Leader Generation
Business & Finance
About
Mod Op’s Leader Generation podcast, hosted by Tessa Burg, inspires growth-minded marketers with ideas and insights from industry experts who use progressive strategies to win at marketing.
Episodes
- Ep169: AI’s Role In Modern Content Creation
In this episode, Tessa Burg talks with Fabio Ranieri, Head of AI Content Transformation at HP, about what it really takes to create content at scale without losing relevance. Fabio explains why better content doesn’t come from simply makin…
- EP168: Why Cheap CPMs Are Dead & Outcomes Matter More Than Ever
What if the biggest problem in digital advertising isn’t creativity or budget—but waste? In this episode of Leader Generation, Tessa Burg talks with Zach Rosen of Multilocal to unpack the growing shift happening in programmatic media and w…
- EP167: How To Evolve From Boss To Leader
AI is changing everything, but not in the way most leaders think. In this episode, Rishad Tobaccowala breaks down how we got here, from the early days of broadcast marketing to today’s fast-moving, AI-powered world. He explains why the cur…
- EP166: Digital Transformation: Why People Matter As Much As Tech
Technology doesn’t have to be scary or steal jobs. In this episode of Leader Generation, Katya Lobynko shares a fresh perspective on digital transformation—one that puts people at the center. From her “people-priorities-process" approach t…
- EP165: Agents, Neurons & Bots: The New Forces On Your Team
Tessa Burg talks for a second time with Mariano Bosaz, Global VP of Consumer Data and Strategy at Coca-Cola and the author of “Digital Mindset.” This time, they dive deeper into practical applications of digital thinking, moving beyond the…
- EP164: The Human Side Of Digital Transformation In The AI Era
AI is moving fast, and for a lot of leaders that creates both pressure and possibility. In this episode of Leader Generation , Tessa Burg talks with Rohit Prabhakar, Global Head of Digital Experiences and Capabilities at Visa, about what i…
- Ep163: The Power Of The Welcome: Nicole Purcell On Women, Intuition & Creative Leadership
During National Women’s History Month, Leader Generation welcomes Nicole Purcell for a conversation about creative leadership. While so many conversations right now are focused on AI, this episode shifts the spotlight to something just as…
- EP162: The Measurement Trap: Why More Data Doesn’t Mean Better Marketing Decisions
Ever feel overwhelmed by all the data and metrics coming your way? You're not alone. In this episode of Leader Generation, Tessa Burg talks with Scott Sutton about one of marketing's biggest challenges: figuring out what's actually worth m…
- EP161: Digital Mindset: The Bridge Leaders Need For The AI Era
AI isn’t just changing marketing tools—it’s changing how leaders think about strategy, value and growth. In this episode, Tessa Burg talks with Mariano Bosaz, author of Digital Mindset: Marketing Strategies for the AI Era , about what it r…
- Ep160: Rethinking Marketing Measurement In A Fragmented World
Marketing used to feel more predictable. You picked your channels, launched a campaign and tracked performance in a fairly linear way. Today? Consumers are bouncing between social, search, streaming, AI tools, connected devices and more—al…
- EP159: Deepfakes & Liability: Protect Your Brand From Malicious AI
AI is evolving fast—and so are the risks that come with it. In this episode of Leader Generation, Tessa Burg talks with Mod Op’s EVP of PR, Chris Harihar, to unpack a growing issue most brands aren’t fully prepared for: AI-driven brand mis…
- EP158: Beyond AI Tools: Building Capabilities That Actually Scale
While most enterprises are still celebrating their AI pilots, a quiet revolution is happening: Organizations that stopped collecting tools and started building capabilities. In this episode, Tessa Burg and Michael Ditter, Director of AI St…
- EP157: Beauty & The Data Beast: Consumer Obsession Meets AI
What does it really mean to be consumer-obsessed, and how is AI changing the face of the beauty industry? In this episode, Tessa Burg and Irina Kulikova—VP, Strategic Development & Integration at The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.—explore the…
- EP156: Marketing As Product: How AI Is Changing Everything
The marketing landscape is changing faster than ever—and the marketers who treat their work like product and embrace AI will win. This week, Leader Generation host Tessa Burg talks with Alan Kipust, Mod Op’s Executive in Residence and a le…
- Best of 2025: What Actually Worked When Leading Organizational Change
Five years ago, we started Leader Generation with a simple premise: clients learning from clients. This year proved why that matters. In 2025, CEOs and their leadership teams stopped debating whether to adopt AI and began wrestling with ha…
- Best of SEO & GEO from Leader Generation
The search landscape has fundamentally shifted. 60% of Google searches now result in zero clicks. People are getting answers from AI without ever visiting websites. If you've noticed declining organic traffic or wondered why your content i…
- EP155: The Paradox of AI-Powered Authenticity with Troy Snyder
