The Brave and the Bold: How AJAX Creative Cuts Straight to the Feeling

This industry is all about ideas. They’re everywhere - littered throughout creative briefs, strategic ideation sessions, or sometimes nestled in the corners of our minds waiting to be shared. Yet what defines success isn’t just the quality of your ideas; but rather the ability to bring them to life. Without that practical know-how, an idea is likely to remain as an idea - and no more. 

AJAX Creative, a studio co-founded by director Jared Galley and EP Jared Floyd, understands that dynamic. It’s embedded deep in the studio’s DNA, and helps to explain why AJAX has become synonymous with the kind of emotionally-driven, compelling content which sparks genuine connections between brand and audience. 

That’s because its co-founders share more than just a name. The two Jareds have also perfected the intrinsic ability to shepherd an idea from concept to execution with transparency and confidence. 

“The whole concept of being brave and bold is certainly something that we’ve made a conscious decision to adopt”, explains Jared Galley. “That’s about taking on ideas which might sound absurd, or incredibly ambitious, and doing whatever it takes to make them happen”. 

And it's within that philosophy that the ‘and’ in ‘brave and bold’ comes into play. 

“Having a bold idea is one thing, but the bravery needed to see it through to the finish is something else entirely”, says Jared Floyd. “Because sometimes it’s not just practical limitations that have the potential to hold an idea back. It might be the internal politics, or the nervousness around actually standing up and making the case for it. It requires a level of transparency throughout your whole working relationship with a client or an agency - that’s how you earn the trust to be able to pursue bold ideas”. 

The Idea Comes First 

Pressed for an example of that approach working in practice, the pair immediately reference AJAX’s work with Air Canada. ‘Back To Juno’ is an epic fifteen minute short film documenting the return of Second World War veteran Henry Greenwood to Juno Beach in France - the spot where the Canadian army landed to begin the liberation of France on D-Day in 1944. 

Although a compelling and thoroughly moving piece of film, ‘Back to Juno’ initially began life as a project of much smaller scale. 

“We didn’t go into that project knowing that we were going to come out with a fifteen minute short, however I was of course cognisant of how emotionally charged and powerful a story this was going to be before I even met Henry”, recalls Jared Galley. 

As it happened, it wasn’t long after meeting the former Royal Navy signalman that the shape of a much more ambitious project began to form in Jared Galley’s mind. “We had dinner with him the first night we arrived, and he was telling these stories which were clearly subjects around which he was opening up in a very emotive and emotional way. It was moving and, as a director, you couldn’t help but piece together the potential for a powerful piece of film”, says the filmmaker. 

The faith placed in the AJAX team by Air Canada to go with the idea of a bigger film, however, was no accident. It was the result of an ongoing partnership during which bonds of trust had been built and strengthened. “We’d already worked on a few projects for Air Canada beforehand, so they felt confident in sending us an email saying ‘hey, we have this opportunity so can you fly out next week?’ and we were more than happy to take up the offer”, says Jared Floyd. 

Alongside big ideas, another core strand of AJAX’s DNA is the desire and ability to take projects from concept to execution. “We like directors who are able to look at a script and know instinctively if something smells off - and who can go into the edit booth if need be to ensure the central idea shines through”, says Jared Galley. 

That approach was at the heart of ‘Bringing It All Together’, another characteristically ambitious piece of film - this time for International Trucks. 

“This was such a huge spot for us, not least because we were working on a shoot taking place across three different locations and a VFX ‘dream team’ of 16 artists we put together at the same time”, says Jared Floyd. “We did take the VFX in-house, so to speak, and we’re super proud of the results you see on-screen”. 

The ad itself is powerful and kinetic - and flows with the kind of seamless cadence that comes about when an idea is supported by a consistent voice at all stages of the production process. It’s another example of the AJAX approach in action, and one that sets the studio apart from the in-and-out, vendor approach which is so common in the industry. “We’re not mercenaries”, notes Jared Galley. “We’re not in it for the quick contract. We’re creative partners in the truest sense of the term”.

And that’s just as well - because the saturated, noisy media environment of 2023 means that creative quality is more important than ever before. 

Getting Emotional 

Pursuing quality is something that comes naturally to the two Jareds - after all, they’re both filmmakers whose passion is palpable from the moment they begin speaking. But there’s another consideration at play, too - the fact that, in 2023 and beyond, effective communications need to do more than catch their audience’s collective attention. They need to do something with it, and that’s where emotion-driven storytelling comes in. 

“I feel like five or ten years ago, the goal was simply to get your content in front of people”, explains Jared Floyd. “But now the game is about making content that people would choose to watch. That’s a huge difference, and it means that every second matters in either gripping your audience’s attention or delivering a story that makes them feel it was worth tuning in”. 

It’s a challenging dynamic, but one that fundamentally suits the AJAX team. “The first question we ask on any project is ‘what’s the emotion?’”, says Jared Galley. “If you’re clear on that, then you have an understanding of the tone you want to adopt and everything else can flow from that point. But there has to be an emotion. It’s the glue that keeps all the creative players aligned - allowing client, agency, and director to maintain the same shared vision”. 

As far as AJAX is concerned, that’s the secret formula for standing out as a brand: You cut through by cutting to the emotion. 

And, ultimately, it’s one that works. With brands like TikTok, Unilever, and Microsoft popping up on AJAX’s portfolio, it’s no wonder that the studio’s commitment to quality and emotion is turning heads within the industry and beyond.