Golden LA Welcomes Director and Photographer Jimmy Marble

Photographer: Tiger Tiger

Golden LA, the multidisciplinary creative studio skilled in live action, design, and visual effects, welcomes the fresh irreverence of director and photographer Jimmy Marble to their roster. With a distinctive ability to mix pop aesthetic with modern surrealism, Jimmy’s made commercial shorts for Target, Pinterest, and Marc Jacobs, photographed celebrities like Ariana Grande, and earned several Vimeo Staff Picks for his memorable short films.

Matthew Marquis, managing director of Golden LA, comments, “Initially, in seeing Jimmy’s work, it was a wonderful maelstrom of storytelling, style, and innovation–a truly rare combination. However, when I finally met Jimmy in person, his energy, passion, and humanity exceeded what I imagined. Basically, it was a love at first sight experience.”

Born and raised in rural Washington state, Jimmy’s bold, colourful style found its roots in the fanciful pear orchards and horse pastures that lined each side of his childhood home. As he explored this wonderland, his imagination and desire to create his own worlds bloomed.

“I think there’s a very simplistic graphic quality to the country landscape that my brain finds soothing that makes its way into the way I create compositions,” said Jimmy. “It helps you peel away everything that’s superfluous to really focus on exactly what’s important.”

But Jimmy never intended to become a commercial filmmaker. He was more interested in living the life of an artist and making what he wanted to make, regardless of format. Then his work caught the eyes of a few ad agencies. “Next thing I knew, I was making commercials. After that I learned how to take photos and then basically the same thing happened,” he said.

Jimmy’s shorts are defined by a playful use of colour and typography, retro technology, and tongue-in-cheek narratives. 'If You’re Ready,' one of his most recent short films, follows a young man on a journey full of coincidences and romance, after he receives a cassette tape and player in the mail from an anonymous sender. The enchanting short earned Marble both a Vimeo Staff Pick and Short of the Week feature.  

His film style definitely interplays with his photography, too, and allows him to shape projects from several perspectives. “What I love about photography is trying to find an angle that makes a familiar subject feel new and different. Incorporating that into a motion shoot can help create very dynamic situations,” he said.

Right now, Jimmy is focused on growth. With Golden’s support, Jimmy intends to go after even more imaginative ideas and execute at an ever higher level - a promise he’s already begun to make good on. Currently, Jimmy is shooting a live-action short film starring Suzanna Son, and is mid-production on an animated short called 'The Dream Machine' - both of which have left him feeling newly inspired.

“Short films are my favourite to make because they allow me to experiment with new ideas, and to 100% infuse my personality and point of view into the work,” said Jimmy. “Joining Golden allows me to work with top-level producers that understand where I’m trying to come from creatively and who help me execute my wild ideas at a high level.”

“Having been a fan/follower of Jimmy's photography for quite some time, it’s been an honour to get to know him personally and professionally,” remarks Golden EP Geoff McLean. “I have no doubt that his work will continue to flourish under the Golden banner. We are beyond excited to be welcoming him to the family!"