Women Leading the Industry: Eliza Tan

Eliza Tan works at the intersection of media, business, and technology as a Senior Partner Manager at Adobe, where she manages technology partnerships across Adobe’s digital video and audio products. Her work focuses on building bridges between technology companies and creative professionals, helping integrate third-party tools into post-production workflows.

Born in Singapore, raised in Malaysia, and now based in San Francisco, Tan brings a multicultural perspective shaped by her experience across continents. Her background in media and international studies, along with hands-on work in traditional media production and multimedia journalism, fostered an early curiosity about how visual stories travel across cultures and media systems. 

Before moving into the technology side of the industry, she also worked as an accredited broadcast photographer covering two Olympic Games, an experience that exposed her to the global infrastructure and collaboration behind large-scale media production. Today, her work continues to sit at the intersection of creators, technologists, and emerging tools, with a particular focus on partnerships, evolving media workflows, and the role of curiosity and adaptability in an industry where the rules are constantly being rewritten.

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What drew you to work in this industry?

Storytelling was part of my life very early on. My dad used to document our family through photos and videos whenever we traveled, and I quickly took over as the one holding the camera once I was old enough as I thought I had the better eye. When we were little, my sister and I would spend time working on creative projects, making homemade films in places like Malaysia, the UK, and Australia when we visited relatives scattered around the world. We cast grandparents, cousins, and family friends in these films because I didn’t want precious moments with family to slip by undocumented.

That instinct came from a simple place. Aware of how fleeting memories and moments of beauty can be, creating things with the people I cared about became a way to hold onto them. Technology was also a constant in my childhood. My mom worked for Canon and my dad spent years in the tech industry at companies like IBM, HP, and Motorola, so I grew up surrounded by cameras, gadgets, and tools that I loved experimenting with.

Later, I spent time in Washington, DC, and abroad in the Middle East, which showed me how powerful media can be in shaping public understanding and helping people understand lives and perspectives beyond their own. Those experiences, along with growing up in a multicultural country like Malaysia, reinforced for me how storytelling can build empathy across cultures. I’m very grateful that my horizons were broadened early in life.

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What part of your work brings you the most joy?

I’m most energized when my work helps bridge different worlds. Creators, technologists, and product teams often approach problems from very different perspectives, and working in partnerships means constantly translating between viewpoints to build something useful together.

Harmony between work and life also matters a lot to me, and part of what makes this field special is that the creative ecosystem shows up in both my worlds. My dad is a leadership coach and author who began creating videos online during the pandemic and unexpectedly built an audience on social media, so it’s fun comparing notes with him. My sister is a writer, and many of my friends are creatives and storytellers in their own ways. 

Those overlaps remind me that the people I work with professionally and spend time with in my personal life are often part of the same larger creative community. When the insights I hear from my personal world mirror the conversations I have with customers, it deepens my understanding of how people use creative tools and ultimately improves both the quality of my work and the fulfillment it brings.

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What advice would you give a young woman starting in the industry?

Stay curious. Especially early in your career, curiosity and a willingness to ask questions can matter just as much as, if not more than, where you come from or what you studied. Being reliable, being a lifelong learner, and staying genuinely interested in how things work, as well as in the stories of the people around you, are often what will differentiate someone in a competitive environment.

It also helps to remember that a first job is not always a perfect reflection of who you are or what you want to do long term. Roles often exist because an organization has a gap that needs to be filled. Being willing to step into something that may not feel like a perfect fit can still teach you valuable skills and perspectives.

Once you get your foot in the door, you start building experience, relationships, and trust. That’s when you can begin shaping your path more intentionally. Early on, adaptability and curiosity will take you much further than trying to find the perfect role right away.

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If you could give your younger self one piece of career advice, what would it be?

I would tell my younger self to worry less. Even though I’ve always operated in the media industry in some capacity, my path has been quite nonlinear, with pivots from nonprofit work and production into technology and partnerships.

In hindsight, not having a clear trajectory has actually been a differentiator for me. Those experiences helped shape how I think and work today. You have to trust the process and believe that the foundation you’re building will make sense over time. Worrying rarely helps move things forward. Trust your intuition. 

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Have you ever had a moment where you felt especially proud to be a woman in this industry?

I wouldn’t say it’s tied to a single moment. For me it’s more about the path itself and what I’ve learned about who I am and what I’m capable of along the way. Being a woman, being Southeast Asian, and being the first in my family to come to the United States for college are all parts of my story that shaped how I approach this industry and the opportunities it’s given me.

Moments like co-chairing the Innovation Zone at the Hollywood Professional Association Tech Retreat this year are meaningful because they show how many different voices and perspectives are shaping the future of media. Some of the most validating moments have actually been the quieter ones, like when a fellow woman in the industry shares her story with me. Those conversations remind me how important it is that we continue supporting one another and creating space for the next generation. They’re also the moments that leave me feeling both grateful and encouraged about where the industry is headed. 

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What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

For me, International Women’s Day is about uplifting one another and resisting the urge to see each other through a single lens. Even though we coexist in the same spaces, we’re all living in our own parallel realities shaped by different experiences and circumstances. It’s a reminder to pause and consider perspectives and stories that may be very different from our own.

That belief has been central to my own journey. Growing up between cultures, living abroad, and working in media and tech have reinforced how powerful it is when people reflect on their lived experiences to grow and become better versions of themselves. Our industry is uniquely positioned to do that. So to me, this day is also a reminder to keep using our voices and platforms to tell our own stories and those of people around us, including all the complexities and paradoxes that make us human. 

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