Honor Society has signed director and writer Jazeel Gayle for U.S. commercial representation. Gayle, who is passionate about telling thought-provoking, unnerving, and inspiring stories, has turned out work that is a mix of human rights messaging with stylized visuals that blur the line between graphic design and cinematography. He has brought his vision to projects for brands such as Nissan, Eastern Bank, Alfa Romeo, and Men’s Health.
Lifelong film lover Gayle was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and immigrated to Brooklyn, NY, where he was raised. As a child, he enjoyed drawing but found himself creating vivid backstories for all of his illustrations, which inspired him to try writing. As a writer, Gayle was able to create great stories but yearned for a visual element to elevate his work. Fusing both of his passions, he pivoted to film and attended the School of Visual Arts. After graduating with a degree in Film with a concentration in directing, he got his feet wet as a production intern under Megan Kelly, who’s exec producer at Honor Society, and got his start directing professionally on Nissan’s “Nissan GTR Dream” spot in 2019. His “soup to nuts” approach to filmmaking allows him to fit his touch of creativity within any production limit. Gayle, who was unaffiliated with a production company at the time, earned a slot in SHOOT’s 2020 New Directors Showcase.
Gayle is currently developing two film projects and a series pilot that he will pen and direct. The pilot, Pink and Purple, hearkens back to his roots growing up in Jamaica and follows a young gay boy struggling to come of age in a country plagued with LGBTQ+ discrimination and violence.
Kelly stated, “I’ve been so impressed with how the caliber of Jazeel’s directing work has continued to grow in the short time that he’s had behind the camera. He has such a natural ability for telling powerful stories cast against beautiful visuals.”
“Joining Honor Society is like coming home for me,” added Gayle. “Ever since I was an intern for Megan early on in my career, she has been a tremendous mentor for me in my directing path. She has done a wonderful job curating a roster made up of a wide cross-section of unique perspectives and aesthetics and I’m excited to add my voice to that lineup.”
Gayle is also signed to V A G R A N T S for projects out of Boston.
