Production company Invisible Collective has signed director and DP Justin Jeffers for exclusive commercial representation in the U.S. This collaboration marks the first-ever signing for Jeffers, a rising talent out of Seattle known for a style that grounds Black community expression in place--be it jutting city architecture or lush Pacific Northwest mountainsides.

Raised in Seattle, Jeffers’ career as a director began in high school, when a severe injury forced him to reassess pursuing a career in professional athletics. Looking for other ways to channel his competitive side, Jeffers entered a school video competition. His entry won, and from then on he devoted himself to film. Then, while studying at University of Oregon, Jeffers learned how his passion fit into marketing and fixed his gaze on becoming a DP. 

Using hip-hop fashion, 90s street art, and natural scenes as brushstrokes, Jeffers--who’s now based in Los Angeles--creates visual stories that feel both relatable and surprising, and that subvert the industry status quo. Such a point-of-view meshes seamlessly with Invisible Collective, who’s pushed to revolutionize the world of advertising since 2019 by bearing a torch for underrepresented talent and creating work that more accurately portrays the diversity of the American and global consumer.

“Film has such a powerful influence on people and my goal has always been to help share real Black stories to the world,” said Jeffers. “Community is where it all starts for me. Leading with community allows me to find some sort of harmony with any topic at hand through shared experience.”

Jeffers’ directorial debut was a campaign for Slim Pickins Outfitters, the first Black-owned outdoor gear shop in the country. Through a series of tender vignettes, Jeffers paints a heart-wrenching portrait of owner Jahmicah Dawes raising his two children to hold their heads high in rural Texas.

In 2021, Jeffers’ promos for Slim Pickins and Washington State Tourism were each awarded Vimeo Staff Picks for their excellence in craft and inclusive storytelling, which led him to instruct workshops at the Northwest African American Museum in Seattle. His other recent projects include collaborations with Reebok, Brooks Running, Apple, Disney, Hoka One One, and Sounders FC. 

Jeffers joins Invisible Collective after first hearing about them from his friend and mentor, American filmmaker Jon Jon Agustavo, and contributing to Invisible’s campaign for the Washington State Department of Health. The promo Jeffers created, called “Josephine’s Story,” centers on a middle-aged Black woman who overcame her apprehension to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

“I couldn’t be more hyped to join the Invisible fam,” said Jeffers. “They’ve held me down for a while now and I just know we’re going to make some incredible work together.” 

That collaboration has already started as Jeffers just wrapped via the company a project with FCB NY for an undisclosed client.

Invisible Collective executive producer and creative Sam Kelly Jr. said, “Justin is a dynamic dual-threat talent. A signature visualist, and a deeply empathetic storyteller. He can connect with people to draw out emotional stories and land that performance in unique visual moments and setups. Even if the camera’s not in his hands, the whole production is. He’s ready to lead crews and clients into exciting territory as a visual storyteller at Invisible.”