Is it possible to build community within AI? Can we challenge search engines to put humanity and the truth at the forefront of their outputs? According to Troy Snyder, astrology student turned entrepreneur, the answer is ... maybe. In this…
- EP154: What Omnicom’s Big Move Means For Marketing Careers
When an advertising behemoth announces major restructuring plans and impending layoffs, you tend to sit up and listen. In our latest episode of Lead(er) Generation, Host Tessa Burg talks with Patty Parobek, Mod Op’s Senior Vice President o…
- EP153: From AI-Anxious To AI-Powered: How Marketers Can Use AI To Their Advantage
Every marketer has asked themselves the same question: Is AI coming for my job? In this episode of Leader Generation, Host Tessa Burg and David Berkowitz, Founder of High Caliber AI and the AI Marketers Guild, explore how marketers can sta…
- EP152: Build vs Buy In The Age Of AI: A Developer’s POV For Marketing Leaders
If you’ve been watching AI tools race into marketing and tech, but aren’t sure what’s hype and what’s actually useful, this episode is for you. Mod Op’s Head of Technology in Calgary, Derek McBurney, unpacks how generative AI, code assista…
- EP151: Mid-Market Growth With Scalable Data & AI Strategy
Mid-market leaders are facing a once-in-a-generation opportunity with AI, and this episode shows how to capitalize on it. John Powers, former CIO and Chief Transformation Officer at Deloitte and now Executive in Residence at Mod Op, shares…
- EP150: Inside Creatio’s Global AI & No-Code Study With John Arnold
What happens when AI and people work side by side instead of in competition? In this episode of Leader Generation, Tessa Burg talks with John Arnold, Head of Strategic CRM Advisory at Creatio. They discuss the company’s new global study on…
- EP149: Beyond the Hype: Technology For Today’s Marketers With John Arnold
Feeling buried under too many marketing tools and platforms? You’re not alone. In this episode of Leader Generation, Tessa Burg talks with John Arnold of Creatio about how AI and no-code technology are cutting through the clutter to help m…
- EP148: From Pipeline To Revenue: Rewriting The Marketing Playbook With Gabe Lullo
In this Leader Generation episode, CEO Gabe Lullo shares the playbook Alleyoop uses to turn “more pipeline” into real revenue. You’ll hear how to fix unqualified pipeline syndrome by aligning on a clear ICP, catching buyers at the right ti…
- EP147: From Data Chaos To Clarity: How To Future-Proof Your Marketing With Laura Stevenson
Marketing technology is evolving faster than most teams can keep up—but it doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. In this Leader Generation episode, host Tessa Burg talks with Laura Stevenson, Mod Op’s new EVP of Data and Marketing Automation,…
- EP146: Inside Mod Op’s $10M AI Investment: The Future Of Marketing Innovation
What happens when a marketing agency invests $10 million in AI—not to replace people, but to empower them? In this episode of Leader Generation, Tessa Burg talks with Eric Bertrand, CEO of Mod Op, to reveal how the agency’s bold investment…
- EP145: Escaping The AI Slop Trap: Smarter Content Marketing With Jon Gillham
Content marketing is changing fast, and so are the rules of visibility. Tessa Burg talks with Jon Gillham, Founder of Originality.ai, about how marketers can avoid the “AI slop” trap in today’s era of AI-generated content. Jon shares what…
- EP144: The Future of Work: AI Challenges & Opportunities With Joseph Miller
AI isn’t just about writing emails faster; it’s about capturing and scaling the expert knowledge that actually wins deals. In this conversation, Vivun’s Chief AI Officer Joseph Miller explains why most “just add a chatbot” projects stall,…
- EP143: Time To Value - Innovation That Puts Customers First With Alan Wizemann
Digital transformation isn’t just for tech companies—it’s reshaping even the most traditional industries. In this episode of Leader Generation, Chief Digital Officer Alan Wizemann returns to share how Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits is…
- EP142: What Works Now In B2B Marketing (And What’s Next For 2026)
Doing more with less in B2B? This episode shows you how—without burning out your team or your budget. Tessa Burg talks with B2B leaders, Hannah Woodham and Jenelle Maddox, to map out what’s actually working as teams plan for 2026. They bre…
- EP141: GEO vs. SEO - What Really Matters For AI-Driven Search
In the fast-changing world of search, generative AI is rewriting the rules—and your old SEO playbook won’t cut it. In this episode of Leader Generation, guest host Patty Parobek teams up with Mod Op’s Gareth Cunningham and Maurice White to…
- EP140: Leading Change That Sticks: People, Processes & Platforms With Stuart Goldstein
In a world where marketing agencies are racing to keep up with rapid change, how do you grow faster without losing your people, your culture, or your edge? In this episode of Leader Generation, Mod Op’s new COO, Stuart Goldstein, joins Tes…
- EP139: Beyond SEO: How To Win Attention In The Age Of Zero-Click
In this episode of Leader Generation, host Tessa Burg welcomes back Patty Parobek, Mod Op’s VP of AI and ML Transformation, for a candid conversation about how marketers can thrive in the age of “zero click.” With Google increasingly provi…
