Production company JOJX has signed director Madeline Clayton for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content.
Clayton’s body of work includes award-winning pieces such as “She’ll Be Right” for the United Nations, which won a Bronze Cannes Lion and a 1.4 Award for Brilliant Filmmaking. The film, which advocates for global gender equality, was also nominated for a Webby and shortlisted for the Young Directors Award. Her short film “Nineteen” garnered international recognition and is another example of her talent for balancing sensitive themes with powerful impact. Clayton has been tapped to direct commercial films for brands like Qantas, Gillette Venus, Maybelline, Sorel, Toys for Tots, and the Mayo Clinic, capturing the highs and lows of the human experience.
Clayton said of joining JOJX, “The connection I felt with [co-founders] Jackson [Morton], Joe [Care], and [EP/partner] Sevasti [Buford] from the beginning was undeniable. Their passion, commitment to creative collaboration and belief in me as a filmmaker made me feel instantly at home. JOJX’s ethos, craft, and vision align with mine, and I’m excited about what’s to come as we create work that reflects the human experience. We pitched a job together before we signed the deal, and their process and attention blew me away. I feel very supported both creatively and strategically.”
Clayton began her career as a producer before eventually shifting her focus to directing. She is based in New York and works internationally, earning recognition for her ability to tackle big emotional themes with intimacy. Notable campaigns include the heartwarming “Piggy Bank” for IKEA, which showcased her strength in working with actors to create genuine connections on-screen. Prior to joining JOJX, Clayton was most recently repped in the U.S. market by production house Curfew.
“Madeline’s storytelling style is minimalist in approach but maximalist in feeling, and that’s exactly what we look for at JOJX,” said Buford. “Her ability to take audiences on a sensory journey, whether through subtle soundscapes or emotionally driven performances, is unmatched. We’re beyond excited to have her on board.”
Clayton’s signing is a testament to Buford’s recent appointment as executive producer and her commitment to diversifying the roster, enhancing directorial representation, and strengthening the company’s creative strategy.
She is far more likely to be found in the thick of an ensemble. That could be on TV, in "The Gilded Age," for which she was just Emmy nominated, or in the upcoming season of "The White Lotus," which she recently shot in Thailand. Or it could be in films, most relevantly, Azazel Jacobs' new drama, "His Three Daughters," in which Coon stars alongside Natasha Lyonne and Elizabeth Olsen as sisters caring for their dying father.
But on a recent, bright late-summer morning, Coon is sitting on a bench in the bucolic northeast Westchester town of Pound Ridge. A few years back, she and her husband, the playwright Tracy Letts, moved near here with their two young children, drawn by the long rows of stone walls and a particularly good BLT from a nearby cafe that Letts, after biting into, declared must be within 15 miles of where they lived.
In a few days, they would both fly to Los Angeles for the Emmys (Letts was nominated for his performance in "Winning Time" ). But Coon, 43, was then largely enmeshed in the day-to-day life of raising a family, along with their nightly movie viewings, which Letts pulls from his extensive DVD collection. The previous night's choice: "Once Around," with Holly Hunter and Richard Dreyfus.
Coon met Letts during her breakthrough performance in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?" on Broadway in 2012. She played the heavy-drinking housewife Honey. It was the first role that Coon read and knew, viscerally, she had to play. Immediately after saying this, Coon sighs.
"It sounds like something some diva would say in a movie from the '50s," Coon says. "I just walked around in my apartment in my slip and I had pearls and a little brandy. I made a grocery list and I just did... Read More