Host: Tessa Burg

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 Tessa Burg to share his playbook for scaling agencies. With years of experience leading firms through mergers, digital transformations, and process overhauls, Stuart reveals why the real challenge isn’t the technology or the tools—it’s bringing people along for the ride.
Listeners will get an inside look at why Mod Op is uniting specialized agencies under one platform, how to turn skeptics into champions, and the leadership moves that make change stick. From integrating AI across disciplines to avoiding the “shiny object” trap, he offers candid advice and relatable stories that apply to any leader facing transformation.
This conversation delivers practical ways to align people, processes, and platforms—to keep your team motivated and your clients happy. Leader Generation is hosted by Tessa Burg and brought to you by Mod Op. 
About Stuart Goldstein:
As an experienced operations leader with over 20 years of success, Stuart can captain any ship. From start-up to heavyweight, Stuart has helped agencies and organizations pave their path to greatness. His expertise has been instrumental in driving growth and fame for renowned clients such as Johnson & Johnson, Oreo, Coca-Cola, American Express, Novartis, Diageo, eBay, GlaxoSmithKline, Time Warner, and Marvel, among others. And somehow, he still finds a way to drop a joke and take life one day at a time as long as it fits the brief.
About Tessa Burg:
Tessa is the Chief Technology Officer at Mod Op and Host of the Leader Generation podcast. She has led both technology and marketing teams for 15+ years. Tessa initiated and now leads Mod Op's AI/ML Pilot Team, AI Council and Innovation Pipeline. She started her career in IT and development before following her love for data and strategy into digital marketing. Tessa has held roles on both the consulting and client sides of the business for domestic and international brands, including American Greetings, Amazon, Nestlé, Anlene, Moen and many more. Tessa can be reached on LinkedIn or at [email protected].
 

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 providing AI-powered answers directly in search results, fewer people are clicking through to websites. For companies that have long depended on organic traffic, this shift raises an urgent question: What does success look like when clicks aren’t the main measure anymore?
Patty shares fresh insights inspired by Rand Fishkin’s work, breaking down why SEO isn’t dead but why marketers must rethink how they capture attention and build trust. She explains how to uncover where audiences are really being influenced, how to measure success beyond traffic and why investing in research and authenticity is more important than ever.
If you’ve been wondering how to compete when Google answers questions before people ever reach your site, this episode is a must-listen. Leader Generation is hosted by Tessa Burg and brought to you by Mod Op. 
About Patty Parobek:
As Vice President of AI Transformation, Patty leads Mod Op’s AI practice group, spearheading initiatives to maximize the value and scalability of AI-enabled solutions. Patty collaborates with the executive team to revolutionize creative, advertising and marketing projects for clients, while ensuring responsible AI practices. She also oversees AI training programs, identifies high-value AI use cases and measures implementation impact, providing essential feedback to Mod Op’s AI Council for continuous improvement. Patty can be reached on LinkedIn or at [email protected].
About Tessa Burg:
Tessa is the Chief Technology Officer at Mod Op and Host of the Leader Generation podcast. She has led both technology and marketing teams for 15+ years. Tessa initiated and now leads Mod Op's AI/ML Pilot Team, AI Council and Innovation Pipeline. She started her career in IT and development before following her love for data and strategy into digital marketing. Tessa has held roles on both the consulting and client sides of the business for domestic and international brands, including American Greetings, Amazon, Nestlé, Anlene, Moen and many more. Tessa can be reached on LinkedIn or at [email protected].
 

