Meet Leah Rybak of Aspen Alley Creative

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah Rybak.

Hi Leah, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Aspen Alley Creative is a joint venture and creative collaboration among three Summit County, Colorado, marketing and creative professionals, driven by our desire to support local businesses so they can thrive in our unique mountain market. Our mission is simple: to leverage our collective expertise so that our clients can lead and thrive in the unique Colorado mountain market.

Meet the Aspen Alley Creative team:

Leah Marie Rybak – Partner: SEO, Strategy, Copywriting

Leah is a Colorado local with over 15 years of marketing experience and a deep love for storytelling, community, and the outdoors. Leah works with businesses of all sizes to create thoughtful, strategy-driven marketing—specializing in content creation, social media, and organic SEO. At the heart of everything Leah does is a passion for meaningful connection and creativity.

Outside of Aspen Alley, Leah is the Co-Executive Director and a founding member of TEDxBreckenridge, where she helps bring big ideas to life in Summit County.

Cat Scanlan – Partner: Photography, Social Media, Web

Cat is one of the creative brains (and the camera) behind Aspen Alley Creative. She brings a mix of disco energy and mountain grit to help brands show up authentically and stand out in style.

She specializes in storytelling through photography, branding, and social media—capturing the moments, vibes, and visuals that make our clients’ businesses unforgettable. At the end of the day, Cat’s work is all about helping our clients feel confident, look incredible, and share their story in a way that connects.

Kiarra Magnus – Partner: Design, Branding, Websites

Kiarra is a brand designer and marketing strategist with over 8 years of experience, driven to support purpose-driven brands in finding their voice, establishing their visual identity, and connecting with their community.

Kiarra finds inspiration in nature and through travel. These experiences have helped her understand that every place, person, and brand has their special sauce – the golden nugget that sets them apart – and she is dedicated to helping their clients find this unique differentiator, and to communicate it with their audience through captivating visuals and aligned messaging.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Aspen Alley Creative was born of a shared realization: while we were all successful independent practitioners, we were hitting a ceiling in the impact we could have on our clients. We saw our clients requiring more expansive marketing and design support than any one of us could provide alone. Rather than competing, we chose to collaborate, fueled by the belief that we are truly greater than the sum of our parts. In an inherently creative industry, we’ve found that more diverse perspectives working in tandem lead to sharper strategy, bolder creativity, and more comprehensive support for our clients.

However, merging three independent professional lives into one unified agency is rarely a “smooth” road—it is deliberate. The primary challenge of our first year has been the intensive labor of building a foundational infrastructure from scratch. This involved not just the logistical blending of three different sets of finances and systems, but also the careful assembly of a professional support network of lawyers, coaches, and CPAs to ensure our house was built on rock.
The true beauty of our first year lay in the “vigorous” nature of our growth. We’ve had to practice radical transparency, diving headfirst into the difficult conversations required to align three different entrepreneurial spirits. We’ve traded the ease of independent decision-making for the thoughtfulness of collective leadership.

While the road has required significant heavy lifting, it has been incredibly productive. We aren’t just building a business for today; we are architecting a collaborative legacy. Our focus remains on creating a company that outlives our individual contributions—one that continues to serve our clients, empower our future employees, and act as a creative pillar for our community for years to come.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are a mountain-born, women-owned creative collective based in Summit County, Colorado. Aspen Alley Creative (AAC) isn’t a typical corporate marketing firm; we are a boutique agency built by locals who believe great marketing is an act of collaboration. We alchemize bold storytelling and intentional design to help small- to medium-sized businesses thrive in competitive markets. We are especially proud to be female-founded—operating in an industry where women own less than 1% of agencies—and we are here to prove that “badass” and “professional” are one and the same.

Our Expertise: The Fractional CMO Model
We specialize in authentic, community-driven marketing. We are best known for serving as a “Fractional CMO” for our clients—essentially becoming your dedicated, in-house marketing department without the overhead of a full-time executive. Our core specialties include:
Brand Strategy & Visual Identity: Crafting authentic identities that serve as a blueprint for every business decision.
Content Marketing & SEO: Developing storytelling that speaks directly to your audience in an authentic, search-optimized voice.
High-End Visuals: Capturing “mountain grit and aspen glimmer” through photography and video that narrates your brand’s distinct story.
Web & Graphic Design: Blending aesthetic beauty with high-level functionality to create seamless digital experiences.

What Sets Us Apart
Our differentiator is our grit and our refusal to use templates. We don’t just “do” marketing; we translate a business owner’s instincts into a cohesive strategy that feels uniquely like them. Our collective structure allows us to remain agile, providing custom, high-level solutions that are the antithesis of “one-size-fits-all.”
Furthermore, we live the lifestyle we market. When we aren’t building brands, you’ll find us mountain biking, skiing, or dancing to ‘90s music. We bring that same infectious energy and local insight to every project we touch.

Brand-wise, we are most proud of our commitment to authenticity over perfection. We’re incredibly proud of the lasting partnerships we’ve built in Summit County and beyond, helping local businesses turn their pulse into a “secret sauce” that helps them stand out and set a new standard for quality in their industries.
We want readers to know that marketing doesn’t have to be overwhelming. We offer two primary ways to work with us:
Yearlong Marketing Partnerships: A completely customized, streamlined plan where we handle everything from advertising negotiation to SEO and social execution so you can focus on running your business.

One-off Agency Services: For the “DIY guru” who needs a quick fix—like a high-converting 1,000-word blog, a brand refresh, or professional photography.
Ultimately, AAC is about meaningful connections. Whether you’re a purpose-driven brand looking to find your voice or an established business ready for a refresh, we’re the strategic partner who will dive into the trenches with you to ensure your brand is built to go the distance.

Pricing:

• Yearlong Marketing Partnership – A completely customized plan for your business, whether you’re just starting or you’re an established brand looking to grow. Packages start at $2500/month.
• One-Off Agency Services – Get a quick jumpstart on a specific project (like event photos, graphic design, SEO consulting, and more) and let us take that overwhelming task off your plate. Services start at $1000
• Please reach out for more detailed pricing: https://www.aspenalleycreative.com/contact

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aspenalleycreative.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aspen.alley.creative/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AspenAlleyCreative

Image Credits
Cat Scalan, Head of Media, Aspen Alley Creative