- EP138: Scaling Smarter: Balancing AI Efficiency & Human Creativity
The flood of AI-generated content has made it harder than ever to know what’s real, and easier than ever to lose trust. In this episode of Leader Generation, Tessa Burg talks with Shouvik Paul, COO of Copyleaks, about how marketers can cre…
- EP137: Redefining Performance Marketing With AI
What if you could boost marketing performance, cut costs, and launch campaigns in minutes, not days? In this episode of Leader Generation, Tessa Burg talks with Martin Kristiseter about the real-world impact of AI on performance marketing.…
- EP136: Innovation Is Everyone’s Job: Leading Tech Change With Alex Seidita
Alex Seidita, Chief Information Officer at Aspida, and Tessa Burg talk about how organizations can successfully navigate technological transformation—especially in the age of AI. With more than 35 years of IT leadership experience at organ…
- EP135: The Rise Of GEO: How To Get Found In AI Answer Engines
Wondering why your brand isn’t showing up in answer engines like Google AI Overviews, Perplexity AI, and ChatGPT—even though you’ve been investing in content and SEO? Maurice White, who leads SEO at Mod Op, is back to explain the rise of G…
- EP134: Beyond Prompts: Better AI Outputs With Context Engineering
Tessa Burg and Aaron Grando break down one of the most talked-about topics in AI right now: context engineering. If you've been using AI tools and wondering why your outputs sometimes sound generic or miss the mark, this episode is for you…
- EP133: Designing With AI - A Real-World Creative Success Story
In this episode of Leader Generation, Creative Director Leu Solomon shares a real-world example of how AI helped her and the Mod Op team deliver a complex creative project under tight budget constraints—without sacrificing quality. Leu wal…
- EP132: Big G Growth: Crunchbase’s AI-Driven Outbound Strategy
Kate Long, VP of Marketing at Crunchbase, shares how her team is leading a bold transformation—from a product-led growth model to a sales-led, AI-powered strategy. In this conversation, Kate breaks down how Crunchbase is leveraging predict…
- EP131: Retail Media At A Crossroads: Insights From Cannes Lions With Drew Cashmore
Retail media is evolving fast, but not always in the right direction. In this episode of Leader Generation , Drew Cashmore, Chief Strategy Officer at Vantage, joins Tessa Burg fresh from the Cannes Lions Festival to break down the biggest…
- EP130: Crafting Emotional Connections Using Creativity, Data & AI
In this episode of Leader Generation , Tessa Burg chats with Matt Bretz and Gary Goodman, two seasoned veterans in the games and entertainment space. With decades of experience, Matt and Gary share their journeys from working in Hollywood…
- EP129: Building Your Army Of AI Agents: What Marketers Need To Know
If you’ve ever wondered how to go beyond ChatGPT and actually connect AI to real-world systems and workflows, this conversation is for you. Tessa Burg gathers with three Mod Op experts—Fabio Fiss, Aaron Grando and Javier López—to break dow…
- EP128: Is GEO The New SEO? Optimizing For AI Search.
The way people search for information is changing fast. In this episode of Leader Generation , Tessa Burg is joined by Maurice White and Chris Harihar for a discussion about Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). They explore how search beh…
- EP127: Vibe Coding: The Future Of AI-Assisted Development Teams
Aaron Grando guest hosts on this episode of the Leader Generation Podcast , where we explore the fast-growing world of "vibe coding" with Joe DiGiovanna, VP of Technology, and Fabio Fiss, head of the DX team at Mod Op. If you’ve heard the…
- EP126: How Scibids AI Is Redefining Media Buying At DoubleVerify
What if you could stretch your media budget without spending more? In this episode of Leader Generation , host Tessa Burg talks with Wandrille Leroy, the brains behind the Scibids AI at DoubleVerify, about how marketers can get more value…
- EP125: Design Disrupted: An Old-School Creative Goes All-In On AI
What happens when an old-school creative jumps headfirst into AI? In this episode of Leader Generation , Tessa Burg talks with Sergio Cardona for an eye-opening look at how technology is changing the creative process. Sergio shares his jou…
- EP124: AI Playground: Katalon & BrowserStack
Explore how AI can automate quality assurance and testing for marketers and content teams. QA experts Giselle Castro and Carlos Obaldia share how they compared two leading AI tools, Katalon and BrowserStack. Together, they discuss how thes…
- EP123: The New Marketing Equation: Data + AI + Imagination
What if data wasn’t just something you measured, but a powerful spark for your most creative marketing ideas? In this episode, Tessa Burg talks with Boobesh Ramadurai to explore how artificial intelligence is changing the game for marketer…
- EP122: AI Is Leveling Up The Underdogs—Now What?
What if the biggest impact of AI isn’t replacing jobs, but quickly raising the bar for everyone? In this episode of Leader Generation , host Tessa Burg talks with serial entrepreneur and Corpora.ai CEO Mel Morris about AI in business and m…