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 create and protect content while building trust. Shouvik shares experience scaling multiple SaaS companies to successful exits, and how those same principles—like recurring revenue and scalable systems—can help marketers build sustainable growth rather than chasing short-term wins.
Listeners will hear practical ways to use AI to speed up research, personalize marketing at scale and tap into customer data for new opportunities—all while avoiding the pitfalls of overreliance. Shouvik explains why keeping a human in the loop is critical, what happens when AI “hallucinates” and how legal and IP issues are evolving around AI-generated content.
This conversation delivers insight and actionable advice, providing a clearer picture of how to balance AI’s speed and scale with human creativity, originality and responsibility. Leader Generation is hosted by Tessa Burg and brought to you by Mod Op. 
About Shouvik Paul:
Shouvik Paul is the Chief Operating Officer of Copyleaks, an Inc. 5000-recognized company and leading AI-powered platform for text analysis, content authenticity, and generative AI governance. Trusted by enterprises, educational institutions, and governments worldwide, Copyleaks enables organizations to verify content originality, detect AI-generated and AI-influenced material, and stay compliant amid rapidly evolving AI technologies and regulations. With over 25 years of experience scaling and exiting SaaS companies across the EdTech and MediaTech sectors, Shouvik brings deep operational and go-to-market expertise. Shouvik is at the forefront of advancing responsible AI adoption, helping organizations navigate the complexities of content integrity, copyright protection, and regulatory compliance in an ever-evolving AI landscape.
About Tessa Burg:
Tessa is the Chief Technology Officer at Mod Op and Host of the Leader Generation podcast. She has led both technology and marketing teams for 15+ years. Tessa initiated and now leads Mod Op's AI/ML Pilot Team, AI Council and Innovation Pipeline. She started her career in IT and development before following her love for data and strategy into digital marketing. Tessa has held roles on both the consulting and client sides of the business for domestic and international brands, including American Greetings, Amazon, Nestlé, Anlene, Moen and many more. Tessa can be reached on LinkedIn or at [email protected].
 

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. From automating tedious workflows to using data-driven insights for creative optimization, Martin shares how his team is using AI to deliver measurable outcomes while keeping transparency front and center.
Martin also opens up about his path to CEO and how his team is navigating rapid change without losing sight of people. He offers practical advice for leaders who want to integrate AI without the hype, create new roles (not just cut old ones), and build trust with clients in a tech-driven landscape. 
If you’re looking to make smarter marketing decisions—and move faster while doing it—this conversation is packed with insights you can use right now. Leader Generation is hosted by Tessa Burg and brought to you by Mod Op. 
 
About Martin Kristiseter:
Martin Kristiseter is an accomplished entrepreneur and digital executive with 20 years of experience in digital media, ad technology, and programmatic solutions. He currently serves as the CEO of Digital Remedy, a Performance Media Company built for brands, agencies, and media companies. Krisitiseter previously launched the digital advertising business at Marketron that transformed a declining revenue management and radio traffic business (SaaS) into a growth company through Pitch — an omni-channel workflow, sales enablement, fulfillment, and reporting platform for media companies. He is a graduate of the University of Colorado, where he earned a BA and MBA in Finance.
 
About Tessa Burg:
Tessa is the Chief Technology Officer at Mod Op and Host of the Leader Generation podcast. She has led both technology and marketing teams for 15+ years. Tessa initiated and now leads Mod Op's AI/ML Pilot Team, AI Council and Innovation Pipeline. She started her career in IT and development before following her love for data and strategy into digital marketing. Tessa has held roles on both the consulting and client sides of the business for domestic and international brands, including American Greetings, Amazon, Nestlé, Anlene, Moen and many more. Tessa can be reached on LinkedIn or at [email protected].

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 organizations like Motorola, Citibank, Home Depot, MetLife, and now Aspida, Alex shares how major shifts like data warehousing, virtualization and cloud adoption have shaped his perspective. He explains why AI is just the latest in a long line of tech evolutions—and how businesses that focus on people, processes and purpose will adapt best.
Alex also digs into practical frameworks that have helped him lead through change, like agile methodology, product-aligned teams and shared accountability. If you’re wondering how to encourage innovation, overcome resistance to AI, or foster collaboration across silos, this episode delivers a ton of insight in a conversational, accessible way. 
Leader Generation is hosted by Tessa Burg and brought to you by Mod Op. 
About Alex Seidita:
Alex Seidita is Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Aspida. Alex is a seasoned IT professional with three decades of experience in leadership and implementation of IT systems. Prior to joining Aspida, Alex was SVP, CIO Latin America IT for MetLife. He has worked and led teams in multiple industries, including telecommunications (terrestrial, cellular & satellite), financial services, military avionics, retail, and insurance, and he has held leadership roles at such companies as Citibank, The Home Depot, and First Data. Alex has experience in creating an enterprise architecture team, and under his leadership, First Data was named a winner of the 2011 Enterprise Architecture Award, by InfoWorld and Forrester Research. Alex holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Florida Institute of Technology.
About Tessa Burg:
Tessa is the Chief Technology Officer at Mod Op and Host of the Leader Generation podcast. She has led both technology and marketing teams for 15+ years. Tessa initiated and now leads Mod Op's AI/ML Pilot Team, AI Council and Innovation Pipeline. She started her career in IT and development before following her love for data and strategy into digital marketing. Tessa has held roles on both the consulting and client sides of the business for domestic and international brands, including American Greetings, Amazon, Nestlé, Anlene, Moen and many more. Tessa can be reached on LinkedIn or at [email protected].
 

