Writing from Shadow.

March 16, 2026

The Data Layer

Every communications engagement in the history of the discipline has started from the same place: someone's best guess. Not a bad guess, usually, but a guess nonetheless.

Part 4 of 6 · The Structural Crisis in PR

The Business Model Crisis: Why the PR Agency Model Is Breaking

The PR agency business model has remained largely unchanged for decades. Clients pay a monthly retainer, agencies staff those retainers with account teams, and the cracks are showing.

February 28, 2026

Part 5 of 6 · The Structural Crisis in PR

What AI Actually Changes in Communications: Operations, Not Creativity

91% of communications professionals use generative AI. But the industry's anxiety has been about the wrong things. AI is not replacing judgment. It's attacking the operational layer beneath it.

February 28, 2026

Part 6 of 6 · The Structural Crisis in PR

The Future of Communications Belongs to Judgment, Not Access

The final installment of the series. Coming soon.

February 28, 2026

Part 1 of 6 · The Structural Crisis in PR

The Attention Shift: How Public Discourse Decentralized

71% of PR professionals cite fragmentation as their primary challenge, yet most agency workflows were built for a centralized media environment that no longer exists.

January 15, 2026

Part 2 of 6 · The Structural Crisis in PR

The Trust Shift: Why Credibility Now Follows Proximity, Not Prestige

Trust in institutions has declined. In its place: contextual credibility, trust that flows from proximity, specificity, and demonstrated experience in a specific community.

January 15, 2026

Part 3 of 6 · The Structural Crisis in PR

The Measurement Trap: Why PR Can't Prove ROI in a Metrics-Driven Culture

Only 32% of execs prioritize revenue or ROI from communications, yet PR teams face increasing pressure to demonstrate value in terms that don't fit what they actually do.

January 15, 2026