"Creators Are Becoming Entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs Must Become Creators": Ashley Rudd on Co-Founding MODA PR Over Caesar Salad and Fries, Getting Media-Ready, and Why PR Is Really About Managing Human Beings

Ashley Rudd co-founded MODA PR in 2020 over what she calls "the ultimate girl dinner" - Caesar salad, fries, and a Diet Coke. The catalyst? Reading Kelly Cutrone's "If You Have to Cry, Go Outside," which gave her the push to leave her corporate digital marketing role in the middle of a global pandemic and go after the career she actually wanted.

Today, MODA PR is a UK-headquartered personal PR and brand consultancy with teams across New York, Los Angeles, and Dubai. Ashley and co-founder Jennifer Delgado built the agency from scratch - monthly trips to London, virtual coffees, relationship by relationship - into a firm trusted by disruptive founders, high-profile talent, and industry leaders who want to go from being known to being credible, in-demand, and commercially relevant.

Ashley's background is in corporate marketing and digital strategy, and it shows in how she approaches PR. For her, press coverage that doesn't move the needle on business growth is just noise. MODA PR's philosophy centers on "narrative economics" - strategic visibility that builds authority and opens commercial doors, not just headlines.

Her client roster sits at the intersection of two converging worlds: creators who are building businesses and need credibility, and founders and executives who suddenly realize they need to show up like creators. In this conversation, Ashley shares what it took to build a referral-based agency from zero, what actually gets founders media-ready, and why the most underrated skill in PR is emotional intelligence.

From Corporate Marketing to Co-Founding MODA PR During a Pandemic Over "Caesar Salad, Fries, and a Diet Coke"

Q: You left your corporate digital marketing job during the pandemic in 2020 after reading Kelly Cutrone's "If You Have to Cry, Go Outside." You co-founded MODA PR with Jennifer Delgado over what you call "the ultimate girl dinner." Today, MODA PR has teams in the UK, New York, LA, and Dubai, working with everyone from Love Island talent to disruptive founders. For female founders considering leaving corporate roles to start agencies, what made you take the leap during a global pandemic? How did you convince your first clients to trust a brand-new agency with no track record? 

A: We didn’t actually position ourselves as “brand new”; we were not building the agency from scratch. We were building from experience. 

Between Jen and I, we had years of experience in marketing, communications and brand strategy in-house. So when we spoke to early clients, the conversation wasn’t about begging for a chance; we leaned into what we could see happening in media and what their competitors were doing in the space. 

Q: What's your advice for building a boutique agency that competes with established firms?

A: Lean into your personal brand; boutique agencies win when the founder has a point of view and is strategically visible, showing up where their potential clients are and positioning themselves as an authority and expert. 

Frankly, when up against established firms, we've won down to vibes and personality; the agency and client relationship is just as much down to chemistry as it is roster. 

"Creators Are Becoming Entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs Must Become Creators" - Why Everyone Is a Media Brand in 2026

Q: You've said the line between "influencer" and "entrepreneur" has dissolved - creators are launching businesses, and CEOs realise they need to show up like creators. You work with both viral content creators, trying to build credibility, and seasoned leaders who've barely posted on LinkedIn but suddenly need thought leadership. For female founders who know they need visibility but hate "being a brand," how do you help them figure out what authentic personal branding actually looks like? 

A: Most people hear “personal brand” and immediately think of becoming an influencer and posting GRWMs on TikTok. Honestly, it really doesn’t …. your personal brand is simply the reputation people associate with your name.

Depending on the Founder, their business, and who their clients are, it can look really different: for some, it might look like LinkedIn thought leadership; for others, it might be media commentary, podcast interviews, or speaking.

Strategic visibility is about oversharing your life online. It’s about understanding the overlap of your expertise, story and  where your clients are consuming content. 

Q: What's the difference between founders who are "media-ready" versus those who need more work first? 

A: There are usually three things I look for when someone is media-ready. The first is a real understanding of what they want to be known for and how their expertise fits into the bigger conversations happening in the media.

The second is success factors, both internally and externally. That might be business growth, results they’ve delivered for clients, or milestones that give them credibility. Media outlets want experts who have something tangible behind what they’re saying.

And the third is some sort of digital footprint. It doesn’t have to be huge, but if someone is already sharing ideas on LinkedIn or building a small following online, it shows they’re comfortable communicating publicly.

Where founders sometimes need more work is when their positioning is still a bit too broad. If someone says, “I can talk about anything,” that’s usually a sign they haven’t quite defined their space yet. The media doesn’t reward generalists, they want experts with a clear point of view.

We’re also seeing a big shift with podcasts. A few years ago, having an inspirational story was often enough to land a guest slot. Now podcasts are operating much more like businesses. They’re thinking about audience growth, downloads, partnerships and mutual leverage.

So founders need to think beyond just “this is my story?” and start asking, “What value do I bring to that audience, and how can we amplify this together?”

The Emotional Labour of PR - Why You're "Managing Human Beings, Not Just Narratives"

Q: You've said PR people sit at "the crossroads of everyone's emotions" creators battling imposter syndrome, CEOs masking insecurity, agents protecting turf, journalists stressed on deadlines. You're doing more than managing narratives; you're managing people. For female entrepreneurs building service businesses that involve emotional labor (coaching, consulting, creative work), how do you set boundaries while still genuinely caring about clients? 

A: This is something people outside PR don’t always realise a big part of the job is emotional intelligence.

You’re working with founders who are incredibly invested in their businesses, creators who might be battling imposter syndrome, journalists on tight deadlines, and sometimes agents or partners all caught up in the middle too. 

The key is remembering you can care about people without absorbing everything yourself. For me, that starts with really clear communication from the beginning about what we’re responsible for, how we work and what success realistically looks like. When expectations and markers of success are crystal clear, it removes a lot of pressure for everyone involved.

Q: What's your framework for knowing when a client needs hand-holding versus when they need tough love? 

We spend a lot of time in the audit and positioning phase when we start working with someone, and that’s actually where you learn a lot about how someone works.

You get to understand their goals, their communication style and sometimes their confidence levels too. Some clients thrive on very direct feedback. Others need a bit more reassurance along the way. 

We can suss out which of our clients need that encouraging WhatsApp before a journo call or who love a straight-to-the-point "this angle isn’t strong enough yet.”

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