Meet our Creative Director & token male of Jumpin' the Gun
Even the most humble and elusive creatives have to step into the limelight now and again. And so, the time has come to introduce you to the man behind every project approval himself, the conductor of our locomotive, the thorn among the roses, our protective (slightly lapsed) black belt, and enthusiastic cat dad - Keagan Sandi Clack, Creative Director & Co-Founder of JTG.
Keagan’s story at JTG starts way back in 2015, at varsity, with a less-than-meet-cute. At the time, he was studying BA Visual Communications, majoring in Art Direction, at the Stellenbosch Academy of Design & Photography. It was also here that he met Michelle van Sittert, the Managing Director of JTG, as well as his business- and life partner. Funny thing – it was NOT 😍 at first sight…
In fact, Keagan and Michelle actually irritated each other quite a bit at the start. See, when Keagan was voted into the SADP Student Council in his first year, it was under the watchful eye of Head of the Council – none other than Michelle, already in her second year. He thought she was bossy, she thought he was lazy - and boy, was one of them wrong! 🤣
But then they started working together on projects! And did not stop. To their fellow students’ dismay, they were helping each other knockout briefs left, right and centre, with Michelle advising Keagan on his briefs and helping with design, and him adding his exceptional video- and conceptual skills to her third year work in his second year already.
Then, in his third year, Keagan started working part-time at Jumpin' the Gun in its formative first year, helping to develop systems and heading up the digital department. At the same time, he was also managing to rake in multiple industry award nominations, including:
- Adfocus (Student of the Year)
- Pendoring (Netflix Billboard Campaign titled 'Nie Netflix Nie' & District Six Museum Integrated Campaign titled 'Nie net Wit of Swart Nie')
- Adobe (Pizza Hit Campaign titled 'Piece for Peace')
He was ultimately awarded Financial Mail Adfocus Student of the Year 2017, and also took home a Silver Pendoring for his MonAmi Campaign titled "Skin Colours".
After finishing his studies at the top of his class with a distinction, Keagan continued to develop the JTG digital department for just over a year, before being named the new Creative Director of Jumpin' the Gun in March of 2019.
Today, he heads up a team of excellent creatives, including copywriters, designers and content creators, but still remains the only male to be part of the JTG team. When asked how he felt about being the only thorn among the JTG roses, he responded:
"Was that a subtle way of calling me a prick? I think it’s amazing that I get to work with a team of talented women. There have been times when I wasn’t the only male on the team, but JTG has always boasted a female majority and I hope that never changes."
Although there are multiple aspects of the creative industry that interests Keagan - including animation, film, conceptual thinking and more - when it comes to our everyday briefs, he believes in finding the fun in a brand and emphasising that aspect as much he can.
"Everyone knows you need to find what makes you unique in the market, but sometimes this can come across as a little analytical. I believe it is far more effective to establish emotional connections - so I always look for what makes your brand uniquely delightful," he explains."Ultimately, all I want is for us to bring value and always leave a brand better off than when we started. As long as we’re doing that, we’re helping businesses and people grow and that’s awesome. I want to see our client list filled with brands that we have worked with for years."
Keagan's favourite colour is orange (yes, orange... but not the bright kind, more like a sunset); but when it comes to the JTG world, Keagan's shade of choice is a bright shade of JTG pink, AKA magenta. He digs this colour because it's imaginary... "Our brains invent magenta as a bridge colour between red and violet light, which are on two opposite ends of the visible spectrum - so technically it doesn’t exist, and everyone is just imagining the colour and that blows my mind!"
Now you know! Keep an eye out for more howzits from the JTG crew in future ⚡
Have more questions or want to chat with our Creative Director? Email keagan@jumpinthegun.com | Bēhance: www.behance.net/keaganclack | Linkedin: Keagan Clack
And he wins it! #FMAdFocus2017 #Studentoftheyear goes to @KeaganClack of @StellenboschA 😎 https://t.co/MoaJs8d3xx
— Marketing & Media SA (@Biz_Marketing) November 22, 2017