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 Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and why it’s changing the way we think about search. Maurice and Tessa Burg break down what GEO means, how it fits into your existing SEO strategy and the concrete steps you can take right now to make your brand more visible in AI-generated answers.
You’ll learn how to build helpful, high-quality content that AI engines recognize and reward, and how PR and brand mentions now play a key role in visibility. Maurice also shares free and paid tools you can use to measure your GEO progress—so you’re not just guessing, you’re growing. 
Whether you're a marketer, content creator or brand leader, this episode offers smart insights and real takeaways to help your brand show up where it matters most.
Leader Generation is hosted by Tessa Burg and brought to you by Mod Op. 
Contributor:
Maurice White, Senior SEO Strategist at Mod Op
About Tessa Burg:
Tessa is the Chief Technology Officer at Mod Op and Host of the Leader Generation podcast. She has led both technology and marketing teams for 15+ years. Tessa initiated and now leads Mod Op's AI/ML Pilot Team, AI Council and Innovation Pipeline. She started her career in IT and development before following her love for data and strategy into digital marketing. Tessa has held roles on both the consulting and client sides of the business for domestic and international brands, including American Greetings, Amazon, Nestlé, Anlene, Moen and many more. Tessa can be reached on LinkedIn or at [email protected].
 

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. 
 
Aaron explains how context engineering helps AI better understand what you want by feeding it the right information—from your brand voice to real-time data—before you even type your prompt. Aaron and Tessa also explore how context engineering plays a key role in reducing hallucinations, maintaining brand integrity, and building automated agents that can actually take meaningful action. 
Listeners will take away clear, practical tips on how to make generative AI more accurate, creative, and tailored to specific goals so you can get more value out of your tools—without needing to be a tech expert
Leader Generation is hosted by Tessa Burg and brought to you by Mod Op.
About Aaron Grando:
Aaron Grando, VP, Creative Innovation on Mod Op’s Innovation team, is a seasoned technologist with over 15 years of experience at creative agencies. With a background in strategy, design, engineering, and marketing, Aaron has worked extensively in industries like media, entertainment, gaming, food & beverage, fashion, and technology. At Mod Op, Aaron leads efforts to integrate AI into creative processes, creating tools that connect creatives and clients with insights, spark ideas, and enable new brand experiences. Projects include collaborations with companies like NBCUniversal, Bethesda Softworks, Under Armour, Planet Fitness, Dietz & Watson, and more, focusing on infusing creative strategies with innovative technology to create cutting-edge brand experiences. Aaron can be reached on LinkedIn or at [email protected]. 
About Tessa Burg:
Tessa is the Chief Technology Officer at Mod Op and Host of the Leader Generation podcast. She has led both technology and marketing teams for 15+ years. Tessa initiated and now leads Mod Op's AI/ML Pilot Team, AI Council and Innovation Pipeline. She started her career in IT and development before following her love for data and strategy into digital marketing. Tessa has held roles on both the consulting and client sides of the business for domestic and international brands, including American Greetings, Amazon, Nestlé, Anlene, Moen and many more. Tessa can be reached on LinkedIn or at [email protected].
 

