That Digital Take with Torri Webster

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/

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.

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.

Sarah Nurse is one of the most recognizable faces in Canadian sport, a three-time Olympic medalist, Olympic gold champion, and record-holder for the most points scored in a single women's Olympic hockey tournament. Today she plays for the PWHL's Vancouver Goldeneyes while continuing to represent Team Canada on the world stage.

In this episode of That Digital Take, we go beyond the ice. Sarah became the first hockey player to front a major beauty campaign with Revlon and has built a thriving business as a content creator and entrepreneur, turning her athletic career into a personal brand that reaches far beyond sport.

We talk about performing under pressure, redefining success after the podium, building a career that outlasts your profession, and why today's athletes have to think like entrepreneurs. A must-listen for anyone building a personal brand.

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Sarah Nurse, PWHL, women's hockey, Olympic hockey, Team Canada, Vancouver Goldeneyes, personal branding, content creator, entrepreneurship, athlete branding, women in sports, Revlon, creator economy, sports business, That Digital Take

Spin Master co-founder Ronnen Harary built a global entertainment empire, PAW Patrol, Bakugan, Air Hogs, and hundreds of toys that shaped childhoods worldwide, with, in his words, no experience necessary. In this episode of That Digital Take, host Torri Webster sits down with Ronnen to talk about his first book, No Experience Necessary, and the philosophy underneath the billion-dollar business.

This is less a conversation about toys and more about becoming: why inexperience can be a competitive advantage, why curiosity, wonder, and optimism are underrated superpowers, and why success is often more of an identity shift than a business strategy.

Ronnen and Torri go deep on risk and patience (why time (not money) is the real cost of starting), passion and conviction as forces that de-lever uncertainty, building businesses with friends while protecting the friendship, and his concept of "Uber Luck" and why "doubt is anti-luck." They also explore staying curious after billionaire status, avoiding stagnation, knowing when to let an old version of yourself go, and what it means to be an entrepreneur in the age of AI, social media, and constant comparison.

Whether you're a founder, creator, artist, or anyone trying to build a more meaningful life, this one will leave you underlining.

Plus a rapid-fire round: the belief Ronnen has completely abandoned since 25, the one risk people should take sooner, and how he finishes the sentence "Experience matters, but ___."

Subscribe to That Digital Take for weekly conversations on entrepreneurship, creativity, reinvention, 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:
• 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.

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.

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

Erica Hill rose to fame on Big Brother Canada, but in this episode of That Digital Take, she reveals how she turned reality TV exposure into a thriving full-time creator business, a loyal online community, and a sustainable career in the creator economy.

Erica gets refreshingly transparent about creator money, including why she publicly shared how much she earns as an influencer and content creator, the brands investing in queer creators, and the stigma around talking about income online. We dig into building a personal brand, navigating a public relationship, and her engagement to fiancée Cheyenne, plus what reality TV does (and doesn't) prepare you for as a full-time creator.

Whether you're an aspiring content creator, a fan of Big Brother Canada, or curious about the business behind influencer life in 2026, this conversation covers creator income, representation, entrepreneurship, and the realities of building a life online. Stay tuned for a rapid-fire This or That round to close the show.

Keywords: Erica Hill, Big Brother Canada, creator economy, influencer income, content creator business, queer creators, LGBTQ+ representation, social media entrepreneur, That Digital Take podcast.

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.