Ashley Stanhope is the founder and CEO of Hardfork Media, a communications firm composed of former journalists that focuses on media outreach and training, go‑to‑market strategies and crisis communications for crypto and Web3 clients. Based in New York, she previously held senior communications roles at Ether Capital and KPW Communications following nearly a decade in Canadian television newsrooms. ^{[1] [2]}​

Education

Ashley Stanhope completed a certificate program in Digital Marketing at BrainStation between June and August 2022. Prior to that, he studied Journalism at Ryerson University from 2007 to 2011, earning a bachelor’s degree in the field. ^[1]

Career

Ashley Stanhope worked in editorial, production and communications roles across Canadian media and technology sectors. Her early career was based in television newsrooms in Toronto, where she held positions related to assignment editing, broadcast production and newsroom coordination, which served as a basis for later work with web3.

From September 2011 to April 2012, Stanhope worked as an Assignment Editor at CityNews. Her responsibilities included monitoring police scanners, verifying information related to developing stories, dispatching crews and assisting with breaking-news coverage.

In April 2012, she joined BNN Bloomberg as a Broadcast Associate. The role included control-room support, guest coordination and research related to analyst reports and company earnings. In October 2012, she became a Chase/Field Producer at the network. Her work involved arranging interviews with executives from public companies, preparing background materials for broadcasts and contributing to coverage planning for industry events, including the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) convention and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) Energy Symposium.

Between October 2012 and October 2018, Stanhope served as an Assignment Editor at CP24 Toronto’s Breaking News. Her responsibilities included coordinating field crews, managing newsroom logistics and overseeing information flow during breaking-news coverage. During this period, the newsroom covered events including the 2013 ice storm, the Bruce McArthur investigation, the Yonge Street van attack and the Danforth shooting.

In October 2018, Stanhope joined Global News in Toronto as an Assignment Editor in a management role. She remained in the position until April 2021. Her responsibilities included supervising newsroom staff, coordinating editorial planning, organizing coverage logistics and assisting with reporting decisions involving legal or ethical considerations. Coverage during this period included the COVID-19 pandemic and the Toronto Raptors’ 2019 NBA championship celebrations.

In April 2021, Stanhope moved into strategic communications when she joined Provident Communications Inc. as Senior Account Director. Her work focused on content development, media relations and media training for clients in the technology and banking sectors. Client-related media coverage associated with the role included placements in Bloomberg, CNBC, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Globe and Mail, The Financial Post and The Canadian Press.

In February 2022, Stanhope became Director of Communications at Ether Capital, a publicly traded cryptocurrency company and institutional holder of ether. Her responsibilities included communications strategy, marketing coordination and support for investor relations. Public descriptions of the company identify its activities as related to staking and infrastructure within the Ethereum ecosystem under the ticker NEO: ETHC.

Her professional background has included work related to cryptocurrency, blockchain and financial technology communications. Publicly available profiles reference experience in media relations, executive media training, crisis communications, content strategy and government relations connected to the digital asset sector. Other listed competencies include social media strategy, copywriting, fact-checking and editorial production software.

In May 2023, Stanhope joined KPW Communications as a Senior Associate on a freelance basis. She worked with clients in the cryptocurrency, technology and banking sectors on communications, writing, media outreach and training. Public materials related to the position also state that she participated in the launch of the Canadian Web3 Council, an organization engaged in discussions related to digital asset and Web3 policy in Canada.

In January 2024, Stanhope founded Hardfork Media and assumed the role of Founder and CEO. The company operates as a communications firm focused on cryptocurrency and Web3-related clients. According to company materials, its services include media relations, media training, go-to-market strategy, messaging development and crisis communications. The firm also states that it has worked with liquid staking protocols, exchanges and research organizations. Its listed location is “New York, Onchain.” ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]}

Notable coverage and editorial contributions

Across newsroom roles at CP24 and Global News, Stanhope led or contributed to coverage of several prominent Canadian news events. Among them are:

• The 2013 Toronto ice storm
• The Bruce McArthur murder investigation
• The 2018 Yonge Street van attack
• The 2018 Danforth shooting
• Sustained reporting during the COVID‑19 pandemic
• Coverage related to the Toronto Raptors’ 2019 NBA championship

Her responsibilities in these assignments included coordinating field crews, overseeing daily editorial agendas, and managing breaking‑news logistics within large, multi‑platform news operations. Station‑level recognition during her tenure included multiple RTDNA awards for breaking news; while these honors are associated with the stations’ collective output rather than individually attributed to her, they provide context for the newsroom environments in which she worked. ^{[1] [5]}​

Public Speaking

Eventible lists Stanhope as a speaker and includes an appearance at the Blockchain Futurist Conference 2022, consistent with her communications focus in the crypto domain during her Ether Capital tenure. The profile also summarizes her newsroom management experience and subject‑matter expertise in Web3 and capital markets communications, indicating the topics for which she has been invited to speak. ^[3]​