French production company, LA\PAC, has added Australian director, Jesse James McElroy, to its roster.

The Australian director has become known for his distinctive comic sensibility – absurdist, precise, and always built around performance. moving fluidly between surrealist comedy and choreographed chaos. His sharp casting instinct and rhythmic precision make the absurd feel inevitable, and his attention to set design makes each of his films a fully realised world, strange, immersive, and unmistakably his.

McElroy began his career in film as an editor, cutting music videos, TV shows, and commercials, before moving into directing in 2015. Since then, he has directed all over the world for leading international brands including Kelloggs, McDonalds, Volkswagen, MasterCard and Unilever as well as domestic campaigns for brands such as Catch and Bankwest.

McElroy’s comedy spot for Combantrin, Combantrin Crawl, was celebrated with a Cannes Lion and handpicked by Vice Magazine as one of the Best Commercials for the year.

A relentless idea generator, his grassroots social media campaign to encourage Streets Ice-Cream to create a 1.25-litre tub from its beloved single serve Gaytime Ice Cream became an internet sensation. Trending #1 on Twitter and reaching over 3.4 million people, the campaign also took home a prestigious Webby Award for social achievement. In collaboration with Streets Ice-cream, he invented the Gaynetto, Extra Biscuit Crumb and Rainbow Gaytime.