Impact Over Noise: Navigating Social Media, AI, and the Modern Creator Economy

Join Molly Baker and a special guest for a thoughtful conversation on navigating today’s fast-moving social media and influencer landscape. From early days running MySpace pages to leading influencer strategy at a Fortune 500 company, the guest shares lessons on balancing creativity with systems thinking to drive real business impact. Together they explore the role of AI in modern marketing, the challenge of prioritizing in a world full of new platforms and tactics, and what it takes to build ventures alongside a full-time career. The episode also dives into personal branding, sales discipline, and why understanding people and human behavior still matters more than any tool. Whether you’re a marketer, creator, or entrepreneur, this conversation offers a grounded perspective on cutting through the noise to focus on what truly makes an impact.

MB (Molly Baker): What’s been on your mind professionally lately?
LM (Leo Morejon): I’m always thinking about impact over noise. It’s hard to be discerning because there’s so much out there. Different platforms, channels, tactics. I want the flashy, cool stuff, but I really want to make business impact.

MB: What are you really good at?
LM: I’m a systems thinker who’s also a creative person. I can be idealistic and creative, but also grounded and pragmatic. That’s probably my core strength.

MB: How did you become good at both the creative and systems sides?
LM: I was brought up by Cuban immigrants and had to figure things out early. I was bilingual and often translating and navigating the world for my family, so I had to be outcome focused. At the same time, I’ve always had a creative mind with art and drawing.

MB: What’s been the most pivotal moment in your career?
LM: Getting into social media before it was even a thing, and getting a job at a prestigious company without a degree. I also led Oreo, and that led me into marketing technology. It’s hard to point to one thing, but those moments shaped everything.

MB: What first got you into social media?
LM: In high school I ran a website about hacking AOL and AIM, then I built websites for businesses. After that I got hired by a small cafe to run their MySpace page. That turned into client work in social and eventually work with brands like Paramount and Justin Timberlake.

MB: How did you land a job at a major agency without being prepared?
LM: I applied to a random job on Craigslist and walked in totally unprepared. I had a Pauly D haircut from Jersey Shore. Then I realized I was at J. Walter Thompson. They weren’t even calling it social media yet, they called it emerging media. I talked about blogs like Gizmodo and running MySpace pages, and they hired me.

MB: With so many platforms and tools today, how do you stay focused?
LM: It’s ridiculously hard, especially with AI and new platforms constantly popping up. I focus on being a trusted advisor and tying everything back to business goals. What does the business want to do? Then you make decisions based on that.

MB: What’s your philosophy on prioritization?
LM: If you’re prioritizing, it hurts. If it doesn’t hurt, you’re not prioritizing. You have to be discerning and say, this is a cool idea, but it doesn’t fit us. Even with personal ventures, I ask, is this just fun or is it really going to make an impact?

MB: Once you make the call on priorities, what’s the hardest part?
LM: Getting people unified. There will always be people who wanted to go in a different direction. The work is bringing everyone together so they’re aligned, passionate, and working toward the same goal.

MB: What relationships have been most impactful in your career?
LM: Two stand out. David Rosenberg at JWT helped me learn how to think, lead, and manage people. Brian Weiner taught me how to sell.

MB: What’s the biggest lesson you learned about sales?
LM: I once gave a presentation that went over time, everyone loved it, and I thought I crushed it. Then Brian asked me basic questions: who’s the decision maker, what’s the budget, what’s the timeline, who are the competitors? I didn’t know any of it. That one moment was months or years of learning. Sales is about getting the right information, not just impressing people.

MB: What makes sales actually effective?
LM: Active listening, asking questions, and controlling the room. You have to leave time for Q&A to get what you need for follow ups. And when a prospect tries to take you down a side quest, you need to be able to say, that’s great, let me come back to it at the end.

MB: Who are you and what do you do?
LM: I’m Leo Morone. I’m a builder of people, brands, and businesses. I do influencer and social media marketing at a Fortune 500 company, and I run ventures like Social Lollipop, Jingle My Brand, and Speech Therapist Tools.

MB: How do you balance a full time role with multiple ventures?
LM: Nights and weekends. When my three year old is sleeping, I work. After I do the dishes, I work. I take calls while doing the dishes. I listen to podcasts and I listen to articles using AI. I absorb information wherever I can.

