Jon Baxter discusses the ins-and-outs of running an expansive film production company, and spotlights some of his best work along the way. 

Before founding his very own film production company, 30-year-old director Jon Baxter was a military serviceman. In what might be the biggest professional leap we’ve seen in Clips history, Jon followed-through on his lifelong passion for film by taking the scripts he’d crafted during his service, completing his military contract and graduating from the New York Film Academy, all within the space of a few short months in 2014. 

From there, the Sydney-based director defied his minimal experience by co-founding JÁEN, a media production company he spent four years building, which now spans the full breadth of filmmaking, from music videos for some of hip hop’s biggest acts to commercial work for the likes of Surf Stitch and Deliveroo. Recalling the origins of JÁEN, Jon now credits his success to his years-long hustle and the support he received from fellow creatives. 

https://vimeo.com/577935569/5425ba5f9f

“JÁEN originally began when me and [co-founder] Nick Stevens spent years creating on a level neither of us expected…Over the years I applied skills to help with time management, crew management and innovative ways to fit a lot more into an efficient running film set, A small team of creatives around me provided the motivation and support to create new ideas and pitches for artists and brands,” Jon says.

With a production company to his name and his sights set on “feature films on a Hollywood level,” Jon scored his first major credit in 2016, producing a music video for a local artist before a series of chance encounters with musicians Manu Crookes and B Wise established him as Sydney’s go-to hip hop director. Now having collaborated with everyone from Skegss to Havana Brown and Mashd N Kutcher, Jon’s worked hard to diversify his portfolio across multiple genres. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnxthIijnQ4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7i9oCgsukE

“I do all the creative pitching myself. I dive into the artist’s image, who they are and what their lane is to help guide our visuals together. My creative team [is] a good soundboard to develop these ideas, [and] I enjoy [getting] an audience opinion on what’s to come. Listening to the audience is going to help me give the people what they want,” Jon says. 

Although Jon describes music videos as “the backbone of JÁEN since the beginning,” he’s found equal success in the commercial world, from a desert-bound shoot for UE Boom to promo work for Splendour In The Grass. “Working with branded campaigns requires a lot more pre-production and creative meetings to make sure the entire team is on the same page,” Jon says, “extensive shot lists and storyboards allow me to share my vision before its shot.”

ARVE Error: The Vimeo endpoint located at http://vimeo.com/api/oembed.json?url=http%3A//vimeo.com/498180550 returned a 404 error.
Details: Not Found

https://vimeo.com/498180550/0eb1308b05

Despite amassing a star-studded filmography, Jon employs a few simple tricks to create a desired atmosphere on set, and maintains an equally relaxed outlook should a shoot not go according to plan. “I always have some music playing that’s suited to the room, and give everyone a verbal rundown to know the day ahead. You have to remember this is a creative space and to enjoy the ups and downs… Roll with the punches and every shoot will be enjoyable, even when the curveballs are thrown.”

Catch Jon’s full Clips reel below, and head here to follow JÁEN on Instagram.