Soul & Science : #93: AI-Native Storytelling Is Already Here | Jason Zada, Founder of Secret Level
SHOW NOTES
AI isn’t just speeding up production—it’s rewriting the rules of storytelling.
In this episode, Jason sits down with award-winning director and creative pioneer Jason Zada, founder of the AI-native entertainment studio Secret Level. From Elf Yourself to Take This Lollipop to an AI-generated Coca-Cola ad that sparked headlines and backlash, Zada has spent his career pushing the boundaries of how audiences engage with content.
They dive into the power of participatory storytelling, what it means to build with AI from the ground up, and why creative leaders need to think less like traditional producers and more like technologists.
Key Takeaways:
✅ AI-native production requires a totally new mindset—not just new tools
✅ Participatory storytelling builds deeper emotional connections
✅ Virality often comes from imperfection, not polish
✅ Creative leadership means placing long bets before the industry catches up
Memorable Moments:
💡 “Pre-production is the new post-production.”
💡 “You can’t apply a traditional production mindset to AI. It just won’t work.”
💡 “People didn’t hate the Coke ad until they found out it was AI.”
💡 “The best thing about launching Secret Level? Being right.”
💡 “Make something people love or hate. Anything else, why bother?”
Brought to you by Mekanism.
In this episode, Jason sits down with award-winning director and creative pioneer Jason Zada, founder of the AI-native entertainment studio Secret Level. From Elf Yourself to Take This Lollipop to an AI-generated Coca-Cola ad that sparked headlines and backlash, Zada has spent his career pushing the boundaries of how audiences engage with content.
They dive into the power of participatory storytelling, what it means to build with AI from the ground up, and why creative leaders need to think less like traditional producers and more like technologists.
Key Takeaways:
✅ AI-native production requires a totally new mindset—not just new tools
✅ Participatory storytelling builds deeper emotional connections
✅ Virality often comes from imperfection, not polish
✅ Creative leadership means placing long bets before the industry catches up
Memorable Moments:
💡 “Pre-production is the new post-production.”
💡 “You can’t apply a traditional production mindset to AI. It just won’t work.”
💡 “People didn’t hate the Coke ad until they found out it was AI.”
💡 “The best thing about launching Secret Level? Being right.”
💡 “Make something people love or hate. Anything else, why bother?”
Brought to you by Mekanism.
Soul & Science
Does marketing live in the heart, or in the head? Should you trust your instinct, or your integers? If the answer is both, should you lead with one more than the other? As a creative agency, Mekanism has been asking these questions of ourselves and our clients for over 10 years. Join co-founder and CEO of award-winning creative agency Mekanism, Jason Harris, on his quest to answer these questions with the world’s leading marketers from the brands we’ve all come to love. Named CEO of the Year by The Drum Magazine, Jason will draw from his experience during these easily digestible 20-minute episodes to explore the Soul of these famous brands and the Science of staying relevant, exploring how they’ve become culture defining emblems in our modern world.
Brought to you by Mekanism
Brought to you by Mekanism
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