MB: What does a typical day look like?
LM: There isn’t an average day. Mornings might be influencer content. Afternoons might be performance funnels. Evenings might be building products for ventures. And I try to meet with creatives and builders often because that’s what gives me energy.

MB: What does it mean to be a leader in social and influencer marketing today?
LM: Focus on what will make major impact. It’s not just about using AI or knowing platforms. The people part matters. Inspiring people matters. As a leader you have to provide the tools and space for outcomes to happen, not just tell people to be innovative.

MB: What’s something you spend time on that would surprise people?
LM: Trying to get into flow and be creative. Sometimes I sit at my desk forcing creativity, even when I know I should get up, work out, drink water, or go outside. It’s a bad habit, but I’m trying to do better.

MB: What did you say no to earlier in your career that you wish you hadn’t?
LM: Personal branding opportunities. I used to think the work would speak for itself. It doesn’t. Taking opportunities like this changed my career trajectory.

MB: Where do you focus your personal branding today?
LM: Mostly YouTube, especially YouTube Shorts. I’m on other platforms too, but that’s where I’m most focused.

MB: Why YouTube Shorts?
LM: It’s one of the fastest ways to monetize and it has a general audience. Also my content isn’t strictly marketing education. It’s more humanities and philosophy mixed with business, so you can enjoy it even if you’re not into marketing.

MB: How are you using AI in your ventures and content creation?
LM: Across the board. Development, vibe coding, branding, video creation, content creation. I try a lot of tools and have too many subscriptions.

MB: How do you set expectations for AI output?
LM: I don’t expect it to be the final product. It gives me ideas and drafts. But I’m very aware of not outsourcing my thinking. I set boundaries because I love the creative part, and I don’t want to lose that.

MB: What’s the biggest disconnect in how people talk about AI versus how it’s actually working?
LM: People are polarized. Either it’s going to change everything or it’s useless. The truth is it’s somewhere in the middle. It’s a tool with a learning curve. A lot of people try one bad prompt, get a bad output, and declare it’s garbage instead of improving the prompt or trying another model.

MB: How did you get better at prompting?
LM: At first I bought prompts from marketplaces. Now I use a chatbot that creates prompts for me. I tell it what I want for a specific brand or look and it generates a better prompt.

MB: Do you believe AI will just keep getting exponentially better?
LM: I’m not sure. There’s no proof it will. The people saying that often have investments in it. It could, but it might not. Sometimes companies waste money chasing AI when what they really need is to hire more people for better outcomes.

MB: What’s your take on AI influencers?
LM: I think they’re inauthentic. A lot of what I see feels like shady TikTok shop behavior. I don’t think big brands should use them unless it’s clearly disclosed and part of the messaging. If people feel lied to, it’s over.

MB: What should marketers and leaders focus on as technology changes?
LM: People, philosophy, and the humanities. Technology will always change, but humans have the same emotional drivers. If you understand people, you’ll be good, especially in times of change.

MB: What advice would you give to someone just starting their career?
LM: Be open to opportunities. Sometimes unpaid work can benefit you, but be discerning. Avoid hard and fast rules. Life is in the gray. A lot of the job isn’t marketing, it’s selling your idea and knowing how to communicate with people. If you have bad news, pick up the phone or talk in person.

MB: Where can people find you and your ventures?
LM: LeonardoM.com has links to everything. The main things I’m focused on right now are SocialLollipop.com and JingleMyBrand.com.

MB: What is Social Lollipop?
LM: It’s a SaaS platform focused on decision making for influencer and social media marketing. There’s a lot happening and it’s hard to make choices. I want to help marketers understand what’s trending, what’s working, what fits their brand, and then deliver outcomes with autonomous teams.

MB: What is Jingle My Brand?
LM: It’s a free tool right now. You go to JingleMyBrand.com, type in a few fields about your company and what it does, and within seconds it generates a jingle you can use.

Find Leo on Linkedin, Instagram and visit his website!

As for us, follow @namedrop.pod on Instagram & LinkedIn and@molbakes on Instagram for all future episodes and insights.