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 walks us through the challenge: Creating a single hero image featuring up to nine custom building illustrations for a commercial real estate client. Traditional design would’ve required more time and money, but by incorporating Adobe Firefly into the process, the team created something visually stunning, on budget, and faster than ever before.
This isn’t just a story about using AI to speed things up—it’s about how curiosity, critical thinking and good design thinking elevate the work. Leu explains how she pitched AI as one of three creative directions, handled client hesitations with transparency and used her design skills to enhance, not replace, creative vision. 
Leader Generation is hosted by Tessa Burg and brought to you by Mod Op. 
Guest:
Leu Solomon, Creative Director at Mod Op
About Tessa Burg:
Tessa is the Chief Technology Officer at Mod Op and Host of the Leader Generation podcast. She has led both technology and marketing teams for 15+ years. Tessa initiated and now leads Mod Op's AI/ML Pilot Team, AI Council and Innovation Pipeline. She started her career in IT and development before following her love for data and strategy into digital marketing. Tessa has held roles on both the consulting and client sides of the business for domestic and international brands, including American Greetings, Amazon, Nestlé, Anlene, Moen and many more. Tessa can be reached on LinkedIn or at [email protected].

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 predictive signals to deliver meaningful value earlier in the buyer journey, before prospects even know they’re in-market.
Kate also opens up about leading teams through change, upskilling marketers to become “horizontal AI orchestrators,” and why aligning with sales isn’t just smart—it’s essential. 
You'll take away practical insights on how to adapt, stay human in a tech-heavy world and build sustainable "Big G Growth" in a rapidly evolving marketing landscape.
Leader Generation is hosted by Tessa Burg and brought to you by Mod Op. 
About Kate Long:
Kate Long is the Vice President of Marketing at Crunchbase. She is passionate about driving sustainable, long-term growth by deeply understanding the customer and optimizing the full marketing ecosystem. Her expertise spans performance marketing, partner expansion, brand transformation and product-led growth, all aimed at creating lasting impact. As a marketing innovator, strategist and operator, Kate has built brands, defined new categories and sparked product enthusiasm across high-growth B2B and B2C SaaS companies, as well as within the Fortune 500. She believes true success is rooted in people and is dedicated to mentoring the next generation of marketing talent.
About Tessa Burg:
Tessa is the Chief Technology Officer at Mod Op and Host of the Leader Generation podcast. She has led both technology and marketing teams for 15+ years. Tessa initiated and now leads Mod Op's AI/ML Pilot Team, AI Council, and Innovation Pipeline. She started her career in IT and development before following her love for data and strategy into digital marketing. Tessa has held roles on both the consulting and client sides of the business for domestic and international brands, including American Greetings, Amazon, Nestlé, Anlene, Moen and many more. Tessa can be reached on LinkedIn or at [email protected].

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 conversations shaping the future of retail and commerce media. Drew shares what he's seeing across the industry—the opportunities, the challenges and where marketers should focus their energy.
If you're working with retail media in any capacity, you'll benefit from Drew's candid insights into what's working, what's not and how to create real value through presence, simplicity and strategic alignment. From the power of in-store media to the fragmentation of first-party data systems, this episode brings clarity to a complex landscape.
Leader Generation is hosted by Tessa Burg and brought to you by Mod Op. 
About Drew Cashmore:
Drew Cashmore is the Chief Strategy Officer at Vantage and a seasoned retail and retail media strategist. He has a background in building, commercializing and scaling intrapreneurial ventures within some of the world’s largest retailers. Drew was an original architect and former executive at Walmart Connect in both the U.S. and Canada, where he played a key role in scaling the business to over $2 billion. His contributions included insourcing the business, establishing brand and sales enablement practices, leading internal change management, and developing the in-store advertising strategy. He was also a founding member of Walmart’s eCommerce and digital marketing platforms, and previously served as the CMO of Firework, and is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Adaptive Retail Group.
About Tessa Burg:
Tessa is the Chief Technology Officer at Mod Op and Host of the Leader Generation podcast. She has led both technology and marketing teams for 15+ years. Tessa initiated and now leads Mod Op's AI/ML Pilot Team, AI Council and Innovation Pipeline. She started her career in IT and development before following her love for data and strategy into digital marketing. Tessa has held roles on both the consulting and client sides of the business for domestic and international brands, including American Greetings, Amazon, Nestlé, Anlene, Moen and many more. Tessa can be reached on LinkedIn or at [email protected].