steve carlson

It’s a rare gift when your first campaign with a new client becomes one of the projects you’ll cherish forever. This one did. From collaborating with some of my favorite creative partners, to teaming up with an incredible director, to meeting production partners who quickly became friends, the entire experience felt like lightning in a bottle. It’s easily a top-five career moment.

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Macy’s had already shaped a clear ethos for how they wanted their lifestyle and fashion work to show up in the world: life is perfectly imperfect, and beauty lives in the in-between moments. For this season, though, they wanted to infuse that ethos with a stronger fashion sensibility. Keep the honesty and spontaneity, but turn the volume up on style.

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We built the campaign around two distinct spots. One captured a younger, more casual street-style energy. The other leaned more into dressy, ready-to-wear looks that felt polished but still human. And beyond broadcast, the Macy’s social team wanted distinct edits that gave each platform its own rhythm and personality. The result was a season that felt cohesive, elevated, and unmistakably Macy’s. Perfectly imperfect, but with the fashion dialed delightfully up.