First Terrace Systems

Applied AI marketing content for Tephra,
an advanced charting platform built for traders.

First Terrace Systems approached me to construct a full-funnel marketing launch for their new advanced charting platform. The software, still in development at time of kick-off, uses all the execution info available to build unique data-oriented charts to give their audience an edge in the market. As a new company, the goal was to build marketing assets and campaign that would attract a specialized younger audience who sought out advanced tools while trading. The challenge was to build a campaign with zero assets, an unfinished product, minimal budget and a tight timeline to meet the launch.

Through Ash Studios, I recruited a team comprised of an editor and strategist to create an impactful campaign that would hit all their goals without breaking the bank. We utilized a variety of AI tools to make the vision into a reality.

How did AI play a role?

Discovery & Strategy (Human)
Every project starts here. For Tephra, deep audience and market research was synthesized through AI to distill findings into clear strategic pillars — landing on a single insight: active traders are all seeking confidence in their edge. Everything that followed served that idea.

Concept
With AI, the best results come from extensive set-up. That means the concept comes first — visual references, motion studies, color systems — all assembled before a single prompt is written. AI doesn't dream up the idea. It executes one that's already defined.

Prompt Work (AI + Human Guidance)
Creative intent gets translated into prompts and refined iteratively. Sometimes an unexpected result opens a new direction.
More often, it's methodical work to close the gap between vision and output.

Visual Generation (AI)
Prompts run across multiple image engines for high-volume iteration. The strongest frames get selected and developed.

Visual Editing (Human Refinement)
AI output gets cleaned, adjusted, and retouched. Brand elements are applied. This is where craft takes over from generation.

Video Generation (AI)
Refined stills feed back into motion tools — Runway in this case — to create micro-moments that add kinetic energy to the footage.

Creative Output (Human Craft)
Selection, sequencing, and judgment deliver the finished work. For Tephra this also included an AI voiceover to support a lean budget and a script under constant revision, plus a 40-unit paid social test across Meta and Reddit — with AI handling batching, deployment, and performance analysis to surface the top performers for scaled spend.

Generating Visuals and Motion

Simple Prompt to start:

“A macho volcanic ad of a person seeing the world with new eyes”

Refined Prompt:

“A cinematic ad shot in the day with bold contrast of a male figure in the center of the frame confidently walking towards a fiery volcanic eruption. The colors are slate grey with a large stone volcano in the background and fire in the mountain. The sky is light. The energy is masculine, macho and exudes confidence. Desolate landscape with lava and smoke rising up.”