INTERVIEW: Directing Duo JamsBash Talk Collaborative Partnership and Innovative Storytelling

The Knockturnal sat down with JamsBash, the award-winning directing duo known for HBO’s “Pause with Sam Jay” and SoundCloud’s first feature film “The Day Ones,” along with commercial content for global brands such as Mastercard, Disney, ESPN, Vogue, Adidas, and more. 

Viewers can easily spot a JamsBash production by the bright visuals, signature humor, and striking design, pushing boundaries and reimagining cultural phenomena for a consistently joyful, immersive visual experience. 

Jamaal Parham and Bashan Aquart, collectively known as JamsBash, met back in 2010 while working together on a project for an ad agency. Ironically, the brand dismissed their final product; Jams recalls with a laugh, “the client was like, ‘this is crazy, absolutely not.’” This short-term setback sparked a lasting partnership founded on a like-minded vision and mutual desire to produce forward-thinking, unique content. 

Almost fifteen years later, despite each possessing the skill sets to branch out on their own, this love for collaboration and community keeps their dynamic stronger than ever. “We get to chase this joy and this feeling of going to work with your best friend every day,” says Jams. 

Their creative partnership is so seamlessly intertwined that it’s difficult for them to pinpoint what specific contributions each member brings to the table. “We have to use the shared brain as opposed to the individual,” says Bash. It comes down to passion and knowledge for a given project, and one of them naturally emerges as the leader in the initial brainstorming phase. “And then the ones we’re both really passionate about, we basically fight until the project’s over,” jokes Bash. 

While juggling client expectations, authentic storytelling, and creative innovation, Jams and Bash lead with the primary goal of entertaining viewers. They tap into the existing cultural database as a foundation, and then twist genre conventions and societal norms to craft original ideas. “We’re always thinking about that front-end experience that gets the viewer engaged from top to bottom,” says Bash.

This entertainment-first model shines through in their portfolio, with viewers recognizing their cinematic, vibrant design as a trademark JamsBash product. And it’s no accident their characteristic style exudes optimism — they prioritize building spirited teams with an eagerness to have fun with the material. “Not only do we want our work to have a sense of joy, and a sense of fun and playfulness and humor and laughter and all that stuff, we want to conduct our sets that way,” says Jams. 

In fact, when it comes to advice for aspiring filmmakers, Jams emphasizes the ability to be a good person as the most essential building block to a career as a director. Above all else, “you’re creating an environment where people are receptive and want to work with you, and want to play in your world and want to build that thing with you.” 

Their resume speaks for itself — Jams and Bash have worked with countless high-profile talent throughout their career, including Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Samuel L. Jackson, Laurence Fishburne, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael B. Jordan, Martin Lawrence, Mindy Kaling, Forest Whitaker, Bryan Cranston, Martin Short, and Sam Rockwell, just to name a few. 

In addition to being a good person, Bash advises up-and-coming creatives to jump in headfirst and ignore any outside noise preventing them from starting. “Just make shit… make things with people. And I think that helps encourage you to be that person that we’re talking about, because it forces you into these spaces where you have to talk to people, you have to respond to their emotions… you have to catalog these emotions and catalog your own responses to them.” 

Whether it’s a commercial, film, or television assignment, collaboration is essential: between one another, with the client, and ultimately, with the intended audience. “As your creative mind matures and you grow as a professional in this, you understand that talking about this stuff helps you understand how it could be for someone else. How all of it’s for someone else. Which makes you a better filmmaker, a better commercial maker,” says Bash. 

This theme of synergistic and transformative teamwork was evident from the beginning of Jams and Bash’s partnership. Jams reflects on their first experience directing together, “It was one of those things that was like, okay, we’re in the right place. We’re doing the right thing. And we’ve just been going for it ever since.”