How This Family of Filmmakers Are Keeping Their OPTiONS Open in 2024

2023 was a landmark year for commercial production company, True Gent, and when I sat down with its founder, Jordan Brady, three days into the new year, he showed no signs of slowing the studio’s momentum down. 

And why would he? In the last year, the husband-wife-and-son team successfully delivered big commercial jobs for Hyundai (Innocean), Blinds.com (Oxford Rd.), Ram Trucks (Publicis Sapient), as well as eco-conscious ‘Rooftop Talks’ series for ADT Solar (VML) starring ‘Property Brothers’, Drew and Jonathan Scott. In addition to this, Jordan got behind the camera for another comical 8 spot Toyota (LT) campaign for the 18th(!) consecutive year in a row; Jeannette directed a documentary-style film for Santa Monica’s Pico Youth and Family Center; and prodigal son, Ben, landed a spot in SHOOT’s New Director Showcase after directing a Cava de Oro tequila commercial. 

As a seasoned director, producer, writer, podcaster, comedian and actor, there are very few areas of the business that Jordan doesn’t have experience with. Having caught the director bug while on the set of television shows back in the ‘90’s, Jordan climbed the production ranks, trying his hand at everything - teaching himself how to write, shoot, and edit. 25 years later, and four feature films (directing Oscar winners Charlize Theron, Billy Bob Thornton, Patrick Swayze, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon), three full-length documentaries and one Netflix special later, he settled into commercials and never looked back. 

Eager to share his knowledge of the business and the art of directing, Jordan launched his podcast Respect the Process in 2013, which recently reached its 500th episode. 

Although he considers himself to be self-taught, the filmmaker speaks candidly about the strong network he has built up over the years, proudly acknowledging those around him who have played a part in his success. One name to have come up a lot over the years, and even more so recently, is Doug Sherin. 

Doug and his wife Kim Griswold, head up indie rep firm, OPTiONS, an LA-based talent agency for the advertising industry. Friends and collaborators for the last 15 years, the relationship has transcended transactionalism. “I’ve known Doug for a long time now, and even when he wasn't my rep, he recommended me for projects without any stake in it himself,” says Jordan. 

The long-standing friendship is built on an aligned mindset and mutual support of each other's careers. Both enjoy giving back to the directing community, as evidenced by Doug’s attending Jordan’s Commercial Directing Film School Bootcamp multiple times as a guest speaker. “I really like him as a person,” says Jordan. “He deeply cares about the advertising industry and is always giving back to the community, specifically directors, as a resource.” 

Following a rise in interactions over the last year - “he's been calling me more and more, with leads on the East and West Coast, recommending me for projects" - Jordan was astounded by the range of Doug’s coast to coast connections – and it gave him an idea. 

“For example, when I shot a spot with the Scott brothers for ADT Solar, some creatives from the agency were in Atlanta, the producer in Kansas City, True Gent in LA, and another creative in an undisclosed city. Needless to say, like every production these days, we did a lot of the work on Zoom before even meeting in-person. I think, by now, we’ve all seen how productive creative can still come out of geographically dispersed teams.” 

Ever-inspired by the malleability of the industry’s workforce and the ways in which geographical boundaries no longer prove to be the obstacle they once were, Jordan saw an opportunity to establish a formal working relationship with his long-time friend. 

As of 2024, Doug and Kim’s OPTiONS will be handling True Gent’s representation on both the East and West Coasts. “Julie Koener has been my Texas rep for a long time, and she's got her cowgirl boots on the ground, while Dawn and Marguerite cover the Midwest - and they all know these markets intimately which is important because they are closer knit communities.”

“Doug knows this industry in and out, and he takes pride in being a resource, so why can't a modern production company have a West Coast rep with their fingers in the East Coast pie?”

With all commercial bases covered - from East to West and everything in between - this family of filmmakers will be afforded the freedom to finetune their directorial toolkits by working on both passion pieces and commercial productions, keeping their options open and the creativity flowing.