Guest Information
- Name: Jason Holzman
- Title: SVP, Creative, Production, and Brand Strategy
- Organization: Macy’s
- Expertise:
- Creative leadership in retail, media, and advertising
- Scaling creative teams in high-growth and high-change environments
- AI’s role in creative operations
Episode Summary
The future of creative leadership isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about navigating uncertainty with trust, adaptability, and a new mindset. In this episode, we sit down with Jason Holzman, SVP of Creative, Production, and Brand Strategy at Macy’s, to explore how leaders can shift from control to enablement, balance execution with creativity in the age of AI, and build trust through transparency, empathy, and positivity. Whether you’re a creative ops leader, project manager, or CMO, this conversation is packed with insights on leading through disruption and thriving when the old playbooks no longer work.
Key Takeaways
- Leadership in creative ops is no longer about control—it’s about enablement :
- The best leaders aren’t making every decision; they’re creating the conditions for better decisions to be made.
- Trust is the most underrated skill in leadership :
- Uncertainty isn’t going away, but teams that trust their leaders—and each other—move through change faster and more effectively.
- AI is shifting the balance between execution and creativity:
- Leaders must rethink how they measure value, ensuring that efficiency doesn’t come at the cost of originality.
- Transparency, empathy, and positivity aren’t just buzzwords—they’re survival strategies:
- In times of rapid change, clarity and human connection are what keep creative teams engaged and performing.
- The future of leadership is about designing for change, not just reacting to it:
- The best teams aren’t waiting for stability—they’re building systems that thrive in uncertainty.
What is CreativeOps Podcast?
The Creative Ops Podcast, hosted by a respected leader in the industry since 2014, Nish Patel, explores the ever-changing world of creative operations. Each week, immerse yourself in candid, enlightening, and curiosity-driven conversations with creative operations leaders as they share stories of challenges, solutions, and insights on both prevailing and emerging topics.
Central to these conversations are the foundational pillars of Creative Ops: People, Process, and Tech and the disruption and opportunity of AI (artificial intelligence) on individuals, organizations and the entire industry.
Whether you're tuning in for an insightful interview with an industry leader or Nish's conversation-provoking perspective on key issues, the CreativeOps Podcast is the essential water cooler for the creative ops community.
Listen in to navigate your challenges differently, ask the questions that allow you to discover new possibilities and equip yourself with invaluable insights to unleash your potential and flourish in the dynamic world of creative operations.