and it may not be what you think. What you'll learn in this episode: → The real role of a talent manager (and what it's NOT) → How brand partnerships actually get negotiated → Why creators consistently undervalue themselves — and how to fix it → The subtle red flags that make managers and brands walk away → What makes a creator easy to sell to brands right now → How AI is changing contracts, negotiation, and strategy → Setting competitive rates — is there a real benchmark? → What types of creators will win over the next 1–2 years Plus: a rapid-fire round covering the most overrated creator metrics, underrated revenue streams, and whether vloggers are actually making a comeback. Whether you're a creator looking to level up your brand partnerships, or just curious how the business side of the creator economy really works, this one is packed. Subscribe to That Digital Take wherever you listen to podcasts. -- creator economy, talent management, brand deals, influencer marketing, digital strategy, Toronto creators, content creator, tips podcast

    53 min

About

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.

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