5 Minutes with… Jordan Brady

Jordan Brady’s name has become synonymous with all things wit, ingenuity, and a commitment to uplifting others. With a career spanning decades working with household names, his work demonstrates what it looks like to successfully balance humour and brand strategy – even though the latter still makes him shudder. Jordan’s creative process centres on maintaining the brand’s identity with enhancements from his particular comedic flair, all while ensuring logistical efficiency – something he’s mastered over the years. 

Beyond directing, Jordan’s contribution extends to his long-running podcast. Now on its 540th episode, ‘Respect the Process’ facilitates industry conversation, providing invaluable insights to aspiring directors – and those who are a bit longer in the tooth. His mentorship philosophy is simple: infuse your voice into every project, but understand that collaboration is key. The family-run nature of his production company, True Gent, is a great source of pride for Jordan, who never misses a chance to compliment his wife and kids. 

In this interview, Jordan shares lessons, practical tips, why funny is binary, and an unfiltered perspective on the current state of commercial directing.

LBB> Jordan, you’ve worked on commercial campaigns for major brands like Hyundai, Toyota, and ADT Solar. Tell us about your creative process when working with brands that have such distinct identities. How do you maintain a balance between brand voice and your own directorial style?

Jordan> The agency is the guardian of the brand… so I tend to push the funny as far as we can. I am but a simple comedy filmmaker, concepts like ‘strategy’ and ‘positioning’ frighten and confuse my simple brain.

LBB> True Gent has a motto: “Minimise logistics so we can maximise performance time.” Can you share an example of a project where this philosophy significantly influenced the outcome?

Jordan> For Valley Toyota, we shot our hero campaign with a lumberjack, a ranch hand and Bigfoot. This was done on a stage with fake trees and logs, faux fire and a backdrop. We rotated the fake trees and shot all four characters from the same camera set up, allowing infinitely more time to capture the comedy and alternative lines.

LBB> Having directed comedy spots for over two decades, what would you say is the most important factor in making humour work in advertising today, especially with the challenges of content overload?

Jordan> The single most important element to making comedy is……………………. timing.

LBB> Your podcast, ‘Respect the Process', is on episode 540 and has become a great tool for directors in the industry, featuring quite a few big names. What’s one episode or piece of advice from your guests that has stayed with you over the years? 

Jordan> Greg Hahn, co-founder and chief creative officer of Mischief @ No Fixed Address, said: “Collaborate closely with the agency and creative team, but don't be afraid to push back if you have a better idea that aligns with the strategy.”

Also, for our 500th episode, we featured Jake Brady, who edits the show. I asked Jake about the best advice he’s heard most from guests. His answer: "’Good enough’ sucks.”

LBB> You’ve built True Gent as a family-run business, with your wife and son deeply involved in the creative process. How has this dynamic influenced the culture and success of the company?

Jordan> It’s heaven. Jeannette Godoy is my talented wife, and we bounce things off each other, figuratively and literally. Ben just wrapped lensing his first feature and DPs for me a lot. I produced his NetSuite shoot. All three of us have a common shorthand. Morgan and Nick, our married directing duo, stay busy with their own production company, Camlock Films. There are no other directors who pour their hearts into prep and the shoot like Morgan and Nick. It inspires all of us.

LBB> The use of humour in advertising has seen a resurgence post-pandemic. In your view, what role does it play in connecting audiences today, and how do you approach comedy differently now than when you started?

Jordan> The need to laugh is timeless. The fact that humorous spots declined during the pandemic was because many brands and their agencies were big pussies. My approach has changed very little. Funny is binary to me. I have noticed gen Z does not seem to enjoy sarcasm like gen X does. Millennials are earnest but still get irony. Secretly, everyone laughs at flatulence.

LBB> Your Commercial Directing Bootcamp has inspired many in the industry. What advice do you give to up-and-coming directors who are trying to break into commercial work, especially in such a competitive field?

Jordan>

• Realise that as the doula for the agency and client, you’re bringing their spot to life yet still infusing it with your voice.
• Your spec spot cannot look like a spec spot. And don’t call it a spec spot.
• Put yourself in a box to make yourself easy to sell.

LBB> What are the key lessons from filmmaking, looking back, that have helped you become a better director?

Jordan> Never start the day with the wide shot. It rarely makes the cut and if you start it that way, someone will want to do eight takes. Why start by telling your client just how wasteful that is?

Always have fresh breath.

The fish stinks from the head down.

Be decisive.

LBB> With True Gent being represented on both coasts now, how do you see the geographical flexibility of modern production impacting the way you work and collaborate with clients and agencies?

Jordan> The biggest advantage nowadays is not the LED wall or uploading dailies to the cloud… It's Zoom. I love doing eight minute Zoom check-ins with the agency team to make sure we’re aligned on, say, casting or locations. I’m scouting virtually. We even do pre-scouts with our key crew over zoom.

LBB> Anything else you’d like to add?

Jordan> I’m always happy to share tips and tricks with anyone with a challenge. I just turned 60 and feel my experience is a critical advantage to problem solving in prep, on set, and in the edit. Especially as we want more deliverables for less money. Rising tides lift all ships.