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It’s not an uncommon experience. Creatives who do their jobs well are consistently promoted until they are leading teams as a manager, director, or vice president. While they may be stellar designers, editors, or animators, they have received little to no instruction on how to manage people, which involves an entirely new skill set.

That’s where GEMA’s NOW Project comes in. Led by industry-renowned leadership strategist Esther Weinberg, founder of The Ready Zone, the NOW Project is designed to equip creatives to lead with confidence, clarity and purpose.

Weinberg joined Spotlight to shed light on the program and describe how it helps executives grow their leadership capabilities, giving them, their teams and their organizations the tools they need to excel.

‍Spotlight: Hi, Esther. You and I have talked a few times over the years, and I am happy to be chatting with you again today. You launched The Ready Zone at the beginning of 2020, just prior to the pandemic. What is The Ready Zone, and why should media leaders pay attention to it?

‍Weinberg: I’ve worked with many of the big-name brands across the entertainment spectrum, like Netflix, Disney, Paramount, NBCUniversal and ESPN, and at the time, a few things stood out to me. The executives I was working with wanted to feel ready to seize the opportunities in front of them and make them count.

The question was how to do that. What I realized very quickly was that executives needed a diagnostic framework that would serve as a blueprint. Such a framework would be invaluable—especially given the fact that the industry was going through so much and still is, shifting, morphing, and growing. That's why I created The Ready Zone.

The Ready Zone is a leadership framework that helps leaders, teams, and organizations build cultures of trust, respect, and psychological safety—these are things that must be valued and measured just as much as the bottom line.

‍Spotlight: You are leading a program for GEMA emerging leaders called the NOW Project. Can you tell me about it?

‍Weinberg: The program is for mid-level leaders—managers, directors, and VPs. They face very similar issues, whether they’re in gaming, streaming, eSports, or music. They are navigating industry volatility and change. There’s this constant disruption happening, whether it’s mergers, layoffs, or acquisitions. And there’s relentless pressure to innovate—making it the first big challenge.

The second challenge is managing up, down, and sideways simultaneously. So, you’re balancing executive demands, unclear decision-making, stakeholder management, and so on.

The third challenge is the data-versus-creativity dilemma. There’s tension between creative risk-taking and the commercial pressures of audience data metrics. Executives are also dealing with retention and burnout. AI is creating stress, with executives wondering both if it will replace them and how to use it efficiently without alienating their creative teams.

At this level, what’s expected of them is huge—and they don’t always have the authority to actually get things done. There’s constant pressure, but there’s not always a clear pathway for advancement. Networking is critical, but it’s time-consuming. Where do you do it? Who do you do it with? And does it even matter?

You may be thinking all of these things in isolation. But these are the people who make the work work. If your company isn’t investing in their development, you're leaving your business behind. If you don’t consciously invest in developing people at this level—whether they manage a team or are individual contributors—you’re signaling that being strategic, agile, and influential with resilience and adaptability isn’t that important.

The NOW Project was aptly named because what’s required at this moment in the entertainment industry is different from what was needed eight, four, two, or even one year ago. We created the NOW Project to provide these valued marketers and creatives with the practical, pragmatic tools they need today, not tomorrow. These aren’t theoretical ideas—they’re actionable strategies they can implement immediately to make the biggest difference for themselves, their careers, and their teams.

‍Spotlight: How is the NOW Project structured?

‍Weinberg: It’s a six-month virtual program. Each month has a theme overlayed with The Ready Zone leadership framework—covering the six Ready Zones over six months. Leaders at this level need more than practical leadership tools; they need a community to lean on for support and real-time problem-solving. So, we designed the program with high levels of support.

First, each cohort has no more than 12 people to maintain intimacy, connection, and community. Every month, there are two 90-minute leadership sessions: one is an interactive leadership development session, and the other is a mastermind session. The mastermind is based on the belief that we’re better, stronger, and smarter together. Participants bring a challenge or opportunity, and the group helps solve it in a safe space.

After each session, participants set action steps and track progress. We also pair people up to provide extra support between sessions—someone to bounce ideas off of and a trusted confidant. We designed it this way because it’s easy to be a passive learner, but that’s not what this is about. We want people actually using these incredibly valuable strategies—right away—with their teams, their organizations, and themselves.

We also offer optional one-on-one coaching with me and Q&A sessions to address additional topics not covered in the program. This ensures participants get what they need in a variety of ways.

‍Spotlight: You say media companies need to 'put people before profit' to survive and thrive. Do media leaders still agree with this message?

‍Weinberg: It’s not just an idealistic slogan—it’s a financial reality. The cost of conflict in organizations is staggering. Data shows that employees spend almost three hours a week dealing with difficult situations—which adds up to about $359 billion in paid hours. And that’s based on an $18 per hour salary—most companies pay far more.

A survey of more than 1,000 employees found that every failed or avoided conversation costs an organization $7,500 per employee, per interaction. Leaders push back on these numbers, but think about how much time employees spend venting, avoiding issues, or struggling with unclear expectations. Turnover is one of the most expensive problems a company can have. I’m not talking about letting go of low performers—I mean losing the people you want to keep. That’s a financial hit leaders don’t always see coming.

It’s easy to get caught up in fear and assumptions, but real leadership comes from pausing and asking: What are the actual facts? What assumptions or fears am I layering in? What impact does that have on my leadership? Leaders who develop this level of inner mastery don’t just react to change—they shape it.

The NOW Project is designed for high-potential leaders ready to elevate their impact and influence. GEMA members may qualify for an exclusive discount as well as receive a letter of interest to share with their bosses. Apply now to see if you’re eligible and secure your place in the NOW Project launching this April!