How Entourage Yearbooks uses AI to speed up workflow, with Elias Jo

AI is moving fast, but the real advantage isn’t sounding smart, it’s getting work done faster without breaking your team. Gary Pageau of The Dead Pixels Society sits down with Elias Jo, CEO of Entourage Yearbooks, to talk about what’s actually changing inside the yearbook and volume photography workflow and what studios of every size can do right now to keep up.

Joe digs into how Entourage built a technology layer around yearbook production, from a Canva-like yearbook builder to online sales and a redundant print network designed for today’s supply chain reality. Then he discusses practical uses for artificial intelligence in business: Why “AI as search” is a dead end, where the 20% to 30% efficiency gains are coming from, and how mid-size photography companies can push their SaaS tools, CRM systems, and automation platforms to work together instead of creating more spreadsheet pain.

One of the most actionable moments is Jo’s simple model for “AI talking to AI” using ChatGPT plus app builders like Lovable to prototype a tool that cleans messy school data and turns it into a repeatable process. We also talk about AI for content creation and podcast production, why human review still matters, and what an AI-first world could look like when prompts start replacing traditional applications.