Director Michael Paul Jones has joined Austin and L.A.-based Synthetic Pictures for worldwide commercial representation. The Montana-based filmmaker has traveled an adventurous directing path from filming vehicles in remote and wild places, to capturing backcountry snowboarding, surfing, and rock climbing, and the many sand dunes, hiking treks, fly fishing and biking trails in between. His spots span such brands as Ford, Toyota, Subaru, Chevy, Nike, New Balance, Patagonia, Yeti, JCPenney and NBC. Prior to coming aboard the Synthetic roster, Jones was repped by We The People.
“We saw Michael’s work and immediately got excited not just about his skills as an automotive specialist, but also about the way he weaves energy and creativity into his storytelling. It’s both beautiful and feels totally natural, as if the camera always belonged riding along with that sand surfer or under the water spearfishing. He gives us an eye into what we might not otherwise see and tells the authentic stories of the drivers, athletes and enthusiasts living them,” said Synthetic Pictures’ executive producer Allison R. Smith. “Plus, his positive, can-do attitude is just the best!”
Jones recalled, “I originally met Allison and Synthetic founding director Justin Corsbie from working on a Yeti campaign. The Yeti producer thought we should all know each other, and from there, the relationship just took off. I think there’s a lot of mutual respect for what we’ve each done in the industry and agreement on what we want to do next. Plus, we all prefer to work with people who are both creative problem solvers, and easy to be with.”
Having come up in the camera department, Jones also regularly shoots on high action Hollywood feature films , serving as operator for such movies as Top Gun Maverick (2022), Gemini Man (2019), and Bird Box (2018). He was the second unit director on Murder at Yellowstone City (2022) starring Richard Dreyfuss, Gabriel Byrne, Thomas Jane and Anna Camp. Jones is currently developing a feature that he’s set to direct and produce called Temperance, based on the series of books by Matt Prescott of the same name.
Jones began his career in broadcast news, working for ABC, where he won two Emmys and a APTRA award for news journalism. He moved to Hollywood shortly thereafter, assisting Tony Scott on the features Man on Fire, Domino, and Deja Vu. Jones went on to perfect his chosen craft in the camera department, working alongside Paul Cameron and Dion Beebe. Pre-pandemic, he moved to Montana with his wife and young children to be a stone’s throw away from the mountains, lakes and rivers that make such beautiful settings in his work.
