TWIN Directors on Dodging Pigeonholes, Chasing Chaos, and Why Weird Scripts Win

​Jonathan and Josh Baker, the directing duo known as TWIN, have spent over two decades crafting visually bold, emotionally charged commercials for some of the world’s biggest brands. Their knack for blending high-concept storytelling with striking, cinematic visuals—often infused with a playful quirk—has made them a go-to for companies like Nike, Google, Samsung, and Beats by Dre. With a background in VFX, their work is energetic and fuses their technical know-how with character-driven storytelling, crafting impeccably cinematic and unforgettable work.

Beyond advertising, the brothers have carved out a space in narrative filmmaking, directing the feature film KIN (2018), produced by Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps and starring Jack Reynor, Zoe Kravitz and James Franco.

Name: TWIN - Josh and Jonathan Baker
Location: LA/Sydney
Repped by/in: Collider AUS/NZ, Rakish US, Academy UK

LBB> What are some upcoming projects that you're excited about? Tell us a bit about them?

Josh> The most exciting are usually the personal projects (that, in the best case, lead to new commercial work). Ideas that fall out of our brains and onto a page, hopefully eventually finding their way to a camera and a screen. If people want to watch them, that’s even better. We just released a fun absurdist short a week ago called ‘Triple XL’ that took a while to finish – lots of favours from kind-hearted mates and close collaborators. It came from wanting to do something different, maybe flex some silly muscles that we don’t get to as often as we’d like.

​Jonathan> Outside of advertising, we constantly have a bunch of fun film projects in different states of development, and those are always exciting to push along the precarious, rumbling fault-line that is Hollywood in 2025.

LBB> How do you avoid being pigeonholed as a director?

​Jonathan> We do our utmost to stay nimble style-wise. We’ve made it our mission to not just have one thing we’re known for. I can imagine that would really limit a director’s options if there weren’t a hunger for what they do anymore.

​Josh> At least from where we stand, we get offered quite a range of different types of creative, and it keeps our job really fresh and interesting. Showing that we can create a wide variety of cinematic genres and styles has really paid off.

LBB> What elements of a script sets one apart from the other and what sort of scripts get you excited to shoot them?

​Jonathan> We love it when ad scripts have at least one out-of-left field, completely unexpected element. It’s hard to beat some well-placed obscurity.

​Josh> We get excited by emotion that’s honest, and humor that’s actually funny. Occasionally they even go together.

LBB> How do you approach creating a treatment for a spot?

​Josh> We talk about it, meet the agency, talk about it some more, then dive in. We both have design backgrounds, so we’re reasonably hands-on when it comes to crafting treatments. Many directors don’t write the words themselves, at least not from scratch, but we like to. The way we structure treatments has changed a bit as the years have moved on, but we try to stick to a few solid rules. Be punchy. Be honest. Show your excitement. Have clear ideas, but don’t tear the script down to the studs unless you’re sure that’s what they’re really asking for. And even then, be prepared to say goodbye to it.

​Jonathan> Each treatment is you directing the spot. It’s the only way really. It’s super exhausting work, but also strangely satisfying. Like every director, there’s definitely a bunch of heartbreakers in the archives that we fully worked out in meticulous detail but never got to realise.

LBB> For you, what is the most important working relationship for a director to have with another person in making an ad? And why?

​Josh> The simpatico relationship with your directing clone.

LBB> What type of work are you most passionate about -- is there a particular genre, subject matter, or style you are most drawn to?

​Jonathan> Sports work gets us pretty pumped. Comedy is really fun to shoot. Dancing ads are never not a blast. Working with VFX can be incredibly satisfying if you’re paired with an A-level team.

LBB> What misconception about you or your work do you most often encounter and why is it wrong?

​Josh> No massive misconceptions. People are very often surprised we’re actually real twins. I guess a lot of people think TWIN is just a kitschy name.

LBB> What’s the craziest problem you’ve come across in the course of a production – and how did you solve it?

Jonathan> Out of nowhere, a cyclone forced winds on an epic cliff location in Chile that shut down our shoot day due to safety. The client was pissed. Our solution became splitting up into two separate units the next day to finish the first day’s shoot in front of a makeshift green screen stage built on the middle of a dry lake bed while the other one of us stayed on schedule by shooting a completely new script with a second DP hired just hours before call time.

Felt hairy in the moment, but ultimately, we saved the entire production by getting everything we needed, which had everyone smiling at the wrap drinks. Impossible without a co-director.

LBB> How do you strike the balance between being open/collaborative with the agency and brand client while also protecting the idea?

​Josh> I mean, that’s the whole job. Creating a balance between art and commerce. It’s just the politics of what we do, and a good director is probably someone who at least tries to deliver a 10 while remaining a great collaborator. Pissing everybody off to try and get your vision up on the screen will just come back to bite you. It’ll either be painful now or painful later. We do everything we can to have people feel appreciated and included in the spot we want to make.

LBB> Which pieces of your work do you feel show what you do best – and why?

Toyota Camry ‘Limitless Vibes’

A recent cute car spot that was a joy of a collaboration with Saatchi LA. It included a lot of the things we love -- great casting, improv comedy performance, simple visual effects, and a surreal idea.

Star Wars ‘Galactic Starcruiser’

As two Star Wars kids, I find this ad to be as exciting as it seems. Working closely with Lucasfilm and Kathy Kennedy. Real Droids and real Wookiees. All for an immersive experience that was trying sincerely to break new ground. It was a ton of fun.

76ers ‘Since 1776’

It was a ridiculously low-budget project that had us fully invested in the basketball fans of Philadelphia. This is one type of anthemic film we’ve always adored. Energy, emotion, humanity and style, all in a blender.

Permanent TSB ‘Keep Going’

A little Irish bank ad from the archives that has some candid moments throughout a man’s young life. The emotion in this one still hits hard and makes the head client cry while presenting the director's cut, which is always a win!