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 Tessa.Burg@ModOp.com.

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 Tessa.Burg@ModOp.com.