About Oyster Communications
Senior communications judgment. Direct execution. No unnecessary agency layers.
Oyster Communications is a founder-led PR and media relations consultancy
combining newsroom experience, senior communications strategy and
hands-on execution for organizations nationwide.
Toby Streett
Founder and Communications Strategist
Founder-Led From Strategy Through Execution
You work directly with the strategist leading the engagement.
Oyster Communications is led by Toby Streett, a senior PR and communications strategist whose career spans newsroom leadership, national media relations, audience development and business-focused content. Clients work directly with Toby from planning through execution.
Before leading Oyster, Toby was editor-in-chief of The Improper Bostonian and head writer for an NBC daily entertainment show in Boston. At Tripadvisor Media, he built and led an internal public relations function that delivered 62% more press coverage than the previous external agency, alongside reported gains of 38% in placements and 22% in earned advertising value.
His work with Airfarewatchdog and SmarterTravel paired national media relations with practical audience growth. Earlier SmarterTravel newsletter initiatives helped add more than 120,000 subscribers and supported approximately $2 million in first-year sales for a new travel deals email product.
Today, that editorial-and-commercial perspective informs Oyster’s work across travel, technology, media, consumer products, wellness and complex industries: identify a story worth telling, make it useful to the right audience, and deliver the work without unnecessary handoffs. Explore selected work and results.
Professional & Brand Experience
Experience across recognizable brands, publishers and professional organizations.
Selected organizations connected to Toby Streett’s career, previous roles and Oyster Communications assignments. These include employers, client work and other professional engagements; not every organization below was an Oyster client.
For examples of campaigns, deliverables and reported results, explore the case studies.
Selected Media Coverage
National and regional media coverage, interviews and expert commentary.
Selected outlets associated with Toby’s media relations experience and campaigns. Editorial coverage does not mean that the outlet was an Oyster client or endorses the consultancy.
Media outlets and programs from Toby’s work include ABC World News, FOX & Friends, WAOK, Yahoo!, Kiplinger, The Washington Post, CNN Money, Mashable, the Los Angeles Times and Frommer’s Travel.
Coverage and examples are available on the Press & Media Coverage page.
How Oyster Works
Founder-led, with additional senior expertise brought in when the work requires it.
Toby leads the strategy, writing, media outreach and day-to-day execution.
Clients are not passed to a junior account team after the initial conversation.
When an engagement calls for specialized media training or additional senior
broadcast expertise, Oyster brings in an experienced media-training partner
as needed. That keeps the team focused, senior-level and appropriate to the
assignment rather than adding unnecessary overhead.
1B+
Earned Media Impressions
150+
Television Placements
120,000
Subscribers Added
$2M
First-Year Sales Supported
Selected results from Toby Streett’s career: Airfarewatchdog media reach and television appearances; SmarterTravel newsletter growth and first-year sales. Figures reflect distinct projects and periods, not an aggregate result or forecast for future clients. See the relevant case studies.
Experience That Shapes the Work
Editorial instincts combined with commercial communications experience.
Oyster Communications approaches PR from both sides of the media relationship:
understanding what makes a story useful to an editor and what makes the
resulting visibility valuable to an organization.
Editorial Judgment
Recognizing what makes a story matter
Editorial experience informs stronger angles, sharper writing and a
realistic understanding of what journalists and audiences need.
Media Relations
Turning expertise into credible visibility
National, regional, television, print, digital and radio outreach built
around relevance rather than indiscriminate pitching.
Audience Growth
Connecting communications to business results
Editorial products, newsletters, campaigns and media programs designed to
support audience growth, engagement, reputation and revenue.
Complex Industries
Making complicated subjects understandable
Experience translating technical, regulated and fast-changing subjects into
accessible communications for media, stakeholders and consumers.
Career Highlights
Experience that connects media coverage to business goals.
These are achievements from Toby’s career across employers and client work. They illustrate the editorial, communications and audience-development experience he brings to Oyster engagements.
62% more coverage
Tripadvisor Media
Built and led an internal PR function that surpassed the press coverage of the prior external agency, with reported year-over-year growth in placements and earned advertising value.
120,000+ subscribers
SmarterTravel
Newsletter and content-product improvements helped expand subscriber lists and supported approximately $2 million in first-year sales for a new travel deals email product.
Editor-in-Chief
The Improper Bostonian
Led editorial direction for a Boston city magazine, bringing direct newsroom experience to later media relations, spokesperson positioning and story development.
Selected Experience
Work across media, publishing, travel, technology, wellness and consumer brands.
The Improper Bostonian
Editorial leadership for Boston’s city magazine, overseeing stories,
contributors and publication-quality content.
Tripadvisor Media
Built an in-house PR function, led national media relations and improved coverage and placement performance, including a reported 62% coverage advantage over the preceding agency.
Airfarewatchdog
National expert positioning and rapid-response media relations generating
more than one billion annual impressions and over 150 television appearances.
SmarterTravel
Audience and communications leadership that added approximately 120,000
subscribers and supported roughly $2 million in first-year sales.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Communications and media outreach supporting newsroom initiatives,
executive announcements and national broadcast visibility.
Why Oyster Communications
Senior counsel without a traditional agency structure.
01
Direct senior involvement
The strategist developing the plan remains directly involved in the writing,
preparation, outreach and execution.
02
The right team for the assignment
Additional senior expertise is brought in when needed rather than built
into every engagement as permanent overhead.
03
Nationwide collaboration
Based north of Atlanta and structured to work directly with organizations
throughout the United States.
About Oyster Communications
Common questions about the consultancy
Who founded Oyster Communications?
Oyster Communications was founded by Toby Streett, a communications strategist
with experience in editorial leadership, national media relations, audience
growth, brand positioning and campaign execution.
Is Oyster Communications a traditional PR agency?
Oyster Communications operates as a founder-led consultancy. Clients work
directly with the senior strategist responsible for the engagement, with
additional experienced specialists brought in when the work requires them.
Does Oyster Communications provide media training?
Yes. Media preparation and interview coaching can be included in an engagement.
Specialized senior broadcast-training expertise is available when needed.
Why hire a PR consultant who has worked in journalism?
A consultant with newsroom experience understands how editors evaluate newsworthiness, what makes an angle timely and which details a reporter needs. Toby Streett’s experience as editor-in-chief of The Improper Bostonian and head writer for an NBC entertainment program informs Oyster’s approach to story development and targeted media relations.
What national media relations experience does Toby Streett have?
Toby’s background includes national PR and spokesperson positioning for travel brands such as Airfarewatchdog and SmarterTravel, along with communications support involving The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Relevant work includes television, print, digital and radio outreach. View selected media coverage.
Has Oyster’s founder managed PR teams and budgets?
Yes. Before Oyster, Toby built and led an in-house public relations function at Tripadvisor Media, setting goals and budgets and managing national communications initiatives. That leadership experience complements the direct, hands-on consulting model he uses today.
Where is Oyster Communications located?
Oyster Communications is based north of Atlanta, Georgia, and works remotely
with clients throughout the United States.
What types of organizations does Oyster Communications work with?
Oyster works with companies, publishers, executive teams, consumer brands and
organizations that need senior-level media relations, messaging, content,
media training or campaign support. Explore the sectors Oyster works across and its communications services.
Start a Conversation
Let’s identify the story, opportunity or communications challenge worth solving.
Share what your organization is launching, changing or trying to make visible.
We’ll begin with a practical conversation about the strongest path forward.