Jamaal Parham and Bashan Aquart, also known as the Brooklyn-based directing team Jams x Bash, have spent the last decade crafting award-winning commercials, documentaries, music videos, and social content, and have directed some of the best talent in the industry, including Martin Short, Robert DeNiro, Jake Gyllenhaal, Laurence Fishburne, Elizabeth Moss, Tony Shalhoub, Bryan Cranston, Forest Whitaker, Mindy Kaling, and Sam Rockwell, among others. They recently directed a timely and beautiful short called Stanley & Afsaneh about what it means to be apart from the one you love. Jams x Bash are driven by a desire to tell stories of the authentic American experience, infused with a strong sense of magical realism and rooted in a love for beautiful, boundary-pushing design and classic filmmaking technique.

The duo has created award-winning content for in-house international ad agencies, taking projects from concept to traffic. In 2019, their work on spots for the theatrical brands The Sound Inside and The Inheritance both earned Clio Awards, and their work for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child not only took over Times Square but was also honored with a national ADDY Award, an Adweek Experiential Award, and a spot on the One Show shortlist.

The duo recently directed the first season of PAUSE With Sam Jay, a new late-night comedy show, which premiered on HBO and HBO Max in May 2021. Prior to this, they directed a one-hour special for ESPN/Disney titled A Room of Our Own, a unique and groundbreaking hour of television that explores the relationship between Black athletes and Black music and its transcending impact in powering social movements. The special stars Grammy-nominated musician Freddie Gibbs, pop-star Tinashe, and singer-songwriter Jensen McRae. Up next is the feature film Something Kinda Wonderful, which they created and will direct. The film, which stars Kiki Layne (Netflix’s The Old Guard), Jermaine Fowler (Coming to America 2, Sorry to Bother You), and Jamie Chung (HBO’s Lovecraft Country), is being produced by Prentice Penny (HBO’s Insecure) and Sundial Pictures (Obvious Child, Jiro Dreams of Sushi).